The Complete Guide to Influencer Marketing
*This article is updated periodically.
Concepts and practical methods companies need to know to achieve results
Social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and X have become a part of daily life and an essential channel for corporate marketing activities.
Among these, one of the initiatives many companies are undertaking is influencer marketing.
On the other hand, it is not uncommon to hear concerns such as these:
I don't know which influencer to choose
I hired someone with a large number of followers, but it didn't produce results
I don't know how to evaluate the results
The number of views increased, but it didn't lead to sales
In fact, these issues are not because influencer marketing is difficult, but rather
because the initiative is started without clarifying 'what the purpose of the campaign is'—this is the cause of many failures.
I have been involved in influencer marketing for various companies and organizations, including those in food, cosmetics, tourism, hotels, and local governments.
What I feel from that experience is that the more successful a company is, the more they prioritize 'why we are doing this initiative' over 'which influencer to hire.'
In this article, I will systematically explain content useful for practical work, from the basics of influencer marketing to concepts that lead to results, campaign design, KPI design, and how to choose influencers.
I hope that those who are considering their first campaign, as well as those who are already working on it, will be able to take away new perspectives.
Chapter 1: What is Influencer Marketing?
Influencer marketing is a marketing method that promotes the awareness, understanding, and purchase of products and services through influencers and creators who have a certain level of influence on social media.
However, if you only view it as a 'campaign to have products introduced,' you will lose sight of its essence.
Its true value lies in the ability to deliver information that a company wants to convey through the words of a sender that users already trust.
For example, let's say you are selling a new skincare product.
Companies can tell people in advertisements that "this product has high moisturizing power."
On the other hand, when a beauty influencer shares their impressions after actually using it for several weeks or introduces it as part of their morning and evening skincare routine, users perceive it not as an "advertisement," but as the "experience of an individual consumer."
This "consumer perspective" is the great value of influencer marketing.
Of course, influencer marketing is not a panacea.
Depending on the objective or the product, other measures such as SNS advertising, SEO, PR, or events may be more suitable.
That is why what is important is not "doing influencer marketing," but discerning whether influencer marketing is the right solution for the challenge.
When I propose a strategy, I always start with the question, "Why influencer marketing (as a strategy)?"
Simply clarifying this question significantly changes the influencers to be hired, the planning, and the KPIs.
Chapter 2: The Value Gained from Influencer Marketing
Many people may have the image that "influencer marketing equals brand awareness expansion."
Of course, expanding awareness is one of its major roles.
However, that is not all there is to it.
Properly designed influencer marketing brings various values to a company.
(1) Expansion of awareness
It serves as a catalyst for delivering brands and products to users who do not yet know them.
A key feature is that it can deliver information in a natural way even to communities that are difficult to reach through advertising.
(2) Promotion of product understanding
It allows for the communication of product features and usage within actual daily life scenes.
It makes it easier for people to imagine "how it feels to use it" rather than just its specifications.
(3) Acquisition of trust
Because influencers have built relationships with their followers, their content is more easily accepted as information from a consumer's perspective rather than one-way communication from a company.
4. Generation of UGC
Posts can trigger an increase in posts and reviews from general users.
The ability to expect a reach that cannot be generated by company communications alone is also a major appeal.
5. Assetization through secondary use
The created content can be utilized in various situations, such as advertising creatives, SNS management, landing pages, and in-store POP displays.
It is possible to use it as a long-term marketing asset rather than ending it with a single campaign.
Chapter 3: Why Results Are Not Achieved
"We implemented an influencer campaign, but it didn't produce the results we expected."
It is not uncommon to hear such voices.
However, when looking at the actual campaign content, there are not many cases where the cause lies with the influencer themselves.
In many cases, the issue lies in the planning stage beforehand.
For example,
Hiring based solely on follower count
The objective was vague, such as "improving awareness"
The target audience was not clearly defined
Leaving the content of the posts entirely up to the influencer
Not considering how to utilize the content after it was posted
In other words, things that should be organized before thinking about "who to hire" have not been organized.
We consider influencer marketing not as a "campaign to request posts," but as "one of the marketing strategies."
That is precisely why the first thing you should consider is not the influencer.
The problem to be solved = the objective.
