Nowadays, there are tons of ways to promote your business. If you’re aware of this, we’re afraid you’re not the only one – your competitors are likely exploring these different promotional avenues as well. They might even be testing new solutions you’ve never even heard of (or some you’ve been ignoring for too long).

One of these avenues is influencer campaigns – for many it’s a blessing, but a lot of people still think it’s a curse. So what’s a perfect example of an influencer campaign and what do you need to know to successfully manage one?

Influencers might not make the world go round, but they can visibly help your brand be more recognizable. If that doesn’t appeal to you, take a look at these statistics. According to many studies from reputable sources:

• Only 33% of people trust ads (Nielsen).
• 90% of consumers trust peer recommendations (Nielsen).
• 81% of US consumers trust advice and information blogs (BlogHer.com) .
• Consumers are 71% more likely to make a purchase based on social media referrals (Nielsen) .

There’s no doubt that social media is powerful – and the world of influencers is an important part of it. But how can they lead you to success?

• The right influencers can sell your products better than even the best marketing campaigns – as the statistics (and results) demonstrate, consumer decisions become quicker and easier after such advertisements.
• Relevant influencers attract your target group, helping your marketing message reach the perfect audience.
• Your product, brand, or service is portrayed differently than on TV, radio, in the press, or even your own social media profiles.
• They’re influencers, so naturally they influence their audience and have an impact on a few of the things they do.

An influencer’s impact is very often underpriced and underappreciated, even though it can truly win over your customer hearts. But you need to find influencers who fit your brand and your campaign. What factors should you take into consideration when choosing a group of people to be responsible for your brand recognition?

• Reach – How many people are they speaking to?
• Target group –  Who are the people in their target group? Are they the same people you want to reach? There can be many influencers to choose from, but their target groups might not be connected to your products. Which could make your campaign less effective than you expect.

To find out if an influencer reaches a target group you’re interested in, you need to use some tools. The first one to consider is Sotrender, where you can check the audience of any particular influencer. More importantly, you’ll see more than just  their reach, demographics, or age groups. You’ll also get to see their selected interests thanks to Audience Interests. You can use this feature to identify influencers you wouldn’t normally consider involving in your campaigns.

If you’re interested in more detailed research on your audience’s interests in influencers, our Audience Scan or Interest Analysis can help. We conducted one for Next.

Ask yourself a few questions and do your research before making a decision. You can make the decision easier by checking their blogs and social media channels for this info:

• How many campaigns have they already managed for brands, products, and services? If there’s a lot, it means two things: they’re a good influencer surrounded by many brands, but they’re also a walking billboard who might soon lose people’s trust. Take a look at campaigns they were a part of and the results they delivered.
• What kind of campaigns did they take part in? Were they big campaigns alongside a couple of influencers, or rather independent acts of collaboration?
• Which brands did they cooperate with? Big fish or small, local companies? This question is also important in terms of any conflicts of interest. If a particular influencer promoted your competitors, neither you nor them will be interested in working together. Additionally, they may simply not be allowed to take part in campaigns with your brand.
• How did they manage such a collaboration? Pay attention to how many posts about the campaign were published, promoted, and monitored. What was their reaction after the campaign finished?
• Mediality and personal branding – Do their personal values reflect your company’s values? Would they create a crisis if they published (automatically making a crisis for your brand)? Do they share information about the campaign, or are they quiet about it? How does their social media presence look? Are they invited to conferences as speakers?
• Language – Does their use of language suit you? Is it too vulnerable, direct, or serious?
• Ranks – No matter how selective or private, they might be a great source of inspiration and knowledge about specific influencers. Our Trends reports offer valuable information on influencing profiles in numerous industries: https://www.sotrender.com/trends/facebook/united-kingdom?lang=en

How can you find the right influencer, apart from our Trends reports, Interests Analysis, or ranks? There are many companies on the market which offer consulting and campaign management, such as IndaHash and WhitePress. Niches can also be helpful – even small social media profiles, groups, or pages can be a worthy source.

Enough talk – let’s get to practice. In our next article, you’ll find 6 examples of almost flawless influencer campaigns that were attractive and effective (and what’s more important – delivered results!). Do you know any other factors to consider when it comes to collaborating with influencers and bloggers? Hit us up in the comments section!