Influencers are now recognized as a key marketing strategy, so partnering your clients with the right influencers is critical to successful campaigns.
Year after year of continued growth propelled influencer marketing into the strategies and budgets of big and small consumer and B2B companies worldwide.
In dollars and cents terms, Viralyft claims that influencer marketing is expected to become a $21.1 billion industry by 2024.
Influencers significantly impact all areas of interest because consumers are more likely to trust them over traditional advertising.
But what exactly is influencer marketing?
In our post on ‘The Top 10 Best Influencer Marketing Campaigns Ever’, we describe an influencer as someone with a large, engaged follower base who knows how to tap into particular niches.
Many also know how to motivate buyers into action.
Therefore, partnering with an influencer on a social media platform allows you to authentically, transparently, and meaningfully promote a business or product to their followers.
Before you can decide on which type of marketing campaign to implement, however, here are some tips for choosing the right influencers for your clients:
Set a budget
Regarding influencer marketing, it’s good to pay attention to the quality over quantity of their followers before you determine your budget.
Generally speaking, a micro-influencer (100k followers) is likelier to charge you less than a mega influencer (millions of followers), celebrity, or other big industry names.
If you have a tight budget, even micro-influencers with dedicated followers can help you achieve your marketing goals.
As much as possible, avoid trying to talk a well-known influencer into accepting a lower rate than they deserve.
You don’t want to ruin a potential relationship with them, especially if you would still like to work with them when you have a larger budget in the future.
Choose the Right Social Platform
Choosing the right platform for influencer marketing isn’t as simple as it looks.
You need to find an influencer on a platform that appeals most to your target audience.
A World Economic Forum article on social media describes how the 3.8 billion active social million users are spread out across various platforms.
Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter remain social media strongholds, while TikTok, Reddit, Pinterest, and Twitch are on the rise — making them worth looking into as well.
Aligning the platform with your target audience can make influencer marketing campaigns much more effective.
Check for Relevance
The blanket term ‘influencer’ no longer represents major social media players.
Different breeds of creators, thought leaders, and advocates are emerging who force marketers to look beyond the demographics of an influencer’s following.
The niche, content, and messaging of the influencer you want to work with should be consistent with or complementary to your brand’s image and tone.
There’s also the matter of identifying fake influencers who buy followers to look popular, but everyone engaging with them is just a bot.
Consult with a Professional
Influencer marketing isn’t necessarily a new practice, which means there are many nuances to building and running a successful campaign, so consulting with a professional influencer marketer may be beneficial when planning your approach.
When choosing a professional to work with, check their experience and credentials because many self-proclaimed experts may not know anything about the nitty-gritty of influencer management, content creation, data analytics, and social media.
Fortunately, the search shouldn’t last too long, as more of these professionals are entering the market thanks to the rise of remote learning.
As Maryville University’s online bachelor’s degree in marketing overview points out, individuals can earn their marketing degrees online and learn the ins and outs of social media engagement and digital marketing.
Those specializing in influencer marketing can help you identify users who fit your niche and negotiate on your behalf.
If you’re going to consult with a professional, Entrepreneur’s article on influencer marketers advises you to think about your questions ahead of time so you can have a productive conversation about your goals for the campaign.
Need Help?
Here at The Influence Marketer, we can help you meet real influencers who match your clients’ needs.
Talk to us today to learn more about how we can help you.
Written by Rebecca Jordan exclusively for theinfluencemarketer.com