Results are determined by the "design," not the "person"
When people talk about influencer marketing, they often think that "who you hire" is the most important factor.
Of course, casting is an important element.
However, that alone does not determine the results.
For example, even if you hire the same influencer,
whether you convey the appeal of the product in a review format,
whether you introduce it naturally in daily life,
or whether you encourage participation in a campaign,
the way users perceive it will change significantly.
Furthermore, the overall results of the initiative will also change depending on whether you run advertisements after the post or use it for secondary purposes as UGC.
In other words, results are born from the accumulation of not just "who you hired," but "how you designed it."
Chapter 4: 5 Steps to Designing Initiatives That Deliver Results
In influencer marketing, attention tends to be focused on "who to hire."
However, I believe that 80% of the results are determined by the design before casting.
In fact, even if you hire the same influencer, the results will change significantly depending on the design.
Therefore, I will introduce the five steps I organize when actually thinking about an initiative.
STEP 1: Clarify the objective
The first thing to organize is "what you want to achieve."
For example,
You want people to know about your product
You want to deepen understanding of your product
You want to increase UGC
You want to increase e-commerce sales
You want to encourage store visits
All of these require different strategies.
The term "brand awareness" alone is not enough to create a design.
It is important to think about what actions you expect from users beyond just awareness.
STEP 2: Define your target audience
The next thing to consider is "who you want to reach."
For example,
"Women in their 20s and 30s"
is not enough information.
What is their lifestyle?
What social media do they usually look at?
What do they value when choosing a product?
What kind of problems do they have?
Once you have organized this, the influencers you should hire will naturally narrow down.
STEP 3: Decide on the message you want to deliver
You do not need to convey the entire appeal of a product in a single post.
For example, with cosmetics,
rather than
moisturizing power,
the experience of
feeling at ease even on dry mornings might be more effective at getting the message across.
For a hotel,
instead of
a 3-minute walk from the station,
the idea of
being able to relax even after a concert might be easier to visualize.
Convert what the company wants to say into what the user wants to receive.
This is a way of thinking unique to influencer marketing.
STEP 4 Selecting Influencers
This is where we perform the casting for the first time.
It is a common misconception, but we almost never decide based solely on follower count.
What we prioritize is:
affinity with the brand
the aesthetic of the posts
the relationship with followers
Past PR track record
Alignment with content genre
and other multiple perspectives.
We are not evaluating the influencer, but rather looking at their 'compatibility with this campaign'.
STEP 5: Plan beyond the post
It does not end with just posting.
After posting,
running ads
reposting on your own social media
featuring on a landing page
utilizing on e-commerce sites
using for in-store POP displays
and other ways of utilizing the content ensure that a single post continues to generate value for a long time.
It is also important to view influencer marketing as 'content production' rather than just posting.
A post is not the end, but the beginning
Also, influencer posts are not finished once they are executed,
depending on the prior contract and design, after posting you can use them for
Meta ads
TikTok ads
Instagram ads
LP
EC
Amazon
In-store POP
Sales materials
Exhibitions
It can be used for a wide range of purposes.
The ROI will be completely different between cases that end with a single post and cases that maximize effectiveness across multiple media.
ROI will be completely different.
Chapter 5: How should you choose an influencer?
Do not just choose an influencer; choose compatibility with your strategy.
This is the appropriate way of thinking in influencer marketing.
"Please choose a recommended influencer for me."
This is one of the most common inquiries.
However, I never immediately suggest individual influencers in response to such inquiries.
This is because there is no such thing as a "recommended influencer."
What exists is,
an influencer suitable for this specific strategy
.
For example, even among creators who love travel,
those who introduce luxury hotels
those who specialize in family travel
those who share solo travel experiences
all provide completely different value.
What is important is not the size of the influence, but whether it aligns with 'who you want to reach and what you want to deliver' in your campaign.
Therefore, we perform casting based on the following perspectives.
Content Genre
What themes do they regularly post about?
Aesthetic of Posts
Does it blend naturally with the brand?
Relationship with Followers
Is there quality in the comments and strength as a community?
Past Promotional Posts
Is the advertising tone too strong?
Are they only doing sponsored content?
Post Quality
Beyond the quality of photos and videos, is there persuasiveness in their writing and storytelling?
By comprehensively judging these factors, we can achieve 'well-matched casting'.
