As kids head back to school in the new year, having outgrown, misplaced or worn out last year’s supplies, parents focus on ensuring their little ones are prepared.
In 2019 it was predicted Aussie families would spend an average of $538 per child on school supplies and uniforms.
With the back to school period coinciding with the Christmas holidays, many families will look to get organised early. But it can also mean that back to school campaigns can get swept up the in the summer, Christmas haze. Making your brand memorable and your products resonate with your customers is paramount and with so many of us spending more time on our smartphones this year, brands need to think mobile-first.
Influencer marketing is a highly effective way for brands to connect with parents shopping for supplies. Not only do family-focussed influencers make relatable, trustworthy recommendations but they make content that stands out in the social feed.
Driving awareness for Big W
Objective: BIG W wanted an influencer campaign that would position them as the go-to shop for all things Back to School.
Strategy: The campaign was split into stages. ‘Preparing’: for families wanting to get organised in advance and ‘last minute essentials’ for those short on time. This approach catered to both kinds of customers and allowed for fresh activity throughout the consideration period.
17 influencers created Instagram posts and Stories for this campaign. While they communicated the brand’s key messages and mandatory hashtags, they also shared personal experiences to retain authenticity and relate to their audience.
Toolkit
- Managed campaign
- Influencer marketing
- Boosting
Results:
- 100% of posts were saved
- 29,220 customers reached
- 93.9% average Stories completion rate
Combining back to school with back to work
Objective: BIG W wanted to drive awareness of their Sam’s Pantry bars and show how the snack could fit into back to school and work routines.
Strategy: 15 influencers created Instagram posts and Stories showcasing the products and shared them with their engaged audiences. Then Vamp boosted this content with paid media, extending the reach and impact of this content.
Toolkit
- Managed campaign
- Influencer marketing
- Boosting
Paid media results:
- 7.8% engagement rate – four times the industry average
- $0.12 CPE
- 108,900 customers reached
Driving store traffic for Shoes & Sox
Objective: Shoes & Sox wanted to drive mass awareness of their exceptional in store experience, fitting service and range among families.
Strategy: 36 family-focussed influencers created Story content that showcased their store experience. Following that, they created in feed posts that showed their children wearing their new shoes.
Results:
- 185 pieces of content created
- 50,000 customers reached
- 351 posts saved
Three steps to success
#1 Allow creative freedom
In each campaign, the influencer’s ability to share their own relatable experiences proved a powerful way to drive engagement. Allowing influencers creative freedom to interpret your brief – without too many constraints – will make for a more authentic, creative and memorable campaign.
#2 Book in early
The run up to Christmas is a busy time for influencers. They only have a limited amount of time to create content and social real estate to post that content, so be sure to book in your preferred creators early to avoid disappointment.
#3 Ensure creator alignment
It’s important to work with a creator that fits with your brand and aligns with your values. But what’s even more important than the creator, is their followers. Vamp uses Facebook data to ensure a creators following includes your customers so you can be sure you’re connecting with the right people.
