Building an award-winning creator program

Influencer programs have become an important lever in any integrated marketing campaign, offering companies links to passionate audiences.

The challenge

The Microsoft Excel product team approached Delightful in 2021 to expand its visibility into technical user communities. The goal was to drive awareness for new features in Excel and generate end-user demand. The team wanted a cost-effective strategy that reached an audience beyond their usual brand marketing channels.

The Excel team came to us through another engineering team at Microsoft. We had built a rep with them as a data-driven team focused on driving product adoption. This is exactly what the engineers on Excel wanted (and needed!).

The plan

As with all our influencer programs, we started with an intense dive into relevant audiences across YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Reddit. From there, we started looking for Excel creators and their content sweet spots. We didn’t need high-level marketing fluff. We wanted creators who were known for their technical product reviews and tutorials.

We discovered a large thriving community of creators and followers around the world. There were a handful of influencers whose interests aligned with the product. With just a few targeted creators, we knew we could drive engagement without breaking the bank.

We had to start small to build an Excel Creator community of global experts who actively integrate Excel into their social strategies. Our overall strategy? Identify and recruit influencers who could generate buzz across social media by showcasing Excel as both a fun and highly productive tool.

Building relationships

One major key to a lasting relationship is instilling both passion and connection. Creators received up-to-date information directly from the product team, keeping them at the forefront of Excel’s innovations. With this, influencers gained access to Microsoft specialists and resources and could position themselves as experts in their own communities. This collaboration resulted in a rich array of original, user-generated content from a dedicated community passionate about Excel’s latest advancements.

Maintaining long-term growth

The Excel Creator program grew steadily as we nurtured these mutually beneficial relationships. It now has creators around the world, creating content in many languages. This partnership generated hundreds of millions of impressions across multiple social media channels, including Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.

Building on the success of our Excel Creator Program, we expanded in 2022. We now work with multiple Microsoft product teams, engaging with hundreds of creators worldwide and generating billions of monthly views.

The power of teamwork

Working with influencers across creators and brands is a dance. It’s a constant process of collaboration, compromise, and cooperation. Like with the award-winning Excel Creator Program, Delightful can guide you along every step of the way. We have extensive experience finding influencers to fit your goals, crafting strategies for longevity, and making the connections necessary to drive success for everyone. What we’re saying is our dance card’s open.

Let’s talk.

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