Chapter 6: Optimal Influencer Marketing Strategies by Objective
"I want to do influencer marketing."
When I receive this request, I express my gratitude by saying "Thank you!" and
the first thing I want to confirm is
"what you want to achieve with this initiative"
.
Even with the same influencer marketing, the optimal approach changes significantly depending on the objective.
Here, I will introduce which initiatives are suitable for each typical objective.
When the objective is brand awareness
Recommended initiatives
PR posts
Short-form videos
Ad delivery (featuring influencers)
Simultaneous use of multiple influencers
For new products or services, "getting people to know about them first" is the top priority.
In this case, it is effective to design a strategy that increases touchpoints on social media by having multiple people post around the same time, rather than relying on just one major influencer.
Also, by combining ad delivery rather than just ending with posts, you can reach more of your target audience continuously.
KPI examples
Reach
Impressions
Video views
Branded search volume
Brand lift
When you want to deepen product understanding
Recommended strategies
Review posts
Long-form videos
Comparison content
Experiential content
For high-priced or highly functional products, simply 'getting known' does not lead to purchases.
What is important is to convey the 'reason to use'.
Therefore, they are well-suited for influencers who can specifically convey their actual impressions, before-and-after results, and how the product is useful in daily life.
KPI examples
Save count
Time spent on post
Comment count
Product page transition count
When you want to increase UGC
Recommended strategies
Gifting (sampling)
Campaigns
Ambassador Initiatives
Information disseminated solely by a company will not generate word-of-mouth among users.
If you want to increase UGC, it is important to design a "reason to want to post" rather than just asking them to "post."
For example,
Easy-to-use products
Photogenic products
Stories that evoke empathy
You need mechanisms that make users want to share naturally, such as these.
KPI Examples
Number of UGC posts
Number of hashtag posts
Posting rate
Engagement rate
When you want to encourage store visits or experiences
Recommended Initiatives
Event invitations
Facility experiences
Tourism and accommodation experiences
Restaurant reviews
For hotels, tourist facilities, and commercial facilities, it is important to make people think, "I want to go there myself."
By conveying the atmosphere and experiential value that are difficult to communicate through photos alone, you can create opportunities for store visits and event attendance through videos and stories.
KPI Examples
Number of store visits
Number of coupon redemptions
Number of URL clicks
Number of reservations
If you want to increase long-term brand fans
Recommended strategies
Ambassador contracts
Regular posts
Series projects
One-off PR posts are suitable for temporary awareness expansion.
On the other hand, if you want to convey the brand's worldview or increase long-term fans, ambassador initiatives working with the same influencer over a certain period are effective.
By posting multiple times, the impression that "this is a brand introduced by this person" is formed, and trust is more easily enhanced.
KPI Examples
Brand recall
Number of branded searches
Follower growth
Repeat purchase rate
"Why you do it" is more important than "what you do"
As introduced so far, there are various methods in influencer marketing.
However, what is important is not the method itself.
Even for the same PR post,
Are you designing it for the purpose of expanding awareness?
Are you designing it to deepen understanding of the product?
Are you designing it to lead to the creation of UGC?
If the purpose changes, the planning, casting, and creative will also change.
First, let's start by organizing 'what you want to achieve'.
Chapter 7: How to Think About KPIs for Measuring Results
'We executed the campaign, but we can't measure the effectiveness as we thought.'
We sometimes hear such voices.
It is true that there are various touchpoints from information exposure on social media to purchase, and there are many cases where results cannot be simply quantified like advertisements.
However, it is often the case that not only is it 'unmeasurable,' but 'what should be measured' is not organized.
For example, if you evaluate only sales for a campaign aimed at expanding awareness, you might conclude that it was a 'failure'.
On the other hand, even if you only look at reach for a campaign aimed at e-commerce purchases, you cannot judge whether it was truly effective.
In other words, KPIs need to be considered in conjunction with the purpose of the campaign.
KPIs should be designed by working backward from the 'purpose'
The important thing is to think about 'what you want to achieve' rather than 'what can be measured' when deciding on KPIs.
For example, typical KPIs can be organized as follows.
The important thing is 'not to track all KPIs in a single campaign.' Also, to put it more simply, it is important to narrow down the KPI (the metric to be tracked) to one. By narrowing down the KPI according to the purpose, it leads to a correct review.
