So, you’ve decided to use an influencer to take your business to the next level on social media. Before you start DM’ing anyone and everyone with a large following, you’re going to want to take a second to consider which type of influencer is going to be the most valuable to your brand. Just because an influencer has lots of followers does not mean that their promotion will help build your brand and increase awareness. Here are our top 5 factors to consider when searching for the perfect influencer for you and your business.
1. Relevancy
Take the time to scroll through the influencer’s social media and ensure that their messaging aligns with yours. If you’re the owner of a fun, laidback bar/restaurant and this influencer speaks in a more elevated, professional tone, this influencer may not be the best fit for your business. Are they promoting products or places that are similar to yours? It’s important to ensure that their following will actually be interested in buying what you’re selling.
2. Engagement
Engagement is a quick way to tell whether or not an influencer’s audience interacts with their content. Are the followers commenting on their photos or reposting their stories or content? Is the influencer consistently getting likes on their photos? Taking the time to look into how engaged their community is will help you understand whether or not working with them to promote your product is truly worth your time.
3. Frequency
The frequency of posts and stories is extremely important to ensure that they are staying up to date with their community and not losing followers. If your potential influencer isn’t posting, then they’re not going to be much help to you!
4. Authenticity
Influencers who post less point-blank promotional content tend to be more trusted by their followers and appear much more authentic. Take a look through their feed and get a feel for the content they release - does it feel fake, or like they genuinely love the products they are recommending to their followers? The more authentic, the more likely their followers are to buy the products they’re promoting.
5. Your goal
What are you trying to accomplish? Influencers can help you achieve several different end goals, including increased brand awareness, content creation, sales, or followers on your own social media. Different influencers can help you achieve these goals. For example, if you’re looking for more followers, you’ll want to collaborate with influencers with high reach. However, if you’re more interested in content creation that you can use on your feed, you’ll want to reach out to an influencer with clear photography skills and high-quality content on their page. By setting your own campaign goal before selecting an influencer, you’ll be able to choose the right people to help you achieve your desired outcome!
