Influence Marketing: Tips on Finding an Influencer

In today’s fast-paced world, commercials are becoming a thing of the past. How often do you record your shows or stream content so that you can have fewer or no commercials? While this is great for the consumer, it causes problems for companies advertising their products.

To get around this, businesses are hiring influential individuals who their customers want to listen to, to promote their product on social media. While this is quickly becoming the best way to promote business, finding the right influencer can be a challenge. Here are some tips to help you find the right influencer for your business:

Look for relevance, not just popularity

There is more to influence marketing than hiring a celebrity to push your product. If you just hire someone because they are popular or famous, you might not be targeting the right audience for your business. For example, you may think it a great idea to hire a famous singer to promote your product. However, if you are selling home décor, he/she may not resonate well with your target market. The same goes for hiring a well-known blogger. You don’t just want to hire the most popular blogger. You want to hire someone who can connect with your target market.

The whole point of influence marketing is finding someone who is well-known who can also relate to and influence your current and potential customers. That means finding someone who is interested in the same things that you are selling. If you are a home décor store, find a popular blogger who teaches how to decorate or who does “do it yourself” projects around the home. Your customers are more likely to listen to someone like that than if you had a random celebrity endorsing your product.

Look at engagement rates

When you begin your search for a popular individual to be your influencer, don’t just pick someone based on the number of followers that he or she has. The most important indicator of popularity is engagement. Do the person’s followers comment? What do they say? Is it positive feedback or criticism? You want someone who is not only listened to, but who is responded to.

You should also look at what brands they like to showcase on their blog. Are they a fan of your business? If they are, then they may be the perfect influencer for your product. If your business is relatively new, look for someone who enjoys products that are similar to yours. Keep in mind that when you are looking for engagement, don’t just look at blogs. Look at Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc., to be sure that you find the right person for your business.

More expensive does not mean better

One of the biggest deterrents when it comes to influence marketing is cost. Small businesses are turned off from this form of marketing because they do not believe they can afford it. However, hiring an influencer does not need to be expensive. Of course, if you hire a celebrity to endorse your product, it probably will be expensive. This is where social networks come in handy. It is much easier and more affordable to find a popular individual on social media who is interested in and uses your product.

In some cases, you may even be able to barter or trade with an individual to endorse your product. Some individuals may just want your merchandise and will gladly recommend your product to their followers for more of it. For a small business looking to expand, this could be the best way to advertise and build your business.

Find someone who is authentic

We touched on this a little earlier, but do not hire someone your customers cannot relate to. You want to find someone who is authentic and wants to connect with your customers. build trust with your customers by hiring an individual they trust. Buyers trust other buyers, so look for someone who uses your product. You don’t want someone to endorse you if they don’t even believe in your product. Find someone who will advocate for your business while building relationships with your customers. Your customers will respond better to someone they see as a ‘real’ person. Consumers don’t want to be lied to, they want genuine, authentic reviews from real people about real products.

Do not be controlling

When you go about hiring a social media influencer, keep in mind that these individuals are used to doing things their own way. Do not set a million rules and restrictions for advertising your product. You want to hire these people because of their creativity and ability to connect with others, so let them do what they do best.

Yes, influence marketing can be scary. You don’t always have control over your influencer and that makes them hard to predict. However, if you have done the proper research and picked the individual you feel will help your business the most, you will have nothing to worry about. If you become too controlling, you could risk alienating your influencer and destroying the relationship you have built, in turn, risking your relationship with your customers.

Cultivate an open relationship with your influencers so that they know exactly what to expect from you and you know what to expect from them. Allow your influencers creative freedom and you will not be disappointed.

Don’t go it alone

Influence marketing can be scary and overwhelming. You may not know where to begin when finding and hiring an influencer. The hardest part will be to find someone who is relevant to your business and will be able to communicate to your customers. Ideally, you want someone who is similar to your audience so he or she can form a bond with them. Finding out all this information about someone can be time-consuming and difficult. You don’t have to do it alone. There are many marketing firms available, such as Onalytica, Brandwatch, Upfluence, etc., to help you analyze your audience and find an individual who will relate to your target market.

These companies can identify relevant influencers by analyzing social media profiles based on geography, category, etc. If you are a small business with a small audience, you may be able to find your own influencer. However, if your audience is growing it will be beneficial to get some outside help when considering an individual to advertise for your business.

Conclusion

Influence marketing can be scary and may seem unpredictable. However, if you can find the right person to promote your product, it will be well worth it. Form great relationships with your influencers, and they will, in turn, form great relationships with your customers. This is the future of marketing.

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