10 things to keep in mind when finding influencers

It is now clear that many brands are incorporating influencer marketing campaigns in their various marketing strategies to get an edge on their competitors. According to a research carried out in 2016, influencer marketing did deliver amazing results to brands that had started applying the crucial techniques and likely to grow more and more in the future.

According to another research, many marketers that had used this strategy in 2016 are likely to double their investment in 2017 and beyond. This is true because more and more brands and audiences are turning to social media and influencers for reasons well known in the industry. Google trends also indicates an enormous rise in popularity of influencer marketing across the world

As per the research by Linqia, a marketing solutions provider in the US, it is evident that more businesses are likely to ramp up the budget for influencer marketing strategies in the coming years. Out of 170 marketers polled in the US, 48% of the respondents agreed they would increase influencer marketing budget in the years to come while only 4% were of a contrary opinion. While it seems like time is up with using ads, marketers need to tap into this lucrative strategy that will guarantee faster returns.

Statistical analysis recorded by Marketing Land indicates an overwhelming use of social media platforms like Facebook in acquiring online traffic. Such statistical analysis pushes for the adoption of influencer marketing which involves using a well reputed and respected personality to drive more referrals to a website as compared to the usual organic search. Facebook is today one of the leaders in social referral traffic driving close to 25% of traffic on the web according to a report by Shareaholic, a social management firm reported on Marketing Land.

The chances are high that potential customers are likely to buy from your brand if they get to know about that your products are awesome from a third part. It is, therefore, crucial to incorporate influencer marketing to boost brand visibility and drive more sales for your brand as well. The influencers play a vital role in creating and sharing your brand content. It is for this reason that you need top notch influencers to help you with your particular brand.

Things to keep in mind when finding the perfect social media influencers in your niche

Now that you perfectly understand what influencer marketing is and why you need it in your brand, it is time to choose the right content marketing influencers from a pool of influencers available out there. Consider a number of the following things to help you decide the right person.

1. Relevance

The right social media influencer should be in a position to deliver quality content that is aligned with your specific niche, the products and services you deal with and all the things your brands stands for and believes in it.

2. Engagement

The number of social media followers is not enough to qualify an individual as a perfect influencer for your brand. The chosen individual should be engaging by regularly updating and sharing relevant information, responding to comments and commenting on relevant posts. For a meaningful influencer marketing, you need an expert with the right qualities to manage to share the right content to their followers.

3. Reach

This is another crucial aspect to consider when finding the right social media influencer for your brand. You need one with a large reach so that you can be sure a large target audience assesses the shared content. The reach should, however, be relevant to your brand. It is better to have a small but relevant reach than having a large but irrelevant reach. And don’t forget to measure your social media goals, how fruitful this cooperation would be.

4. Frequency

How often influencers update and share content is crucial for your brand growth- you need an influencer who is literally available online all the time posting, sharing and commenting on relevant posts. This is critical in ensuring maximum exposure of your brand to the target market.

5. Authenticity

The right influencers should be in a position to deliver only authentic content to the public. An authentic influencer has a greater impact on how their followers and that will be a major advantage for your brand. You, therefore, need influencers with experience, probably in other brands, to help you go about the entire process without a hitch.

6. Platform

There are different platforms on which influencers can post your brand content. Every platform has its own advantages and disadvantages but it takes the power of your influencer to provide a boost in brand awareness regardless of the platform chosen. Instagram is a common platform used by in influencer marketing hence referred to as a 1 billion dollar industry. On the other hand, Facebook is still trailing behind despite the larger user base.

Having a reputable and experienced Influencer active on Instagram will, therefore, be a better option compared to Facebook users with a large following.

However, do not narrow down only to these two platforms. Your niche should give you a hint where your audience is hanging out. For example, cryptocurrency experts are easy to find on forums like bitcointalk.org, while digital marketers are usually visible on Twitter. Your influencers could even have their own communities on Ning platform, united by one idea and cooperating in the name of common goals (for example like diydrones.com). Having their own social eco-system with signed-up members, chats, top discussions, and activity feed.

7. Brand lift

It is quite important to consider an influencer that can easily help in lifting your brand image. Influencer marketing is all about communicating with the target audience; this means that you need an expert who can help boost your brand awareness and perception from the audience.

8. Audience

Business brands demand effective influencer marketing from experts who are focused on achieving specific goals and objectives. The right influencers will, therefore, e in a position to easily understand the right audience for whom the campaign is targeted and communicating to them in the most efficient manner that will convert them into customers. You, therefore, need to look for experience and expertise in effective messaging.

9. Brand safety

More companies and businesses today focus on brand safety more than before. In the modern YouTube ad controversy, many brands have suffered audience boycott as a result of the showing of objectionable videos and content that don’t resonate well with the audience.  Quite a number of brands actually have suffered an unexpected verdict in their campaigns on YouTube because of this reason.

The right influencer will, therefore, check the content shared or posted to ensure it is not run alongside damaging content or videos on such platforms as YouTube.

10. Platform

You need to make sure that you seek the services of an affordable influencer marketing expert. Despite the fact that marketing has turned out to be quite expensive, you need to carry out the campaigns without blowing up your fortunes or breaking the bank.

Conclusion:

Influencer marketing is crucial for your brand. You, however, need to find the right influencers, who work hard to reach the right target audience, create and share high-quality content and deliver quality services aligned with the goals and objectives of your brand. The discussed guidelines will help you to get the right influencers for your future campaigns.