There will be sports next week in the southern hemisphere, in a place that rhymes with Leo. For couch-dwelling humans and brands alike, it’s a time of excitement and inspiration involving multiple screens and an insane amount of social media action.
Excitement, that is, for brands that have ponied up tens of millions to be an official sponsor. For the rest of us—including TapInfluence, the sponsor of this story—the big “O” event is better known as “that which must not be named.” This is because the IOC changed the rules governing social media and content, and the list of terms and phrases a brand can’t use is really, really long. That’s right: Unofficial sponsors can’t even retweet event results or congratulate an athlete.
But fear not, brands and agencies. We’ve got a workaround: Using influencers and ambassadors to create content on your behalf. Those of us in the social media marketing space understand that real-time content is, in fact, one of the most relevant and ROI-positive ways to get your brand seen by an engaged audience. You just have to know how to do it right.
Here’s how a non-sponsoring brand like yours can get started with influencers just in time for that worldwide sports competition where people will be running, jumping, swimming, diving, vaulting, tumbling and dribbling with the goal of wearing a piece of precious metal around their necks as their national anthem plays:
Contact local influencers, near and far
We can guarantee that there is a solid bunch of social media influencers already in Southeastern Brazil—like “The Girl from Ipanema,” perhaps. Not only can you source individuals through global influencer marketplaces, but you can also identify smaller, local brands to align with. Since most of the people traveling to the games will be from other countries, there’s an opportunity to connect with Brazilian expats who can offer insider tips that your brand’s customers will love.
When you’re looking to deploy social capital, don’t limit yourself. People who work in South American tourism, local personal trainers or even freelance journalists can put an interesting, lifestyle-specific spin on your brand during the big event. Plus, a cost-per-engagement influencer model will ensure you get the expected value for the money you put toward the event.
Recognize that sports are the spectacle of this event, but not the entire focus
Remember, the…ahem…games, are intended to be as much an exercise in diplomacy and culture as an exercise of professional muscles. Think of the people who watch the event for reasons other than the sport.
For example, engage with top food bloggers to set up “around the world” dinner parties or create recipes inspired by the locale or the diets of high-performing athletes. Or reach out to fashion and beauty influencers to provide tips on how to keep curly hair frizz-free in South American humidity. The desire to be complementary with the games is something that should be communicated in your creative brief to influencers, which will ensure you’ll get the type of content you want.
Take the comedy gold
Play up the extravaganza—there’s plenty of fun to be had with the event bearing a symbol of five rings—whether you attend or not. Pay attention to funny happenings that are gaining traction online—announcer faux pas, wipeouts, technical difficulties, etc. Organizing an influencer “war room” utilizing messaging apps like Slack is a great way to monitor and respond to real-time stumbles and opportunities.
You can also use the event as an anchor for jokes of your own. A video of an influencer trying traditional foods from participating countries and reacting dramatically has a lot of viral potential and a mock interview that bleeps out all the terms a marketer can’t say is a cool way to poke fun at the rules that non-sponsoring brands are subject to.
Be socially strategic
Just as athletes are chosen to represent their countries because they’re the best—the same could be said for influencers. The best influencer marketing campaigns always begin with selecting the right influencers and setting clear goals.
Sticking with our analogy here, they know their sport, they have the right equipment and take it seriously. Your influencers can collaborate with you about the best social platforms for various types of content they may produce, and your digital marketing team should set up analytics to track metrics around engagement, sales lift and sentiment. Trust that the influencers know what will resonate, and at what frequency, to ensure your campaign is the biggest success it can be.
