Choose Your Influencer Wisely!
Influencers are a big marketing boost to many businesses and brands. Before social media became a thing, brands were marketed by famous figures on TV. Today, there is a heavy reliance on social media to make a product or service desirable; many will resort to influencers. Raising brand awareness requires a company to choose the influencer wisely; one that conforms to the brand’s identity.
Your brand may be suitable for more than one social media influencer, but the influencer you choose is your key player. People are exposed to thousands of advertisements every day. Some of those messages will sink in and others may be totally forgotten instantly. An influencer is viewed as a high referral point, especially if they are well known and well respected.
Before delving into “influence marketing” conduct a thorough research across social media. No matter how many platforms you advertise on, select the one that you are most powerful at, the medium that gives you edge and enough interaction from your viewers. If your strength is on Instagram for example go with that channel and start scanning for your perfect influencer.
Once you have selected your ideal social media channel, pick out 3-5 top influencers that you feel may be beneficial for your brand. Do not make the mistake of going with those who have the highest number of followers only. Perform a content check of each selected influencer; jot down how they may be a good boost to your business.
When choosing your influencer, ask yourself important questions:
-Does my brand fit into their lifestyle?
-Will they expose my brand well?
-Are they well respected?
-Can they help my brand earn the viewers’ trust?
-Will they boost my sales?
-Can they add to my credibility?
-Will they influence my target audience?
-Will the effect be short term or long term?
The answers to these questions will make it easier for you to select the “perfect” influencer. A brand seeking to build trust will select someone with credible, meaningful content that will make the audience interact. Inversely, a brand seeking awareness only will turn to someone with big followers who will maximize brand reach.
Do your homework and select your influencer wisely as the wrong message, the wrong content and the wrong crowd can take your brand back to point zero and create a long negative impact.
Don’t just follow the hype! It’s not about which influencer you may know, it’s about the influencer being a “perfect brand promoter”.