Why are influencers important, anyway?
Influencers are not just a marketing strategy
Why are influencers important?
Social media influencers are important because they create brand value and awareness. When potential consumers keep seeing a certain product or service flooding their IG newsfeed, it plants a seed in the back of their mind.
Influencers are the “cool kids” of the internet.
They are the thought leaders and trendsetters of today, and with their “stamp of approval,” this may influence buying decisions.
What should you look for in a micro-influencer?
When working with micro-influencers, companies should look for a high engagement rate (3.5%-6%), “real” followers, and brand alignment. For instance, if you are an income tax software company, would you reach out to a street food influencer? Probably not.
Some questions to ask yourself before starting an influencer campaign:
- What is the goal of your influencer campaign?
- Does your target demographic match those who follow micro-influencers?
- What is your budget?
- What would a successful campaign look like to your company?
Ways to find micro-influencers on Instagram
The best way to find micro-influencers that fit your campaign would be to look up your competitor’s hashtags, see who’s tagging it, and once you find your “ideal” micro-influencer, you can press the drop-down arrow beside their name to find similar accounts.
Alternatively, you can outsource this to an influencer marketing agency like Peersway or a PR agency like noodPR who will do all the legwork in executing an influencer marketing campaign for your products/services.
What tools should be used to find influencers on Instagram?
Some tools that are useful when searching for influencers:
- Hypeauditor — Shows you the demographics of an influencer’s page, follower growth chart (to detect fake followers)
- Socialpeeks — Analysis such as engagement, recent sponsored posts, average likes, top posts etc.
- Upfluence — Influencer search engine where you can find the perfect influencer by typing in keywords
It’s important to know that followers can (and will) catch onto inauthentic partnerships. If your influencer campaign is off-brand, it won’t be successful for you or the influencer involved. Influencer marketing can be very beneficial, but make sure to do your research!
