Understanding the Influencer market: How do you find the right social media influencer for your business?

 The world of marketing has come a long way since the industrial era. From street vendors selling goods via ear-piercing voice projections to having a cellphone sway our decisions by simply scrolling through a screen. Tech advancement may have refined the way consumer behaviour is studied but nonetheless, it usually boils down to the same age-old objective, which is to successfully gain consumer confidence so they may purchase your goods/services. 

RIP traditional marketing:

 Today, the internet has taken over traditional marketing strategies. What used to be a one-on-one word of mouth has now become a one-to-many word of mouth action through social media. There is no doubt that, if done correctly, social media can significantly improve the fate of your business revenue. 

Why though?

Social media influencers have helped make and break various companies successfully through their enormous number of followers, user engagement and of course, influence.

Remember that time when Snapchat stocks fell by 7% simply because of one tweet via Kylie Jenner? Yes, that my friend, is the power of social media.

But, Hold on!!

In order to implement a successful marketing campaign via social media influencers (SMIs), you must first find the right influencers who can meet your campaign goals.

Think of it as a quest for hiring a brand ambassador for your business, the face of your company, the Marlboro man to your cigarettes, the Fido to your 7up. You want someone who embodies the vision of your company. Here’s where we can help. Following are a few carefully analyzed tips to help you shortlist the right influencers for your company.

1.Understand your Brand:

 Finding the right influencer for a particular company is like trying to successfully cut an apple, and you cannot cut an apple with a spoon who claims to be sharp, you cannot trust the spoon to do a good job, spoons are for ice cream. You need the right kind of knife to cut through the noise and reach the right audience and cut the apple effectively in this case. Which is why understanding your brand is the first step. What are you selling? Who is most likely to buy it? And which influencer will fit the age and interest bracket of your potential consumers.

 2. Assess your target audience:

You cannot speak Yiddish with an audience who only speaks Italian. When shortlisting an influencer, you must ask yourself, who is your target audience? Which demographic do they belong to? Which influencers are your audiences following and engaging with? Can you have a heavy-lifter promoting your line of eco-friendly hairclips? Probably not, but upon deeper analysis, if 90% of his followers are your target audience, then sure, why not? body-builders like pretty things too. Score!

3. Not every influencer is a content creator:

 Now, this is important. One must understand, the potential success of your campaign cannot be measured solely by the number of followers an influencer has.

An influencer can be based in Dubai but his/her followers might be based in Canada which makes him/her irrelevant for a local campaign. Some influencers have a huge following but they are not content creators, they don’t produce meaningful or creative content, nor do they put in effort into designing their profile.

It is, therefore, wise to chose individuals who possess the art of influencing and who are capable of creating compelling content, one can engage with.

 4. Research! Research and Research! (TLDR)

 Knowledge is power and it is crucial for you or your marketing team to research extensively before reaching out to an influencer. Here are a few things you must keep in mind.

1. Make sure the influencer’s audience insights are analyzed thoroughly.
2. Make sure their followers are real accounts and not robots or bought followers.
3. Make sure the engagement on their content is legitimate and not fabricated.
4. Make sure the content is creative, relevant and compelling. (for example: Simply writing a small caption such as “I love MAC cosmetics” does not suffice. The content needs to be of substance and eloquently put together.)
5. See their previous campaigns and progress.
6. Make sure their pictures are of HD quality. Clear documentation makes all the difference.

5. Once you’ve found your respective influencers:

 Once you have successfully shortlisted the right influencers for your campaign. It is always smart to have your marketing company to monitor its progress and engagement. There needs to be a mediator preferably a specialized influencer management team in order to ensure your campaign success.

Good luck!