How do you create an influencer campaign for a niche organization that actually delivers? The most important factors are: campaign and audience alignment, authentic storytelling, stakeholder management, and targeted content creation.
"LONDONmiddlebury was recommended to us by another organization because of their tailored approach. We're a nonprofit membership organization who were seeking to work with social media content creators for the first time to promote Vermont Cheese Week and our Vermont Cheese Trail. Because the effort was grant-funded, getting it exactly right was paramount; we needed to stay within a tight scope, very specific execution windows, and with detailed reporting. LONDONmiddlebury helped us navigate not only the more complicated administrative aspects like influencer agreements, itineraries, timelines, and complicated project management, but they also helped us craft realistic and authentic messaging to communicate the heart of Vermont cheese in a meaningful way. Their team was responsive, flexible, and incredibly warm; it made a huge difference to our small staff to have their expertise in our corner from start to finish."
—Haley Elkins, Executive Director, Vermont Cheese Council
The Vermont Cheese Council is a member-driven 501(c)6 organization committed to serving and uplifting the state’s cheese community through exciting events and campaigns. When the Council received a multi-year grant from the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing to boost the brand’s visibility and draw tourists from out-of-state, they sought a marketing partner to bring social media influencers that would resonate with their target demographics. The overall goal was to create compelling and relevant content that showcases our incredible cheese community, targeting foodie, younger, and diverse audiences to support Vermont’s tourism industry. The Vermont Cheese Council turned to LONDONmiddlebury to develop an influencer marketing campaign that highlighted the state’s cheese community while promoting the Vermont Cheese Trail and building anticipation for Vermont Cheese Week.
Before we began influencer research, we set a goal that aligned with the Vermont Cheese Council’s desires: showcase Vermont’s cheesemakers through genuine storytelling and targeted content creation that promotes the production and advancement of the state’s premier cheese. In working to achieve this goal, it was also important to connect with content creators who could develop evergreen content for the Council’s current and future marketing usage.
To find the right content creators, we leveraged our past partnerships and conducted in-depth research across platforms. After developing a long list of potential creators, we narrowed our selection down to three; each had different backgrounds, a unique connection to food, agriculture, and cheese, and matched the Vermont Cheese Council’s audience and campaign needs.
The LONDONmiddlebury team already had an existing relationship with Chris and Alex, and when we found out the goals of the Vermont Cheese Council’s campaign, we knew they would be a perfect fit. Chris and Alex are LGBTQIA+ creators with strong connections to their community. They create travel and lifestyle content with an emphasis on humor and LGBTQIA+ inclusion. Beyond their great content, they also have a strong commitment to their partnerships; for Chris and Alex, every piece of content is a genuine labor of love. Their development of true relationships is what makes their content so incredible. When we work with Chris and Alex, we know all stakeholders will have a special experience.
For this campaign, they created, produced, and published a full-length YouTube video, multiple Instagram stories, and cross-posted reel content to highlight their experience on the Vermont Cheese Trail. They also provided several user-generated content pieces for the Council’s future use.
Christina, also known as @biteofnewengland on Instagram, is a doctor of food science (PhD) who lives in and loves New England. This experience and interest perfectly suited her; her food science background allowed her to more deeply understand what makes Vermont cheese so flavorful and unique. She was able to uncover content gems that might have otherwise been left undiscovered. The Vermont Cheese Council gave Christina a unique experience, including special access to the sold-out Vermont Cheesemaker’s Festival in Shelburne. Christina created a folder of beautiful user-generated content along with several carousels, Instagram stories, and reels to share her experience in Vermont.
Dave and Jocelyn are Boston-based and self proclaimed “New England travel experts,” sharing unique stays and experiences across the region. Overall, their content is exciting and perfectly captures “FOMO,” a.k.a. the fear of missing out. When we first connected with them, they had previously visited Vermont and expressed their excitement for a weekend getaway centered around cheese. Dave & Joce’s farm stay was more rural than the others, so it was important to find creators who value the connection to the land, animals, and food. Because this visit was a bit more on the rustic side, we got to know Dave and Jocelyn with extra interviews to make sure they were the right fit.
They created a folder of user-generated content, a reel, a carousel, and Instagram stories to capture the energy of their stay in Vermont.
Once we found the right influencers to partner with, we built itineraries and drafted contracts in collaboration with the Vermont Cheese Council to support their journey. This included in-depth research to identify regions that allowed for diverse experiences within an hour’s drive. We then coordinated those visits with cheesemakers and farmers, and provided directions so their experiences could be as seamless and positive as possible.
Each of these creators, with their interesting and different backgrounds, helped us reach and engage our desired audience and increase excitement for the Vermont Cheese Council’s upcoming events. Overall, the influencers’ content reached nearly tens of thousands of users across platforms.
The Vermont Cheese Council now has a valuable archive of content for future use and promotion on their website, social media accounts, and other promotional channels. The influencers shared that they had great experiences, organically and authentically promoting the Vermont cheese brand and unique farm stays, even beyond the contracted content requirements.