Influencer marketing is one of the most popular online marketing strategies for brands today. It is a simple idea: get influential people to spread the word about your brand or business through blogs and social media.
However, if you want your influencer marketing campaign to be a success, then you need to choose your influencers wisely.
Influencer marketing is not just about spreading your message through reviews. It’s also about establishing a strong brand identity, increasing the flow of traffic to your website, promoting higher engagement levels with an audience, and a whole lot more.
That will help them write authentic reviews about, or create content featuring your products or services. An influencer who doesn’t have much knowledge in your field will not be able to offer you the kind of value you’re seeking.
Kaushal is a YouTube influencer in the beauty vlogging niche. In the following example, she can be seen giving a tutorial using products from The Body Shop.
The Body Shop’s collaboration with Kaushal for this makeup tutorial was successful because she is relevant to their brand and products. The YouTuber has more than 1 million followers, who consider her to be a trustworthy source of information when it comes to makeup and beauty.
When choosing an influencer, make sure the content they create is high quality, and offers value to their audience. The content should also be interesting and engaging enough that it triggers discussions and interest, and gets shared across the various social media platforms.
Influencers who have high engagement rates, are generally more successful at influencing people’s purchase decisions than those who do not. It’s important to note that micro-influencers typically have much higher engagement rates than mega-influencers.
For example, if you are selling baby food products meant for 1 to 3 year olds, it wouldn’t be as effective to partner with influential bloggers who write about parenting their teenage children.
For example, YouTuber Fabulous Hannah posts twice every week. She joined YouTube in 2013, and has 256,714 followers, and more than 18 million total views. The following is a screenshot from her official YouTube page.
Influencers should be able to handle negative reactions well, without worsening the situation. Handling negative reactions quickly and professionally a skill that all effective influencers should have. Before you partner with them, make sure your influencer has the ability to handle such unforeseen circumstances.
For example, the following screenshot is taken from a video by beauty vlogger, Kaushal Beauty. She created the video in response to a concern from some of her followers who thought she used filters on her videos. In the video, the influencer reached out to her audience, and explained how she films her videos.
The screenshot below shows the comments section of the same video, and some of the positive responses she got from her audience.
However, if you want your influencer marketing campaign to be a success, then you need to choose your influencers wisely.
Influencer marketing is not just about spreading your message through reviews. It’s also about establishing a strong brand identity, increasing the flow of traffic to your website, promoting higher engagement levels with an audience, and a whole lot more.
9 Things to Look for in an Influencer
#1. Relevance
In any influencer marketing campaign, choosing a relevant influencer is the most important step. The influencer you decide on should have a clear understanding of, and direct knowledge about your niche.That will help them write authentic reviews about, or create content featuring your products or services. An influencer who doesn’t have much knowledge in your field will not be able to offer you the kind of value you’re seeking.
Kaushal is a YouTube influencer in the beauty vlogging niche. In the following example, she can be seen giving a tutorial using products from The Body Shop.
The Body Shop’s collaboration with Kaushal for this makeup tutorial was successful because she is relevant to their brand and products. The YouTuber has more than 1 million followers, who consider her to be a trustworthy source of information when it comes to makeup and beauty.
#2. The Quality of Their Content
This is the second most important part of the influencer selection process. After you have found influencers relevant to your business, it’s time to determine the quality of the content they create.When choosing an influencer, make sure the content they create is high quality, and offers value to their audience. The content should also be interesting and engaging enough that it triggers discussions and interest, and gets shared across the various social media platforms.
#3. Their Engagement Rate
The level of audience engagement determines how much influence an influencer has on their followers. Generating engagement is typically more important in an influencer marketing campaign than building reach.Influencers who have high engagement rates, are generally more successful at influencing people’s purchase decisions than those who do not. It’s important to note that micro-influencers typically have much higher engagement rates than mega-influencers.
#4. The Demographics of Their Audience
The audience you’re targeting through influencers needs to be one that is relevant to the product or service you are selling. If you are selling something that is intended for a particular age group, make sure your influencer has a strong following in that age group.For example, if you are selling baby food products meant for 1 to 3 year olds, it wouldn’t be as effective to partner with influential bloggers who write about parenting their teenage children.
#5. Frequency of Their Posts
When choosing an influencer, find out how often they post. There are influencers who post on a regular basis, and others who post less often. Influencers who deliver high quality content on a regular basis are more likely to have a better connection with their followers.For example, YouTuber Fabulous Hannah posts twice every week. She joined YouTube in 2013, and has 256,714 followers, and more than 18 million total views. The following is a screenshot from her official YouTube page.
#6. Audience Data
Audience data can help you analyze how an influencer will be helping your campaign after it launches. This part of your research is as important as analyzing the success of your influencer marketing campaign. Audience data includes metrics like website traffic, page views, and the amount of time spent on the site.#7. Genuineness
This is an important factor that can help you discern the trustworthiness of an influencer with their followers. Influencers who do a smaller number of sponsored posts tend to enjoy greater support from their audience. And when influencers share their personal experiences using a product or service, that content generally yields more trust than straight product reviews.#8. Professionalism and Thoroughness
An influencer should be professional in their approach, and understand their responsibilities. The image of a brand depends on them, so they should be able to provide valuable and authentic content. You can tell if an influencer is professional or not by the nature of your interactions with them by email or phone.#9. Ability to Handle Negative Reactions
Things may not go smoothly all the time. There may be situations when the audience reacts negatively to certain aspects of sponsored content.Influencers should be able to handle negative reactions well, without worsening the situation. Handling negative reactions quickly and professionally a skill that all effective influencers should have. Before you partner with them, make sure your influencer has the ability to handle such unforeseen circumstances.
For example, the following screenshot is taken from a video by beauty vlogger, Kaushal Beauty. She created the video in response to a concern from some of her followers who thought she used filters on her videos. In the video, the influencer reached out to her audience, and explained how she films her videos.
The screenshot below shows the comments section of the same video, and some of the positive responses she got from her audience.
Conclusion
Now you know what you should look for while choosing influencers to work with. To learn more, here is a beautiful influencer marketing infographic from HireInfluence. It covers more best practices for influencer outreach, and tips to optimize your campaigns for maximum ROI and results.
