Ignite Social Media

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was the director of integrated media and partnership marketing for Big Lots, a major US off-price retailer offering discounted home goods, furniture, pantry items, and more by sourcing products through closeouts, overstocks, and liquidations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Ignite Social Media to accomplish for Big Lots Stores?

We needed support launching our influencer program, particularly for key tentpole retail moments throughout the year, such as lawn and garden season, Halloween, and the holidays.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Ignite Social Media helped us develop a comprehensive calendar of influencer campaigns that aligned with key tentpole retail moments throughout the year. They also documented a full-year roadmap, hired the influencers we worked with, and reported on the campaigns' results. The team provided a full-year calendar based on our budget, campaign briefs, influencer lists, influencer negotiations, influencer content editing, and performance reports.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 2–5 teammates from Ignite Social Media.

How did you come to work with Ignite Social Media?

Someone referred Ignite Social Media to me. I chose them over other options because they had high ratings, their pricing fit our budget, they were a great culture fit, they offered good value for the cost, and their company values aligned with ours.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from 2021 to 2024. I've since taken a new job in higher education marketing — and I hired them again to perform an organic social media audit for us.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The influencer campaigns were very successful, helping us generate content that succeeded in paid and organic moments. Our influencer program became widely known and respected throughout the company. Although I don't have specific numbers, the content Ignite Social Media generated through influencers performed better in paid social media channels than our traditional creative, driving down costs. The results and content generated from our campaign were shared at company-wide meetings by our CMO.

How did Ignite Social Media perform from a project management standpoint?

Ignite Social Media delivered on time and was great at communicating. We communicated via virtual meetings and email or messaging apps.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Ignite Social Media was exceptionally easy to work with and focused on the task at hand. They were very pragmatic in their approach and flexible with feedback. I appreciated the deep documentation they provided and the results they delivered. They brought good energy to the work at hand and deep knowledge of the consumer influencer space. Plus, they were a joy to work with. This is a no-drama team — you'll enjoy picking up the phone and catching up with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There's nothing I can come up with.