Set KPIs to 'Look Back' and Reflect
KPIs are not just for proving results.
Their true role is to create 'decision-making material to improve the next campaign'.
For example,
Reach increased, but saves were low
Saves were high, but click-through rates were low
Comments were high, but UGC did not increase
When results like these appear, analyzing 'why it happened' allows you to apply those insights to your next campaign.
Numbers are not the goal; they are the starting line for improvement.
That is why I believe it is important to set KPIs not for 'evaluation,' but for 'learning and accumulating knowledge'.
There are results that numbers alone cannot show
In influencer marketing, results that cannot be measured by numbers alone can sometimes emerge.
For example,
'It became a topic of conversation with friends'
'I saw the product in a store and remembered it'
'I searched for it later and bought it'
These actions cannot be captured solely through ad management dashboards or social media insights.
Also, when looking at the comment section,
'I've been curious about this for a while,' 'I'll try buying it next time,' 'I want to actually try using it'
You can sometimes feel a response that goes beyond the numbers from user reactions like these.
Of course, you cannot evaluate things based on intuition alone.
However, user feedback that cannot be seen through numbers alone also serves as important hints for improving your initiatives.
Chapter 8: Common Mistakes and Solutions
So far, we have introduced everything from the philosophy of influencer marketing to campaign design and KPIs.
Finally, while looking back at what we have covered, let's organize the mistakes that are likely to occur in actual practice.
None of these are unusual mistakes; they are seen in many companies.
If any of these apply to you, please use them as a reference for reviewing your initiatives.
Mistake 1: Hiring based solely on follower count
One of the most common mistakes is thinking that "more followers equals better results."
Of course, follower count is one metric for measuring influence.
However, you cannot predict results based on that alone.
For example, it is not uncommon for an influencer with 30,000 followers who has strong trust in a specific genre to lead to better results than an influencer with 100,000 followers.
What is important is not the "size of influence," but the "compatibility with the current initiative."
Mistake 2: Treating the post as the end
Influencer marketing does not end the moment a post is made.
In fact, that is where it starts.
By utilizing posts as advertising creative, introducing them on your own social media, or posting them on landing pages and e-commerce sites, you can further increase the value obtained from a single piece of content.
It is important to design not just for "posting and finishing," but for "how to utilize the post."
Mistake 3: Leaving everything to the influencer
"It is better to leave the creative to the influencer.""
This way of thinking itself is not wrong.
On the other hand, if the company's message, prohibited items, and the purpose of the campaign are not shared, it may not lead to the expected results.
While respecting their creative freedom, it is important to have a shared understanding of what the campaign is intended to convey.
Failure 4: Too many KPIs
There are cases where companies set more than 10 KPIs because they want to track everything.
However, if there are too many KPIs, it becomes unclear which numbers should be prioritized.
Narrowing down the KPIs to the 2-3 that truly matter based on your objectives is the key to improving the quality of your reviews.
Failure 5: Judging based on a single campaign
Influencer marketing is not a strategy where all results can be judged by a single post.
Depending on the product or brand, there are many cases where multiple exposures deepen awareness and understanding, leading to purchases.
That is why it is important to have a perspective of 'verifying and improving' rather than ending it with a one-off campaign.
Chapter 9: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Here, we introduce questions that we actually receive frequently from corporate representatives.
Q1. Can you make it go viral?
A. We cannot guarantee that it will definitely go viral.
Because there is an element of chance in SNS algorithms and user reactions, we cannot promise specific numbers.
On the other hand, based on past performance and data, it is possible to design plans and creatives that are likely to generate buzz.
Also, 'going viral' is not necessarily the definition of a successful campaign.
For example, if the campaign's purpose is to expand awareness, the number of views is important, but if the purpose is product understanding or promoting purchases, there are metrics that should be prioritized more, such as the number of saves, product page transitions, and conversion rates.
The important thing is not to aim for buzz, but to achieve results that align with the purpose of the campaign.
Q2. Which is recommended, micro-influencers or mega-influencers?
A. It depends on the purpose of your campaign.
For example,
if you want to spread awareness quickly
or create a buzz,
then mega-influencers can be an option.
