It’s no secret that influencer marketing has taken social media by storm and helped thousands of brands gain business-boosting exposure. In fact, a study published in eMarketer showed that nearly 85% of marketing and communications professional worldwide expected to launch at least one campaign involving an influencer in the next 12 months. On top of that, eMarketer also discovered that over 80% of marketers who had launched marketing campaigns involving social media influencers found them to be effective for driving both engagement and awareness. From product placements to celebrity shout outs, this type of outreach is becoming more and more commonplace.
If you’re ready to discover the world of influencer marketing, there are some tricks of the trade that we’ve learned along the way.
- Begin with a plan
Really think about types of content you’ll want the influencer on your behalf. Content items up for grabs can include blog posts, Instagram Stories or takeovers, Snapchat snaps, live broadcasts, videos, and photography. - Set a realistic yet feasible budget
Spoiler alert: influencer marketing campaigns aren’t cheap. On top of an influencer’s fees, there could be additional costs, such as compensated product, transportation, lodging and meals. We recommend earmarking a budget of $6,000 – 12,000 for an effective campaign. - Use both Google and Instagram to search potential matches
After you’ve determined your content wish list and budget, then you can start researching influencers. Be sure to dedicate a good amount of time because there are so many influencers out there. We recommend using both Google and Instagram to research top influencers in your industry. For example, you could search Google for “best foodie Instagrammers in NYC” to help determine some top prospects or use an industry hashtag to search on Instagram. - Determine if the content style is a fit
Once you’ve compiled a list of possible influencers, check out their content across all platforms to see if their style fits with your brand. For instance, if you’re a high-end beauty brand with lots of lively, colorful products, you probably wouldn’t choose an influencer that posts a lot of dark, gothic-like products. Tone, personality and style all need to match in order for the partnership to be a successful fit. - Review their followers
Next, review their followers and use the rule “quality over quantity.” If an Instagrammer has 500,000 followers but it looks like a majority of them are fake or phony accounts, then you’re probably not going to get great results. On the flip side, if an Instagrammer has half that number but quality followers, then that will mostly likely be a solid choice. - Check out their website and other social platforms
The last thing you need to research is the influencer’s other social platforms and website. This may seem like a no-brainer but you want to double-check to determine legitimacy and that their brand is in line with your company values. You want to make sure the influencer is not going to be someone who is polarizing for your brand and potentially create a publicity nightmare for you. Also, if their follower count is higher on one platform over another, that’s ok. It shouldn’t be a deterring factor since their audience clearly favors one platform over another. You can also check out their website for contact information once you’re ready to take the next step in the process.
Influencer marketing can be intimidating for any business venturing out into this uncharted method of brand exposure. But if you follow these six simple steps, then you’ll be on your way to find the perfect influencer match to help share your product or service with the world. Or, contact Paperkite and let our social outreach team match you with the perfect influencer!
