OVERVIEW

To fuel the Sherwin-Williams for Your Home day-to-day social presence, as well as amplify predetermined moments, we’ll activate a select group of influencers to serve as always-on brand advocates. Influencer content will not only enrich our content calendar, but it will drive follower acquisition and elevate the brand beyond our current core audience.

These activations will not just stimulate a one-time lift and create buzz. It’s about developing long–term relationships with existing and new influencers/advocates and igniting their passions that align directly with the brand.

OBJECTIVES FOR INFLUENCER PROGRAM IN 2015 

• To expand current content sources for top-tier touchpoints, including Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and Tumblr, with content that aligns with our Shared Passion: Inspiring her, giving her color, and giving her confidence.
• To support the brand’s social objectives, which, in return, will fuel our social vision, guiding every color journey.
• To serve as a springboard for inspiration, providing pulsed moments that will guide her through the duration of a project.
• To extend our social presence by showing up to a new audience that does not naturally think of Sherwin-Williams as a go-to for project inspiration.
• To supplement the overarching Sherwin-Williams brand UGC initiative by providing additional content.

PROGRAM RECOMMENDATION

We recommend identifying and partnering with a diverse collection of influencers to amplify existing content and maximize reach. Each influencer should have a niche that already aligns with Sherwin-Williams content themes, so that our co-branded content seamlessly integrates into the influencers’ community.

• By pulsing top-tier influencers, we’ll be able to boost specific content, increase confidence in the brand and garner the desired impressions.
• By leveraging mid-tier or up-and-coming influencers, we’ll benefit from their highly engaged/personal communities.
• By collaborating with Sherwin-Williams advocates that proactively approach us, we’ll gain quality content for little to no cost.

KPIS

The influencer program will be measured on the following success metrics on a monthly basis:

• Overall program measurement
• Program content engagement vs. non-Influencer content engagement
• Follower growth of activated touchpoints
• Increased impressions and awareness on activated touchpoints

ACTIVATION

Influencers will create content on an agreed-upon cadence, which will be mapped out in a yearlong roadmap. We will kick off each influencer initiative by providing direction in the form of an Influencer Playbook.

The Influencer Playbook will include:

• Details and expectations to help influencers craft the right content for the campaign
• Specific requirements, contact information and other campaign essentials that help guide the development of the content expected from influencers
• Examples of content to spark creativity and keep any deliverables on brand
• Appropriate disclosures for post copy across all social touchpoints, including required branded and sponsored content hashtags
• Calendar for publishing content

The influencers will then be given a stipend and/or sample product to create said content. All content will be owned by the brand and should include appropriate disclosures within post copy. 

INFLUENCER PROJECTS

Influencers will be identified using native social tools and Traackr based on topics related to the brand, including color, DIY and paint. Once identified, influencers will be scored on nine attributes, including Content Quality, Reach and Brand Affiliation. See Appendix A for a full list of attributes and evaluation criteria. Influencer scores will determine tier placement and selection of influencers to activate.

Read the full plan.