How to find the right influencer for your brand

Over the past two decades, the wealth of information available online has resulted in a great increase in buyer awareness. Today’s online buyers know what to look for, and where to find it. They can and will choose alternatives to your product if they feel it doesn’t fit their needs. In an environment where buyers have access to detailed product specifications, advertisements and PR exercises can only go so far. This is where a new class of marketing comes into the picture: influencer marketing.

Influencer marketing focuses on using key leaders to drive your brand’s message to specific niches within the larger market. Rather than marketing directly to a large group of consumers, your brand collaborates with influencers to get the word out for you. Influencer marketing goes hand in hand with social media and content marketing on digital platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Influencer marketing presents your brand with unique opportunities: well-known influencers can substantially enhance consumer goodwill and trust in your brand. Because the relationship between influencers and their audience is built on trust, influencer promotions are often seen as more genuine and objective than traditional advertising.

However, influencer marketing is not without its challenges. The biggest challenge is finding the right influencers to work with. Here are some key factors to consider when looking to collaborate with an Influencer:

Suitability: How closely aligned is the influencer to your product market? What niche are they in? Is your product relevant to their audience? Relevance is a key factor here. An influencer’s content and the audience they cater to matter more than their overall traffic. A smaller influencer specialising in your product’s niche will address your marketing goals more effectively than a larger influencer whose audience doesn’t identify with your product.

Influencer reach: This is a factor you need to consider after evaluating the suitability and relevance of an influencer. Is the influencer’s reach wide (across demographics), deep, or both? Larger influencers, such as celebrities, have very wide audiences. These audiences may not necessarily identify with your product or brand. You will need to find influencers with an extensive following among the demographic your product targets.

Engagement: Influencer engagement rate matters at least as much as overall reach. Influencer engagement rates correlate with their capability to influence audience purchase decisions. Interestingly, research indicates that micro-influencers, with 1000-5000 followers, tend to have a higher engagement rate than large influencers. It follows that micro-influencer promotions are more likely to impact buying decisions. While large influencers can quickly spread the message, collaborating with a large number of micro-influencers could get you the attention of a large number of targeted prospects. This goes back to the earlier point: prioritise depth—how well-known the influencer is within that particular community or niche—over overall reach.

Audience: Who is your product meant for? It’s critical that your target audience and your influencers’ audiences overlap. Is your product a mass market or a niche product? The optimal format for influencer promotions, the platforms they use, and ideal reach per influencer vary depending on this. Mass market products can be effectively promoted by large influencers and celebrities. On the other hand, micro-influencers with small, but dedicated followings, are the best choice to promote niche products.

Authenticity: Many buyers may feel thrilled to see advertisements where big celebrities use the same product they use. Yet at the same time, they are aware that this may not be the case in real life. This lack of authenticity means that celebrity endorsements often have a weaker-than-expected impact on buyer decisions. It is important that brand integration appears authentic and in sync with the influencer’s way of life. Their product endorsement shouldn’t seem like a one-off thing. Authenticity is the key to make people believe in your product: Influencer recommendations must sound authentic for it to have an impact on purchase decisions.

Frequency: Research shows that on an average, a customer journey takes 21 days, from searching a product on Google to receiving it physically. This means that multiple exposures to your brand are key to getting encouraging prospects at various stages of the customer journey. Repeat endorsements by influencers, and repeat showcases, can play a big role in encouraging buyers to purchase your product. Repeated use of your product can show how it is an authentic part of an influencer’s lifestyle. This, again, builds trust and goodwill for your product and brand.

As we approach 2020, influencer marketing is becoming more important than ever. In this digital age, influencers are critical to spreading word-of-mouth about your product. While the opportunities are tremendous, they don’t come easy: Find the right influencers, ensure that your brand’s story is in sync with the influencer’s story and lifestyle. And remember to define objectives and KPIs in advance. The right influencers help you reach and exceed your targets.

 (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of www.buzzincontent.com and we do not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.)