Influencers are a great resource for getting the word out about your brand or campaign and have become increasingly more important to the success of social media marketing initiatives. However, with literally millions of potential influencers out there, it is important to be extremely savvy when selecting an influencer to partner with your brand.
Here are three things to consider when establishing an influencer partnership:
1. Social Following
In social media, size definitely matters. You’ll want to choose influencers who have a sizeable following to ensure that the messaging they are spreading on behalf of your brand is actually being seen. Depending on your main objective, size could include page views, Facebook fans, Twitter followers, Pinterest followers, or Instagram followers.
One of the most famous examples of a brand capitalizing on an influencer’s social following is beauty vlogger Michelle Phan and Lancôme. Recognizing Phan’s huge following on YouTube, the beauty brand tapped Phan as its first video makeup artist in 2010. Three years and millions of video views later, the partnership is still going strong.
2. Engagement
Although social following is important, an even more critical factor is engagement. Look for indicators that your potential influencer’s social community is active. Indicators include comments and shares on blog posts or retweets and replies on Twitter. If activity is low, the likelihood of your brand’s message spreading decreases significantly.
Fashion e-commerce site Piperlime.com recently partnered with style blogger and Instagram sensation Aimee Song. Song’s active blog community and highly engaged 763,000 Instagram followers made her an ideal choice to help with brand awareness efforts among young, fashionable women.
3. Quality of Content
It’s important to remember that whoever you choose to partner with will be an extension of your brand. Thus, choosing an influencer with great content is essential.
Ford recently partnered with 100 influencers to promote the Fiesta line of cars. The content being created for this program will be leveraged not only to engage young twenty-somethings via the influencers’ social networks, but also through the brand’s TV and print advertising as well. Thus, showcasing how great influencer content can have legs beyond the social space.
Now that you know what to consider when choosing the perfect influencer, you’ll need the right tools to find him or her! Check out Klout or Follower Wonk to get started!
