Influencer marketing is a critical aspect in your journey through getting the exposure your brand needs. You can’t scroll through Instagram today without seeing someone promoting a brand or product, and chances are, that person is an influencer. Utilizing influencers to elevate your brand is now a PR standard. In order to make the most out of your influencer marketing, you need to choose influencers who are in-line with your brand. Here is a simple checklist to use to help you choose the perfect influencers for your brand.
Are they relevant to your brand?
An important thing to look for is the influencer’s relevancy to your message.Ask yourself: Do they share the same beliefs or values as your company? To find out, take a look into their blog posts and what they post on their social media platforms. It can give you an inside look into what they are passionate about. Sometimes brands want to shoot for the elite influencers like David Dobrik and Kylie Jenner, but for smaller brands, aiming lower is better. Micro influencers are those who have less than 10K followers and are more authentic. It is easier to believe they bought the product and enjoyed it, which can attract engagement.
Do their followers engage with their content?
Having someone with a huge following is awesome, but what if their followers do not engage with the influencer’s posts? Taking a quick look into the comment section and seeing spam and very computerized comments is not a good sign. An influencer is able to create organic conversations within their followers and truly engage with them and the brand itself. If you do not see any engagement, the influencer could have used a third party to “buy” followers and created the illusion of having a much bigger audience than they really do. Checking for legitimacy matters, your brand depends on it.
How much will it cost?
Collaborations and sponsorships have pretty much replaced traditional ads. The influencer marketing industry is said to potentially be worth around $5.6 billion this year. Before the industry boomed, lots of social stars would take partnerships in exchange for free product. Nowadays, unless you are working with a micro influencer, exchanging product for exposure probably won’t slide. A lot of medium and top tier influencers are looking for monetary compensation, so how do you come up with a fair price? Many brands use the “ $100 per 10k follower” rule , but you must take into consideration other factors like engagement rates, length of partnership, etc.
Ultimately, finding the perfect influencer can be a challenge, but once your brand pairs up with someone who is ready to help, the results can be amazing. Influencers can make or break the brand, so be careful on who you choose.
To learn more about influencer marketing and how it can really impact your business click here.
