Visit Scotland | Alba
Article published 11/07/2022

Our social media team ran three successful activities this year in which influencers played a critical role. The lessons learned can be useful for any kind of business in the tourism industry. Ideal if you’re interested in growing your business, raising your platform, or attracting new audiences.

 

Please note:

We work with influencers to create certain content as part of our activities. Any of their statements, or any of their content outside the scope of our collaboration might not necessarily reflect our views.

Why should you work with influencers?

The right influencers can open doors to your desired audience. That’s why we like to work with those influencers that allow us to reach people we might otherwise not.

Authenticity is key. For many people, a personal message can be more credible than something that might be seen as too sanitised or too corporate. An influencer who has cultivated a close personal bond with their followers might therefore be the right platform for you.

If your message is authentic, the influencer’s followers will engage with it positively. Don’t be surprised that a good marketing message will ripple out across the internet and in the real world.

An authentic marketing message might even get a lot of chat long after the campaign has ended. This ensures business growth and other benefits well into the future.

Finding the right influencer is even a cost-effective use of your budget. By using our top five tips for working with influencers, you can get your desired marketing outcome without breaking the bank.

Another month of TikTok convincing me to move to Scotland.

Anonymous social media user

Scotland tourism getting their money's worth and then some, Edinburgh now on my list!!

Anonymous social media user

Our influencer activity statistics

I'd definitely go there now after seeing this.

Anonymous social media user

This made me wanna go to Scotland!!!

Anonymous social media user

Five tips for working with influencers

  1. 1

    Know who you want to influence

    • Define your target audience first
    • Identify their needs and interests
    • Identify their location, age and gender
    • Identify what social platforms they are using

     

    GOAL: To find influencers that have access to an audience you’re trying to reach

     

  2. 2

    Do your research

    • Look at hard and soft metrics when assessing influencer suitability for a campaign
    • Hard metrics – engagement rate, reach, audience overlay, growth rate
    • Soft metrics – tone of voice, success of previous brand partnerships, suitability of your campaign for their channels, post frequency and quality, presence on relevant platforms

     

    GOAL: Work with authentic influencers

     

  3. 3

    Build relationships

    • Follow them from your brand social media account
    • Engage in their content and share (with permission)
    • Personal messages – no mass emails!
    • Be collaborative and trust that they know their audience better than you do

     

    GOAL: Build authentic, long-term relationships

     

  4. 4

    Be detailed in your brief

    • Create a briefing document that is clear, but fair, so expectations are set from the beginning
    • Outline key messages, but allow their natural tone of voice to shine
    • Reaffirm ad disclosure guidelines, tagging and hashtags
    • Agree on timescales for deliverables and sign off
    • Don’t ask for off brand activity that wouldn’t be authentic for the influencer

     

    GOAL: Make it work for all parties

     

  5. 5

    Analyse everything

    • Use the branded content tools on Instagram to analyse post performance
    • Ask for screenshots of any results you don’t have direct access to
    • Set individual expectations for each influencer
    • Ask yourself what you would do differently next time, or what worked well enough to replicate

I need to take a vacation to Scotland! It's such a beautiful country.

Anonymous social media user

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