Influencer marketing: How to find a pearl among influencers
Although it is generally true that there have always been people with influence, today the meaning of the word influencer is mainly associated with social networks. It is even considered a part of online marketing tools with a distinct designation influencer marketing. Read more about what an influencer is, how collaboration with them works, and how to choose the right one.
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What or who is an influencer?
Social media influencer is a person who can influence other individuals or an entire audience. Derived from the English word influence, this term denotes someone who, through their actions (posts, blogs, videos, comments, etc.) within a social network, can influence the thinking or behavior of other users. If it is a circle of people who follow them, we talk about followers.
An influencer is often a publicly known person, for example from show business, politics, but also media or sports. However, it can also be a knowledgeable expert or a clever mom on maternity leave, who is active on social media and has something to tell her followers (opinions, references, snippets of her private life, etc.).
Types of influencers: who has what advantage?
We can also divide influencers into different areas. For example, based on what they do or how large an audience they can reach.
Based on size, we talk about:
Micro-influencers
Their audience is up to a maximum of 10,000 followers. But it can also be in the hundreds. Although at first glance it may seem that cooperation with such an influencer is meaningless, appearances can be deceiving. A well-chosen micro-influencer can ensure a surprisingly high reach. Especially if it is a specialist or expert who has influence in a specific circle of people. If a thousand of his followers mostly love Tatra hiking, promoting a functional scarf with the inscription I love the Tatras is definitely worth considering for cooperation.
Macro-influencers
Macro-influencers, with an audience size around one million followers, usually have a broader target group (by age, interests, etc.). They are often public figures or celebrities. If you are planning to approach one of them, the target group should partially overlap with yours. With the increase in followers, the reward for the influencer usually increases proportionally.
Influencer vs. ambassador
In addition to the term influencer, we often encounter the term ambassador today. At first glance, it may seem that these are the same positions and also tools that are used. However, the difference is important. Ambassadorship is essentially a long-term cooperation, which is based not only on one or two posts on social media. Ambassadors identify more with the product or brand, show it to their audience on various occasions and basically consider it exclusive in the competitive battle. An influencer, on the other hand, can work with various brands, even on a one-time basis.
Influencer marketing – what are the advantages and pitfalls?
Influencer marketing is part of performance marketing. The basis is the person of the influencer, who through communication channels on which they operate, promotes a product, item, or service. Within the marketing strategy, the goal of influencer marketing can also be, for example, increasing brand awareness and building the brand. The way and extent of how exactly the promotion takes place is a matter of agreement between the influencer and the company or agency representing the brand.
Advantages of influencer marketing
The influencer is a direct mediator of the message. Whether it is clear advertising or a sincere recommendation and review, the information is conveyed to people who follow them for some reason and perceive their messages. Therefore, their audience is very likely to believe his praise for vegan toothpaste or the latest smartphone model. In addition, influencer marketing significantly:
- Contributes to the credibility of the brand
Just as with a product or service, a brand can be significantly helped if the right influencers promote it appropriately in their posts.
- Helps reach the target group
The person of the influencer is an extended hand, through which the product or service reaches directly to the target group, if it matches the followers.
- Increases the level of engagement of potential customers
Thanks to posts of a competitive type or surveys, engagement of the audience increases through comments, which indirectly spreads awareness among their friends and connections in the network.
In addition to the obvious advantages, there are also several pitfalls to consider when using influencer marketing. First and foremost is the appropriate choice of influencer, which is the alpha and omega of a successful campaign or long-term cooperation. If you do not choose correctly, the result can even have the opposite effect and the credibility of the promotion may suffer, to which the audience is sensitive.
Since social media users subconsciously associate products, services, or brands with specific influencers, it can easily happen that in the event of their failure, they will drag you down with them.
At the same time, it is true that with inappropriate settings, there is often a situation where the costs of the campaign may exceed the revenues from the entire promotion. For example, in cases where brands invest a large amount in short-term cooperation with an influencer who has a wide audience, but one post for thousands of euros gets lost among other ads in his profile.
How to choose the right influencer?
Data versus sixth sense
At first glance, it may seem that there are as many as mushrooms after the rain. In Data on Steroids, they mapped approximately 50,000 profiles to create a map of the Slovak Instagram and create a ranking of the TOP 1700. As Ján Stareček revealed to us at Website Story IV., even in the case of influencer marketing, it is true that the right decisions are based on quality data. By the way, did you know that success is not decided by the number of followers or the level of engagement, but by the number of mentions in which the person appears?
