Influencer marketing has emerged as one of the most successful online PR and marketing strategies. Various studies illustrate the effectiveness of influencer marketing.
Marketers who implemented an influencer marketing program in the first half of 2015 received $9.60 in earned media value (EMV) for every $1 of paid media spend, according to a RhythmOne study.
One influencer sharing a post can lead to a 31.8% increase in social shares on average, according to a BuzzSumo study of over 100 million articles. When three influencers shared a piece of content, it doubled the total number of shares; five influencers quadrupled it. Influencers sharing content can have an exponential effect on shares.
Finding the right influencer, however, can be challenging. Not all influencers lead to success for marketers. Marketing and PR pros who select the wrong influencer can regret their decision. Experts recommend that marketers consider the following questions to choose the best influencers for their brand.
How do they relate to your target audience? To answer that question, marketers must first define their target audience. Marketing and PR departments often seek influencers who match their audiences precisely. Nevertheless, in an article for Inc., Amanda Pressner Kreuser, co-founder and manager partner of Masthead Media, recommends casting a wide net. Consider influencers in topic areas your audience cares about outside your specific niche.
What’s their typical response time? The vetting process can reveal what working with them will be like in the future. Are they positive, collaborative and easy to reach? If they are indifferent, inflexible, slow to respond, arrogant or demanding during the vetting stage, their behavior is unlikely to improve later. Better to work with up-and-comer than an overextended veteran, Kreuser recommends.
Can they report analytics? It’s vital that you work with influencers who can report analytics. For proof, request a screen shot of Google Analytics for blogs, Page Insights for Facebook, or Iconosquare for Instagram, Kreuser recommends. Metrics are imperative in order to measure the social engagement and success of an influencer marketing program.
What will be their role? Consider what you seek to accomplish with them in order to determine if they will be a good fit with your organization. Determine your expected outcomes, then work backwards, advises Mack Collier. Influencers alone might not help increase sales, but they might help increase your brand’s share of the online conversation around certain product lines.
What is their “emergency” contact information? Because influencers post on nights and weekends, you need an after-hours direct contact number to quickly correct any mistakes.
Have they worked with brands before? Working with them may be easier if they are familiar with the process. They will probably have a better sense of your expectations and how to meet or exceed those expectations. If they have worked with companies in your industry before, they will likely have a better understanding of your niche and how to help your company succeed. You do need, however, to establish if there are any product conflicts by reviewing their previous reviews and endorsements.
How large is their network? Although their number of followers is important, focusing on those numbers alone is the most common influencer marketing mistake, Collier says. Examine their network’s engagement level: their number of likes, shares and comments. Many Twitter users with over 50,000 followers use bots and reciprocal or follow-back techniques to pad their follower counts. They often send less referral traffic than users with fewer followers.
Do you have a contract? Contracts establish expectations for both sides and define general responsibilities, processes and rights. Feel free to include terms that restrict profanity, sexually explicit material or other type of content the influencer releases when working with your brand, advises Jessica King, a client solutions adviser at ClearVoice, in a post for MarketingProfs.
Bottom Line: Identifying, vetting and approving influencers who will ally themselves with your brand can be a challenging assignment. Asking probing questions at the outset can help marketers select appropriate influencers and develop mutually beneficial relationships over the long term.
William J. Comcowich founded and served as CEO of CyberAlert LLC, the predecessor of Glean.info. He is currently serving as Interim CEO and member of the Board of Directors. Glean.info provides customized media monitoring, media measurement and analytics solutions across all types of traditional and social media.
