Davids Or A Goliath: Which Influencer is Best for Your Social Media Campaign?

There is a science to social media, and now that experts are beginning to understand that, they are experimenting with different approaches that may not seem as advantageous. Traditional advertising typically consisted of a well-known celebrity, but now companies are finding out that lesser known people can sometimes influence more people. So who do you hire to spearhead your social influencer campaigns--Davids or a Goliath? Here is a breakdown of each method to help you decide what is best for your brand!

Big name, big numbers

Hiring a "Goliath" to lead an advertising campaign has shown to pay-off over the years, but companies must fork over large sums of money in order to get them. So what do they really bring to your campaign? Here are a few benefits:

• Large audience/followers
• You can analyze their impact on other campaigns
• They bring credibility to your brand
• New customer acquisition

A big name celebrity can bring in people who wouldn't normally be interested in your product, so you have the ability to gain customers outside of your reach. People, especially teenagers, will buy products simply because their favorite icon is wearing or using it. Although there are many benefits, there are some serious drawbacks to consider.

• Big names are costly
• They make mistakes that could ruin the campaign
• Too many campaigns and they lose their appeal
• Limited target audience

You can't argue with research, though. Studies show that signing a celebrity to influence your social media campaign will boost sales about 4 percent. But could that percentage be higher with a cheaper price tag?

More bang for your buck?

Using a big name is smart, but using lesser-known influencers can save you money while still increasing your sales by the same percentage, or more. For example, if you can get 5 influencers for the price of one big name celebrity, you are getting 5 different sets of followers with different interests. PUMA recently tried out this method and found that using smaller influencers led their engagement rate by 24 percent over their typical campaign of using a "brand name". This information is powerful for businesses beginning their social media campaign.

In order to tackle this sort of campaign, you need to be aware of some of the pitfalls. One of the biggest is campaign management. The more micro-influencers you have, the more work you have to do to manage it. For this reason, finding a social media manager to help you can be the difference between making money off of micro-influencers, or losing money with them.

Tips to remember before choosing

Now that you have an idea of which direction may be best for your brand, there are a few things to keep in mind before you finalize your decision. Either method is going to bring you some benefit--well, unless you overpay for your influencer--but the type of engagement the social media influencer has with their fans is going to be key. A celebrity may have millions of followers, but it's not personal like it is with a smaller influencer. This can make using "Davids" more helpful with sales because these people have earned the trust of their smaller following. It's personal, so their followers are more likely to engage the influencer about what they are selling and want to be a part of it.

Here are some more tips to remember:

• Let your influencer be authentic and organic
• Allow them to do the creating
• Negotiate rates
• Research their views and public comments

Now that you have the knowledge to begin your social media campaign, it's time to find some influencers! Contact ME for more ways to better manage your campaigns.