3 Home Brands With Amazing Influencer Marketing Strategies
In Part 1 of this series, we went over influencer marketing best practices all home brands need to know. Before you start designing your next campaign, though, we’re going to look at three home brands who are totally knocking it out of the park.
We don’t want to go so far as to say traditional marketing and advertising is dead, but, well, it might at least be on life support. Toward the end of 2016, Adweek wrote that 53% of women made purchases due to something they saw from an influencer.
What do you think about when you think of your home? Hopefully it’s comfort, love, and peace. It’s difficult to replicate these feelings in studio-shot creative. Gone are the days of catalogue spreads and glossy pictures of furniture in the pages of magazines.
Influencer marketing for home brands in particular is a real winner, because it adds a human element to products that inherently carry no life and don’t typically evoke any emotion. Influencers take a picture of a lifeless couch and turn it into an impeccably styled room with crystal dinnerware, calming overhead lighting, and a breathtaking view of the mountains outside. It’s a room that everyone on Instagram sees and goes, “I want that and everything in it.” Even the couch.
That’s how home brands do influencer marketing.
If you’ve even attempted influencer marketing, though, you probably know it’s not as simple as finding someone with a huge following to promote you. There are other factors to consider: Do they match your brand’s aesthetic? Is their audience engaged? Will exposure on their page help drive real conversions?
Let’s see what’s already been done. Who can you look up to as an example of how to do influencer marketing right, so you can start making that kind of return for your own business? Here are three brands to take notes from.
Tuft & Needle
TL;DR Tuft & Needle works with influencers to use seemingly simple and organic designs to evoke feelings of rest and relaxation. The brand has its own unique look that you can instantly recognize as Tuft & Needle.
Tuft & Needle may be selling bed-related items, but their Instagram page is anything but a snooze-fest.
“Home goods for dreamers. Crafted with integrity so you #wakeupbetter.” That’s what Tuft & Needle’s Instagram bio says. Tuft & Needle is the place to shop if you want to get a really good night’s rest. They carry everything from mattresses to bedding to frames.
And their influencers fit into their branding seamlessly.
Tuft & Needle’s branding is authentic, genuine, organic. You see plenty of children and family-related photos on their feed, since most parents could use some extra sleep, amirite?
And what about their influencers? Most of them stick with Tuft & Needle’s aesthetic of softer colors, eye-pleasing pattern combinations, and simple, minimalistic room designs.
Every so often, however, you’ll find an influencer post that colors outside the lines a little, with bolder colors and plenty of texture.
Here’s the thing, though: You always know you’re looking at Tuft & Needle’s IG feed because everything has the same underlying feelings.
Comfort. Home. Peace. Family. Wellness.
This is key to a successful influencer marketing strategy. Every image, no matter who captures it, must come together under one brand.
Bed Bath & Beyond
TL;DR Bed Bath & Beyond’s Instagram is a group project. Their posts include all kinds of people and even animals, they share personal stories and quotes, and they even allow for influencer takeovers. With their influencer marketing strategy — and their Instagram strategy as a whole — BB&B makes you feel like you’re part of the family.
Bed Bath & Beyond’s Instagram page is truly a collaborative effort. Their feed is inclusive and diverse is the most heartwarming of ways.
For starters, they feature couples of all kinds, happy children, and even Insta-famous pups.
Another way the brand makes their feed a team effort is by posting “takeovers” — when influencers hijack the page and post their own thoughts.
Aside from this, they share plenty of quotes and personal stories.
BB&B is especially good at partnering with influencers for time-sensitive, high traffic-moments, like Super Bowl Sunday and National Popcorn Day.
One drawback of traditional marketing is that it runs the risk of feeling very impersonal and distant. With their influencer marketing strategy, Bed Bath & Beyond effectively eliminates that problem. All you have to do is look at the insane engagement they get on every post. Their followers can’t help but join in the fun.
Article
TL;DR Article takes a unique approach in that their Instagram focus is on products and styling, and not the people experiencing them. While this method could run the risk of seeming less inclusive and more distant, Article combines forces with influencers for an aesthetic that’s warm, inviting, and cozy.
“Spend less. Live more.” That’s Article’s philosophy. The contemporary furniture company doesn’t limit itself to boring, flat images of couches and chairs. The focus is on the overall styling and aesthetics of the room, with special attention paid to wall decor, greenery, and knick knacks.
Unlike a lot of other home brands, Article zeros in more on “stuff” and not people, or the experience of being in the moment yourself. Scroll through their feed and you won’t find many faces — but it works for them.
Their influencers blend in fabulously. You’d never know which posts came from an influencer and which came from Article itself, because every image flows together beautifully to enhance Article’s mid-century modern feel.
You’ll even find influencer content repurposed for their website.
Similar to Tuft & Needle, Article has a specific look and feel that’s almost instantly recognizable; and despite the lack of people in their photos, their feed still has plenty of personality.
There’s more than one way to skin a cat, and there’s more than one way to structure your home brand influencer marketing campaign. These three companies are excellent examples of how to effectively market with influencers while staying true to your brand story and messaging.