Influencers. The fastest growing trend on the block and one of the best ways to amplify your brand in front of the right crowd, fast.
And for good reason too. Research shows that we more likely to act upon something we can relate, emulate and buy in to.
As social media influencer Pam Moore Says:
You can never go wrong by investing in communities and the human beings within them.
However, the industry can be difficult to navigate and too often we hear of brands who have invested their precious time and money into campaigns that have failed to drive conversions of any sort.
One of the reasons behind this is people and brands have become too obsessed, and ultimately blinded, by metrics.
Choosing an influencer with 1M followers in a generic niche can have half the impact of choosing a micro influencer with 10,000 engaged followers in your industry.
And that's not even mentioning that more accounts are being banned and unveiled as having fake followers.
Here are the four R's we live by when choosing the right social media influencer for brands we work with:
Research
Finding an influencer who is interested in your niche is key to engaging with the audience you want to reach.
You can search directly through instagram / twitter or, for broader results, search a specific hasthtag on Google which show data from across all social media platforms.
Remember to be specific with your searches, for example if you are looking for a social influencer interested in the top food trends for vegans search #VeganRecipes rather than #Food.
Make a list of 10 - 20 influencers that work for your brand and work down from there.
Reach
Combine the number of followers your chosen influencers have across all their social media channels.
Check that audience looks genuine. Are they engaging with the influencer? Is the interaction there?
Marketeers predict an approximate 10% organic engagement / follower rate on genuine accounts so you can use this as a guideline
If they are active across all channels you may want to consider a campaign tailored accordingly to reach all the audiences.
Relevance
Would the audience of your influencer care about your product?
Remember that you are working with this influencer to take advantage of their followers and, ultimately, to convert them into your own.
Their audience will be much more trustworthy of them promoting something they're used to seeing on the account so be sure to find someone who is in your target demographic.
Reliability
Don't be afraid to ask the influencer to show positive results they have achieved in the past for similar campaigns.
You can judge the success with this and gauge level of communication with the influencer. It's important for you to trust and communicate quickly and clearly with the person you are using to represent your brand.
Ultimately, whilst it is possible to source and work with influencers independently it is always better to consult with an agency who has experience to make sure you find the right person, deliver the best content and comply with all the regulations.
Remember it's not only about choosing the right influencer, the activity once you have chosen one is just about as important as choosing the right person to represent your brand. Creating compelling content and then amplifying it at the right times will ensure maximum positive results.
People influence people. Nothing influences people more than a recommendation from a trusted friend - Mark Zuckerberg
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