Influencer campaigns give brands and businesses reach outside current customers and followers. Working with influencers takes organization and a strong strategy, but it can pay off for brands who launch campaigns with clear expectations, goals, and a solid team of influencers. We recommend five checkpoints as you vet potential influencers.
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1. Relevance to your brand
Influence only matters if you're influencing potential customers for your brand. All the influence in the world won’t help if you’re reaching cat owners but selling dog collars. Niche influencers with relatively smaller followings can drive more attention to your brand than an influencer with bigger numbers but less of a focus. Working with social media consultants can give you an added boost when vetting influencers. We have experience in finding niche influencers that can work within your budget in an authentic, organic way.
2. Social media engagement
Numbers matter. In addition to other campaign goals, the idea behind working with influencers is always to reach an audience a brand doesn’t have organically. However, especially if you're working within a budget, engagement matters as much as overall numbers. Check out the conversations an influencer is having with their followers. Pay attention to how many likes and comments they're seeing per post. Also, look at some of their other campaigns to gauge if those posts see the level of engagement as their other posts.
3. Platform activity
Check how often an influencer posts on the social media platforms you're considering them for. A prolific Instagrammer might not be the right person for a Facebook-heavy campaign. The Take Flight Team works with all social media platforms, and we can help you pinpoint the right one for your specific influencer campaign goals.
4. Authenticity
Look at the other campaigns a potential influencer has worked with. Pay attention to whether they're selective about the campaigns in which they participate or if their voice reads the same on sponsored posts and non-sponsored posts. Obviously you can't control who your influencers have worked with in the past, but be cautious if they've worked directly with brands or products resembling yours. Influence works best when their followers get the sense that the influencer truly supports the product or service they're promoting.
5. Tone and style
Not every influencer fits with every brand. If your brand's aesthetic leans toward chic minimalism, don't work primarily with influencers who fill their feeds with embellishments and frills. If you strive for an inspirational tone, an influencer with a sarcastic, off-the-cuff style might not be the right fit. And vice versa! An irreverent, tongue-in-cheek brand might not strike a chord with the followers of a conservative influencer.
Keep an open mind when considering influencers
Even with this five point checklist, finding influencers for a campaign involves at least a small amount of open-minded intuition. Communicate with potential influencers before finalizing details, whether you do so over social media, by email, or at an industry event. Be open to negotiating fees or services rendered. Sometimes, the influencer who seems perfect on paper just doesn’t feel right or someone who only meets a couple of your strategic expectations demonstrates a passion for your brand that will lead to a wildly successful partnership. We can help you communicate with and organize your influencers for a strong, effective social media push.
Still unsure if you're pointing your efforts in the right direction? We can help you figure out where and how your outreach is working — and where it's not. Contact the Take Flight Team for a social media analysis.
Want to know more? Check out Clients Ask: How do I work with social media influencers?