Why even deal with influencer marketing? It still holds true that people prefer to talk to people, not brands. In addition, each of them has its ceiling, but thanks to influencers, it achieves a greater reach.
Website Story IV.: Ján Stareček, Marketing Director Data on Steroids
On the other hand, there is the view of the influencers themselves, who can look at this promotional channel with hindsight. An example is the popular Fero JOKE. According to him, the key to the success of every influencer is not only a look through the numbers of followers, likes, or comments, but especially a kind of sixth sense. It always helps him to estimate whether cooperation with a brand or company makes sense. In other words, he also recommends that influencers only choose such collaborations that they themselves believe in.
In long-term collaborations, it is important to think about whether I will be able to create content that will entertain my followers in the long run. Whether I will have ideas. I don't like to copy what someone else has done. I find the greatest inspiration in everyday life.
Website Story IV.: Fero JOKE, influencer
More about influencer marketing from behind the scenes was told to us by Fero in the e-commerce event Website Story IV. Watch the short recording.
So what to consider when choosing an influencer?
Values and topics
Every influencer has their hobbies, espouses certain values, to which they commit or promote topics close to them. This should be the first thing to consider when looking for a suitable candidate for cooperation. If an athlete promotes running shoes or a permaculture lecturer promotes a seed seller, it is natural and believable. And especially such posts have the greatest chance of reaching people who follow the influencer precisely because of the given topic.
Target group
People with the same interests, of the same age, of the same faith, with the same opinion, etc. It is true that the target group of the brand or company should match the one that follows the selected influencer. Otherwise, such promotion is a shot in the dark.
Engaged versus purchased followers
We have already suggested that the number of followers is not the decisive metric that will ensure a post's greater success. Instead of the number of following fans, it is more important to look at how they behave. Whether they interact with the influencer's posts, comment on them, or share them further. Unfair practices with buying followers who, however, do not really perceive the post, will not bring better returns anyway.
The way the influencer communicates
Before you jump into cooperation, check out the way the chosen person communicates. Ideally, it should match the rhetoric of the brand. However, it is not only within paid posts. The tone and jargon of a successful young rapper will hardly be harmonized with a new brand of sustainable children's cork toys.
Costs of social media influencer cooperation
Price is always a decisive factor that cannot be ignored. Most experienced influencers have their fixed price list, according to which they proceed. Whether for one post, a series of posts, or popular competitions. Those in demand will naturally also be more expensive. However, many collaborations also take place on the basis of barter. The brand offers goods that the influencer promotes and then keeps, in a better case, reviews its use.
Reputation
Numbers are one thing and how to cooperate with an influencer is another matter. If possible, try to find out more about the reliability and professionalism of the person. After all, a certain degree of trust plays a big role in influencer marketing. Especially if not all points of cooperation are clarified and finalized to the last dot.
Cooperation with an influencer
After selecting the ideal candidate, the natural question arises. How to ensure and take care of cooperation with an influencer?
Contract
The answer is a clear, understandable, and legally enforceable contract. In addition to precisely defined obligations for both parties, there is also the method of remuneration, its payment, or the possibility of special bonuses in case the cooperation is based on achieving goals.
There should also be deadlines, or a comprehensive calendar with an exact schedule of posts – a social media content plan.
Copyrights to the content should also be secured, as well as possible penalties if either party breaches its obligations.
Strategy and plan
Influencer marketing is often part of a brand's comprehensive marketing strategy. However, it is also true that the content and scope of the posts themselves should be subject to a pre-determined content plan. An important detail of such a plan is information about goals, target group, or precisely defined channels and formats within which the promotion will run. Thanks to defining these things, the cooperation is then measurable and also easier to control.
Marking the cooperation and Influencer Code
Abroad, an initiative has already taken place that has significantly contributed to openness and transparency in influencer marketing. Several countries have adopted legislative measures that recommend or mandate the marking of posts of an advertising nature (whether paid or covered by another type of cooperation).
While some social networks have adapted and introduced the function “sponsored partnership with…”, in other cases it is enough to indicate a clear hashtag #advertisement, #collaboration, etc.
In Slovakia a similar intention led to the creation of the in 2022 Influencer Code. Its signatories commit to responsibility in terms of the content they create, from the position of an influencer, agency, or client. Marking commercial posts thus adds significant weight to the reputation and transparency of influencers. At the same time, the Code also protects them in mutual collaborations.
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