Rethinking influencer marketing and how to measure success

Written By Alicia Vial

Influencer and brand partnerships prove that content creators are an effective way to promote sales, build brand awareness and increase your audience following. There are many different forms of partnerships from trade to paid and a recent survey by Sprout Social showed that 51% of businesses plan to use influencers in their social media plans in 2024.

In order to successfully collaborate with influencers, you have to find the right partners. Identifying the right influencers or content creators is a top priority. A key factor to keep in mind is audience – know who your target audience is and make sure their audience matches with that. If you are going after a foodie crowd you want to find a foodie influencer.

Secondly, know your budget – there are different levels of influencers, based on their audience of followers and that can dictate the types of opportunities available for you. Also set your expectations up front, the key to measuring success of a partnership is being able to communicate performance so you must ensure that is part of your written agreement, even if it is just a casual agreement through DMs.

Things that you should consider when measuring successful campaigns are reach and impressions, audience engagement, audience growth, website traffic, and conversions.

Alicia Vial

Alicia Vial is a New Orleans native with more than a decade of experience elevating client stories and leading crisis response. As the senior director of strategy, Alicia acts as a leader within the Gambel Communications team ensuring each agency team member is positioned to deliver strategic public relations services that meet the highest standards of the industry. In addition to supporting the agency’s long-term business growth and development, she coordinates day-to-day account services and oversees strategic direction while staying abreast of best practices and industry trends to provide innovative solutions to meet client’s needs.

Before joining Gambel Communications, Alicia served as the communications director for the Louisiana SPCA, the oldest and largest animal welfare organization in Louisiana that impacts more than 74,000 animals per year. During her nearly eight-year tenure, Alicia oversaw numerous crises, served on national communication taskforces, oversaw all aspects of internal and external relations and worked alongside the development department to raise critical funding. Prior to that, she worked in the fast-paced New Orleans hospitality industry focusing on digital public relations for multiple hotels.

Alicia is a member of the Public Relations Association of Louisiana (PRAL), Southern Public Relations Federation (SPRF), a board member of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) New Orleans Chapter and a member of the New Orleans Regional Leadership Institute. An accredited public relations practitioner (APR), Alicia is also certified in crisis communications, organizational leadership, content marketing and social media.

A well respected and trusted public relations practitioner, Alicia has been recognized by SPRF as a ‘Senior Practitioner of the Year’. Dubbed early on in her career as one to watch, she also received the ‘Rising Star’ award by PRAL and was profiled in St. Charles Avenue Magazine as part of their Young Bloods series. Most recently, she was recognized at PRSA’s annual Fleurish Awards and received four Awards of Excellence for her work along with the ‘Plate Spinner’ award for her efforts on the board of directors for the chapter.

An LSU graduate, Alicia received a bachelor's degree in mass communications with a concentration in public relations and minors in business administration and leadership development. She is a frequent speaker and presenter on public relations topics, most recently presenting at the Jefferson Economic Development Commission and SPRF annual conference.

When Alicia is not at work, you can find her at the ballpark with her three boys or cheering on the Tigers in Death Valley.

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