Influencers have once again proven that social media indeed is the easiest portal to overnight fame and success, provided you know what clicks and works. As of now, there are over 500,000 influencers active on Instagram. So, do you understand the power of influencers and how they can impact the ROI of a brand? On average, a business earns $6.50 as revenue for each $1 paid to an influencer.
So, it’s high time you tap into the power of influencer marketing. But beware, not all influencers can drive in the desired results. So, how do you pick the best influencers from the deluge of some 500,000+ creators? I have got an easy guide ready for you!
10 Steps to Finding the Most Suitable Influencer for Your Business
Here are ten factors to consider and ask when zeroing on the influencers to promote your brand’s products and services.
- What is the reach of the influencer?
Well, the first reason you are hiring an influencer is to get the person to ‘influence’ more people about your brand. Now, that isn’t going to happen if the influencer’s reach is 1K followers. It’s simple math.
This is why your first check should be how many followers does the influencers have. However, do not use the number of followers or subscribers as the only metrics if you don’t want to end up in the maze of bots and pods. Instead, dig deeper and assess the view counts and the comments to judge the popularity of the influencer.
- What is the engagement rate of the influencer?
The number of followers has nothing to do with the number of clicks on your website. Most people like how influencers look, what they wear, etc. But they barely invest in what an influencer promotes. It’s all very superficial!
To uncover the real picture, study the engagement metrics to understand how many people are interacting with the content created by the influencer in question. According to Forbes, it is better to hire micro-influencers as they have a 60% increased engagement rate than macro-influencers. So, even though the likes are less, the audience is more active and invested.
- Can the influencer create brand awareness?
When you dip your toes into influencer marketing, you sign up for increased reach, better brand exposure, and more sales.
You have to remember that an influencer can only build up a positive image of your brand when people trust them. So, if you want an influencer who can act as the bridge of trust between users and a brand, you need someone with a vast but active audience. This way, you will be able to approach people who are already convinced about your business, making it easier to convert them into buyers.
- Which platform do you want to use?
Instagram is the biggest platform with a $1 billion industry. But Instagram primarily focuses on one-shot pictures and short videos. If you feel aesthetic images and Instagram Reels can boost your brand, then hire Instagram influencers.
However, influencers aren’t solely limited to Instagram. If you are looking for influencers who create long-format content like unboxing videos or offering demonstrations, you can sign up YouTube creators. You can also try influencers and creators on Facebook and Twitter to market your products, based on the platform your ideal audience follows the most.
- Is the influencer well-reputed?
You need to understand how ruthless today’s audience can be! People can strip online personalities over the most trivial mistake and drag them down the podium. So, you need to hire an influencer who has a clean slate.
And if your influencer falls face first, your brand gets a blow too. So, you need to hire someone positive whose goals align with your brand’s ideals. Therefore, before you hire an “uber-cool” influencer, make sure to do a thorough background check to ensure that the person can be trusted.
- What kind of content do you want?
There are so many kinds of content, and not all will work for your brand. So, before you hop onto an influencer marketing campaign, or hire a creator, understand what works for you. Accordingly, choose an influencer in your niche.
For example, if you have a publishing house, you are probably looking for bibliophiles with a “book-stagram” account. Again, if it is a fashion or a beauty brand, you’d probably look for a model or an actor. To put it straight, you will have to assess key factors like substance quality, creation consistency, and visual parameters before you hire an influencer.
- Does the influencer have a distinct voice?
As I have already mentioned, there are over 500,000 influencers just on Instagram. Put together with other social media platforms, and you know the ballpark. So, what becomes important is that you hire an influencer who can cut through the noise with their distinct voice.
Niches like fashion, beauty, food, and travel, are crowded with influencers. Yet, what sets apart the best ones is their singular voice. Therefore, before you hire an influencer, check how they talk about the products they promote and connect with their audiences. You want someone with a distinct voice and an electric personality.
- What kind of audience does the influencer have?
Unless you know the audience that you want to reach, your influencer marketing campaign might fall flat on the face. So, you need to make sure the influencer’s audience in question is the appropriate one for your business.
Partner with influencers who know how to communicate with your kind of audiences, preferably someone local and small, to make a personal connection. You certainly cannot ask a beauty influencer to review a kitchen gadget. That would be the forte of food bloggers and culinary creators. Likewise, young influencers who are still students can market brands that offer Engineering Assignment Help.
- Does the campaign ensure brand safety?
A few years back, YouTube faced a backlash when advertisers and top brands boycotted the platform for running ads alongside objectionable videos. Imagine how you would feel when you see an advertisement by a brand like Johnson & Johnson appear in between an adult-rated video!
This is why you need to ensure brand safety when you hire an influencer. Influencers create content around their day-to-day lives to promote brands without seeming too salesy. Therefore, if you do not want your brand to be embroiled in controversy, choose someone who can ensure brand safety.
- How much can you spend on an influencer?
Yes, the more followers of an influencer, the better can be your reach. But that means more charges, too. So, do not partner with an influencer without understanding how much you can spend. Remember, your budget should decide your influencer marketing campaign and not vice versa. You can also consider taking Accounting Assignment Help.
Moreover, instead of hiring someone with a million followers, it is better to hire two or three micro-influencers to distribute the risk. That way, if one influencer fails to yield the results, you’d still have another creator to rely on. Here are some tools to find influencers as per your budget.
Parting thoughts,
Influencer marketing has the power to boost your brand name, expand your overall customer base and hike up your sales, but only when you do it right. So, use the above guide to choose an appropriate influencer whose content aligns with your brand’s vision.
And voila! In very little time, you will be deluged with visitors, inquiries crowding your DMs, and all things positive!
Author Bio: Ethan Taylor is a social media analyst associated with the academic brand EssayAssignmentHelpAU. Ethan writes several insightful blogs on topics under social media marketing.
