By Michael McClafferty
An influencer is some who promotes a product, service, or campaign. Celebrity spokespeople were the original influencers. Think Matthew McConaughey with Lincoln. In today's digital world, social media influencers are adding value to businesses everywhere. More than two-thirds of North American retailers include influencers in their marketing strategies. Furthermore, nearly half of US and UK digital marketers dedicate 10% of their communications budget to influencer marketing, and it’s working. Studies show that 34% of daily Instagram users purchased something because an influencer recommended it.
Instagram is the most popular and beneficial social media platform that influencers use. 89% of marketers say that Instagram is their most crucial influencer tool. You can find the majority of influencer content on their stories. Stories allow them to utilize the swipe-up feature, which is a great way to link brand content. However, the swipe up feature is only available to accounts with 10,000 or more followers. It would help if you also remembered to use other social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter with influencers.
The right influencer for your business
Today, there are more than half a million active influencers on Instagram. So you could say there is no shortage of talent. When searching for the right influencer for your brand, you must consider multiple factors to get the perfect fit.
- Who is representing my brand?
- How large of an audience can they reach?
- Are they in the same industry? For example, Casey Neistat is a YouTube personality and vlogger. Casey films, commercials, movies, and tech reviews with a variety of different content. With more than 11.4 million followers on YouTube, he is one of the most influential YouTubers to date. Companies send products and offer services for free to receive a review. Casey was hired by Samsung a few years ago to showcase their new products. He was the perfect fit since he is the authority of tech reviews, had a massive following, and had a reputation of unbiased reviews.
- Can your employees, clients, or vendors be influencers through their User Generated Content (UGC)?
Know your Audience
Influencers are not meant to push your brand to everyone. They have an audience of their own. Would you hire a car salesperson to fix your fridge? When searching for your influencers, ensure that their audience fits in your target market.
Creditability
Like I said earlier, Casey Neistat's audience trusts his reviews and recommendations because of his transparency and nonbiased opinions. You can measure a potential influencer's creditability by the engagement they receive, such as likes, comments, and shares. You want to find someone who has a loyal audience.
Watered Down Influencers
Do you ever get annoyed of how many ads you run into throughout your day? There's an ad before you can watch a video, an ad before you can order food, an ad before you can use the bathroom! Ads are everywhere, and that can turn off customers in a click. YouTube influencer Laura Reid recommends only having one sponsored post for every five to ten ones. Use that as a tool to measure someone's organic engagement.
Do your Research
Since the number for influencers has rapidly grown, they are in high demand and are receiving offers from lots of businesses. Look into your desired influencers past and present. Please get to know their content, style, and what they believe. Find what you both have in common, match your brands, and core beliefs, which will make the decision easier for all involved.
Know your Budget
Unfortunately, influencers do not work for free. Decide how much of your marketing budget you would like to allocate to paying for an influencer. Some small-time influencers will accept free products as payment for their services, which is a popular method to use for college campus influencers. An excellent way to gauge how expensive someone's services maybe would be by looking at their audience. A new method today is sending products through the mail to popular YouTubers for free and hoping to be featured in a "mail time" or "product review" video. There is no guarantee they will dedicate any time to showcasing your product, but for some companies, it is worth the cost of the product.
Opening a Line of Communication
Reaching out to multiple influencers can take some time. Tailoring each message to them and making it personal is a great way to get the ball rolling. Typically you can find an email or website on their page but if there is none, don't be afraid of sending a direct message. You also want to make any information about your company available to them since they are putting their name on your brand. Kendall Jenner said to the New York Times, "I do as much research as I can." Include your goals and aspirations for your brand and how you think they can help.
Key Takeaways
Lastly, take some time to explore YouTube, Instagram, or any of the social media influencers and see what you like and dislike. Know what kind of content you want your audience to see and where you want them to view it. Keep in mind that you are the one who is hiring the influencer, so do your research, ask for references, and ask what they can do for you!