AI For Influencer Marketing: The Game Changer For Brand Strategy

The world of marketing is changing rapidly, and influencer marketing has become an essential part of modern brand strategies. Yet, despite its widespread use, a lot of upcoming brands are still figuring out how to fine-tune their approach for maximum efficiency, unlike some of the more advanced brands that have already scaled. The reason behind this gap isn’t as complicated as it may seem. At its core, it boils down to the effective use of data. Success in maximising budgets spent on influencers revolves around three key phases: strategy, planning, and execution. If the foundation, which is strategy, lacks the necessary data, the entire process can easily fall apart.

The Reality Of Strategy In Influencer Marketing

In many cases, brands and agencies jump into the execution phase too quickly, eager to launch their campaigns. While this approach might help get content live faster, it often overlooks the critical foundation, and despite achieving millions of views, the campaign lacks direction.

The ideal starting point is strategy, where everything begins. The more strategic brands take time to understand the market, their audience, and the influencers who can best reach and engage with them. While it sounds straightforward, building the right approach requires a significant amount of data. Without solid data, marketers are essentially making guesses, hoping to hit the target.

Beyond just "data," the next step is turning that information into practical, actionable insights. The challenge here is that traditionally, the people best equipped to process vast amounts of data and derive meaningful insights are the large consulting firms. These firms, however, charge a very high fee, making the exercise unaffordable for smaller instances or more specific occasions (a.k.a campaigns). Moreover, these firms usually engage in large-scale projects, making them impractical for smaller, focused initiatives like seasonal or holiday campaigns. For example, if a marketer wants to run a quick Valentine’s Day or summer promotion, going the traditional route to get data is both costly and time-consuming. This is where AI can really make a difference.

Enter AI: The Data-crunching Powerhouse

AI can step in where expensive data consultants often cannot, or will not, at an affordable rate. By utilising artificial intelligence, brands can process huge amounts of data and extract the insights they need at a fraction of the cost. Whether it's identifying gaps that competitor brands haven’t filled or analysing fast-moving trends to determine where the best opportunities lie, AI can handle it quickly and efficiently. And all of this without burning a hole in the budget.

When used correctly, AI can help brands at key points in the planning process, enabling marketing teams to save time and resources. Instead of focusing solely on execution, teams can shift their attention to creative ideation and strategy. Imagine the ability to process millions of pieces of content, identify patterns, and generate simple, actionable insights—without the hefty price tag.

The Real Power Of AI In Influencer Marketing

Although AI is gaining traction across various industries, its use in influencer marketing is still in its early stages. Many platforms are beginning to explore AI, but using AI for basic tasks won’t necessarily help marketers bridge the gap. The true potential of AI lies in its ability to deliver actionable insights based on high-quality, well-analysed data. Many existing platforms simply provide raw data in the form of charts and graphs. While visually appealing, these tools often fail to deliver the practical insights marketers need to make informed day-to-day decisions.

The Game-changer: True AI Solutions For Influencer Marketing

AI’s application in influencer marketing is still new, and only a handful of brands and agencies are beginning to explore its full potential. However, things are starting to change. The development of AI solutions grounded in real, data-driven insights is underway. These tools are designed to address critical areas such as competitor analysis, creative ideation, brand and campaign planning, and trend forecasting. By processing massive amounts of data swiftly, brands will be able to make smarter, more predictable plans, optimise collaborations with influencers, and achieve better outcomes.

Though still in its infancy, the potential for AI to transform influencer marketing is becoming clearer as more advanced solutions are being developed to make this possible.

AI: The Right Tool For The Right Job

AI has the potential to reshape influencer marketing when applied correctly, and several forward-thinking marketers are already starting to explore this and practising too. The early adopters, are the ones usually ahead of the adoption curve, before it becomes a mainstream or common practice. Meanwhile, more solution providers are stepping up to create AI tools that go beyond basic marketing tasks like email generation. These tools are addressing the complex challenges that brand marketers face, and soon, AI will be much more than just a buzzword seen on LinkedIn posts or mentioned in brainstorming sessions.

It will truly make a difference, boosting efficiency and capacity for marketers, helping them achieve more in less time and probably allowing them to get home a little earlier too.

Praanesh Bhuvaneswar

Guest Author Co-founder and CEO of Qoruz