If you’re on one of the main social media networks – which you most likely are (i.e. Facebook, Youtube and Instagram), then you are no stranger to online influencers. Yes, the ones who vlog and rave about their experiences with big brands or receiving boxes full of free goodies.
According to Influencer Marketing Hub, the estimated influencer marketing growth has increased by US$1 billion in 2 years for Instagram alone. This figure goes to show just how much businesses seek and value influencer partnerships.
Perhaps you want to jump on this trend and use it to access your consumers? Don’t get too hasty. The internet is a mysterious place full of scams, spams and dubious characters. And the question remains: are they even people?
Influencers typically have huge followings on their socials; and the idea is that these followers have a liking towards the person they follow, thus trusting their opinions. The issue is: many influencers sell their services to help promote businesses determined by the number of followers they have. At times, this may be in the thousands or millions but a large portion of their followers could be bots they gained or bought. This is basically fraud. Here are some ways you can avoid fraudulent “influencers” and pick the best ones for your campaign:
- We ensure that our clients know that these influencers are best suited for brand positioning and awareness to their respective audience.
- There is a large list of influencers and micro-influencers and it’s only growing. To know who is best to engage with, we ensure our clients are clear and upfront on their expectations and fit.
- Watch out for metrics, not only followers but also meaningful engagement. Look at “likes”, “comments”, “retweets”, etc. (thanks to bots, even these can be tricky).
- Review the influencers selected and make sure they align with the client’s brand, with respect to tone of voice and image.
- Create a relationship with the influencer. Getting them to post usually comes with a price, but when you have a relationship with them and they enjoy the brand’s product/service they may post for free or in exchange for trialling the latest brand offering. That makes the posts much more genuine!
- Lastly, don’t ignore your own followers! Remember to engage with your followers too; it’s another way to gain content for your socials (e.g. reposting images, etc), earn genuine engagement, and understand your consumers’ views on the brand!
Intern Agent Jesa