On the other hand,
if you want to deepen product understanding,
increase UGC,
or drive purchases,
there are many cases where micro-influencers lead to higher results for these objectives.
Since you cannot say unconditionally which is better, it is important to think from the perspective of which one fits your goal.
Q3. To what extent should I specify the content of the influencer's post?
A. Keep conditions to a minimum and leave the rest to the influencer.
If the company specifies too much, the influencer's unique style will be lost.
On the other hand, if you leave everything to them, the content you want to convey as a brand may not be fully expressed.
Therefore,
what you must convey,
what you want to avoid expressing,
and the purpose of the post
are points that should be shared in advance, and it is standard toentrust other expressions to the influencer's strengths.
Leveraging the respective expertise of both the company and the influencer leads to content that is natural and impactful.
Q4. Which platform should I choose?
A. The optimal social media platform varies depending on your objectives.
It is important to choose not only based on your target audience but also on 'how you want to deliver the information.'
Each social media platform differs not only in its user base but also in how content is viewed and how people connect with one another.
For example, X and TikTok are 'flow-type' platforms where new information streams continuously, making them suitable for trends, generating buzz, and expanding awareness in a short period.
On the other hand, YouTube and Instagram have 'stock-type' characteristics where past posts are easily revisited, making them compatible with initiatives aimed at product understanding, comparative consideration, and encouraging saves.
Additionally, TikTok and YouTube allow content to spread easily based on interests, while LINE and Facebook have strengths in information dissemination that leverages existing connections such as friends and acquaintances. Instagram is positioned in the middle, as it is a platform where both discovery through interests and follower relationships can be easily utilized.
Therefore, rather than simply deciding 'TikTok for young people' or 'Instagram for beauty,'
Do you want to reach a wide new audience?
Do you want people to understand your product thoroughly?
Do you want to lead to saves or comparative consideration?
Do you want to deepen relationships with existing customers?
It is important to choose a platform based on objectives such as these.
If you want to assign multiple roles, it is also effective to use different platforms rather than limiting yourself to one, such as using TikTok for awareness and Instagram or YouTube for promoting understanding.
Q5. If I want to execute influencer initiatives in-house, where should I start?
A. We recommend starting by organizing 'what you want to achieve' rather than 'which influencer to request.'
Once the objective is clear,
appropriate initiatives
influencers to hire
KPIs
budget allocation
become easier to design consistently.
If it is difficult to organize things internally, one option is to bounce ideas off a partner who can consult with you from the planning stage.
It is not a job where you just 'ask' an influencer.
To reiterate, influencer marketing is not simply a matter of
asking an influencer to 'please introduce this product.'
It is not that simple.
The more successful the campaign, the more precisely the path to the user is designed,
and they view the influencer not as an 'advertising slot,'
but as a 'partner who is close to the user.'
In other words,
instead of,
it should be,
designed using this process.
Influencers are not advertising towers, but 'entities that translate the appeal of a brand into the language of consumers.'
Just by having this perspective, the content of a company's request and how they create their creative assets will change significantly.
Summary | What determines success is not 'who you ask,' but 'how you design it.'
So far, we have introduced everything from the philosophy of influencer marketing to campaign design, casting, KPIs, and common failures.
The last thing I want to convey is that influencer marketing is not a 'campaign that employs influencers,' but 'one of the means to solve marketing challenges.'that is what it is.
Do not judge solely by the number of followers.
Do not chase only buzz.
Do not end it with just a post.
These cumulative efforts significantly influence the results of your initiatives.
That is precisely why we do not start by thinking about casting, but rather by working with you to organize your challenges and objectives.
Whether it is "wanting to increase awareness," "wanting to increase UGC," "wanting to deepen product understanding," or "wanting to lead to store visits or purchases"—even within influencer marketing, the methods, creative, and evaluation metrics you should choose change depending on your goal.
What is important is not choosing a trendy initiative, but choosing one that fits your company's specific challenges.
Influencer marketing has evolved significantly over the past few years. The scope of its application is expanding more and more, moving beyond one-off PR posts to include ambassador programs, UGC creation, events, and integration with advertising.
That is why companies that achieve results think about "what kind of marketing experience to design" rather than just "requesting a post."
We hope this article will be of some help to those who are considering influencer marketing or are already working on it.