De influencerFAQ

Informing and guiding influencers on unique digital platform

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Strategy Data Performance

In short

According to research conducted by Arteveldehogeschool & Comeos, 87% of young people follow influencers on social media. Online content creators therefore have a significant impact on their followers. That impact is often positive, but can also be negative. Responsibly dealing with that impact is therefore essential for all influencers. But how do you do that? What can and cannot be done? And which entities can an online content creator go to when he or she doesn't know?

The same research shows that 3 out of 4 influencers indicate that they do need more guidance on this, that they need the right information and that they are open to a code of ethics. Flemish Minister of Youth & Media, Benjamin Dalle, and the Department of Culture, Youth & Media felt this need and wanted to lend a helping hand. They were looking for a partner to create a platform by and for online content creators. Propaganda Group proved convincing and landed the project.

Digital project manager Emilia Van Oortegem explains how this platform came about, how we reached our target group with the right content on social media and how we set up the launch.

Objectives

Connecting influencers, providing guidance and answers to the questions they face while being an influencer were the first goals we set. To achieve this, we had to get to that target audience. A strong content planning and clever launch as a second pillar was therefore essential for de influencerFAQ to succeed. The third pillar of our objectives was credibility. In order to market the online platform by and for influencers, we also had to get influencers on board with the story of de influencerFAQ and help them put their backs into the online platform.

Our role

A platform for online content creators that connects
It quickly became clear that concentrating all the information an influencer needs to correctly carry out their activities was proving detrimental to the success of this project. Therefore, it was a logical choice to develop an online platform to support the online content creator in every step of being an influencer. The webpage was equipped with a convenient search bar where the influencer can ask their question and then be easily directed to the answer to it.

Within the online platform, we chose to categorize all the questions into 6 themes:

#reclame: anything to do with advertising;
#privacy: every facet of privacy laws by and for influencers;
#isdatlegit: the legal side of being an influencer;
#isdaterover: questions about the positive and negative impact influencers have;
#respect: what can and cannot be done;
#hoewist: all questions about mental health.

The structure, design and operation of the platform were created by our lead digital designer Arne Kelders with the help of junior digital designer Vince Teckmans. For the development of the website, we chose an external partner: Veaudeville, who realized all our wishes with excellence.

Content plan tailored to target audience
For the content plan, we divided each period into phases. Phase 1 was the start-up where we were going to introduce the platform on Facebook and Instagram. On Facebook, we chose to incorporate press coverage (read: Het Laatste Nieuws, De Tafel van Vier, Q-music, etc. - links to media coverage.) to create more credibility as well as awareness. For Instagram we created a short video and developed 2 explainer reels that explain the need for this online platform and show how the online platform works. In Phase 2, we will delve deeper into the structure of the online platform and introduce the 6 (for now) different themes associated with being an influencer. In this way, when de influencerFAQ is launched, people who start searching for us via Instagram will immediately get to the essence of the online platform. In addition, 6 ambassadors were selected by our partner 'Adshot' who, for one year, will help promote de influencerFAQ by providing content. In the next phases, we are planning on further expanding de influencerFAQ and we are going to present one of the topics from every possible angle in the form of explainer carousels and/or videos, but other formats are also being developed.

Colorful launch event
We were also asked to help plan the launch event. Together with our partner 'Adshot', we were responsible for defining the structure to bring de influencerFAQ to the influencer. The launch event took place in a trendy rooftop bar in Brussels. We chose to address a theme by way of a panel discussion. The panel discussion included an expert on the subject as well as an ambassador, chosen by 'Adshot', who had already come into contact with the subject. For the colorful decoration and visual brand identity of the event, we chose to develop on-loop videos, beach flags, roll-up banners and a photo wall with the recurring colorful visuals of de influencerFAQ.

The solution

A name that fits the bill
De influencerFAQ is a name that perfectly fits the bill. The purpose of the platform is to help, guide and provide support for online content creators, not to impose rules or punishments. Talking about a code or rules was therefore out of the question. 'De influencerFAQ' is a name that instantly makes the essence of the platform clear with a young twist and nod to successful content formats like Studio Brussels' 'Faqda' or the 'What the FAQ?'-podcasts, brochures etc. that influencers are probably used to seeing on their feed. Both the development of the name, logo and visual brand identity of de influencerFAQ were conceived by us.

De influencerFAQ was a fun challenge to work on because we were dealing with a very defined target audience, i.e. influencers. At the launch event, our approach was rewarded with nothing but positive reactions. A great success!

Emilia Van Oortegem

Digital Project Manager

The results

On the day of the launch, we saw a clear spike in traffic to the website. The main sources for this were direct traffic and the organic social channels such as the Instagram account. In this case, Instagram seemed to us to be the most suitable channel to address influencers. Since the launch, we have already reached more than 1,500 users. The number of followers on Instagram has also doubled since then. The challenge in the coming months will mainly consist of continuing to grow the Instagram account organically and driving traffic to the website.

The challenges

Finding a healthy balance in providing information that aligns with both the influencer's tone of voice and that of the Flemish Government, without sounding too instructive. Choosing a name was no 'walk in the park' either. The name "de influencerFAQ" emerged during one of the final brainstorming sessions, summarizing the essence at a glance.

The takeaways

Website projects are always very intensive. A clear planning and scope is key! We were able to realize the website in a very short period of time. This was largely because there were no major technical challenges. Only the search function on the website was a major challenge.
If you are working with a very narrow and defined audience, try to involve this audience as much as possible in the process. That way you can create content that is truly relevant.

Informing and guiding influencers on unique digital platform