How To Find And Work With The Right Type Of An Influencer

Influencer marketing is a new branch of marketing, which has been one of the hottest trends over the last few years. With its growing popularity, more brands are looking for ways to start partnerships with influencers. So why is this type of marketing so popular and how can you find the right influencer to work with?

Influencers endorse brands on specific websites and social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Tik Tok and alike, they are individuals with a considerable amount of social following. The unique qualities that influencers bring to the table are credibility and trust. They build a 'friend' relationship with their audience, which is key to creating dialogue and high engagement.

Influencer marketing offers a unique opportunity to create authentic and organic content. Influencers are not expected to drive and increase sales, but to create a transparent brand image that increases engagement and interest in the brand. Influencers can create affordable content that can be leveraged across paid media initiatives. An influencer doesn't require a big production team, so it is a great solution during these difficult times when budgets and opportunities to shoot content are much tighter. Influencers typically record content at home, so despite everything going on due to COVID-19, it is a perfect time to embrace influencer marketing.

There are three ways to scout for influencers:

1. Organic search – searching and contacting influencers directly. It's an affordable option but takes a long time and the quality of influencers is hard to measure
2. Dedicated platforms, like Upfluence, Famebit, etc. – these are great options if you use influencer marketing as part of your ongoing digital campaigns throughout the year
3. Use an advertising agency – an agency will manage the influencer marketing campaign from start to finish i.e. scouting for high-quality influencers contracting them and providing the final content.

Why is finding the right influencer so important?

Influencer marketing allows you to reach the right audience at the right time. Making sure the influencer fits in with your target audience is essential. Key things to consider, when selecting an influencer are Reach, Relevance and Engagement Rate. Before you choose an influencer, ask yourself: what am I trying to achieve? What is the demographic I want to reach? What is my target audience? Who can appeal to my target audience the most?

The best way to identify quality influencers is by analysing their past content and previous brand partnerships. Are the products fitting the channels' overall theme? Is the influencer working with everyone who would pay or choosing the products that fit their brand? You want to find an influencer who will truly need and understand your product. Creating a personal bond between an influencer and your brand will make the content more genuine to the audience.

Another thing to consider is social media platforms. The same influencer might be active on multiple platforms (ex. Facebook, Instagram, TikTok). Certain platforms are more expensive than others based on the level of engagement and the going rate of content creation/promotion. The most popular platform for influencer marketing is still Instagram, but YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook are quickly gaining similar popularity.

Once you find the right influencer to work with, it's important to create a solid creative plan for them to follow, at the same time, giving them the creative freedom to present the brand, as they naturally talk to their audience. A creative brief outlines key information about the promoted product and gives the influencer advice on what to say. You can include keywords, product features, benefits, topics to avoid and a general idea on what the content should look like.

While everyone is working from home, more people are turning to social media for comfort, inspiration, and human contact. Using influencers for promotion and content creation is an excellent option for many brands to continue to convey their message during the downturn. Additionally, it allows you to reduce the marketing costs, normally spent on production and large-scale campaigns. while creating honest and organic content. This type of content will potentially find far more followers during the pandemic, than typical multi-channel campaigns. 

If you're interested in pursuing an influencer marketing campaign, Kingstar Media is Canada's #1 media buying agency with almost two decades worth of experience in both traditional and digital campaigns. Whether you're looking to start partnering with influencers or pursue other advertising opportunities, Kingstar Media would love to help your brand reach its goals. Contact us here!