Influencer marketing has changed how brands market their products and services. Relying on social media influencers is the need of the hour to stay relevant on social media. With the rise of influencer marketing, there has been a substantial rise in the number of brand influencers too.
Experimenting with content, partnering with other bloggers, and using different features to present content are all a part of influencer marketing these days.
But getting the most out of influencers is still not guaranteed because it all depends on how the audience perceives the content which is quite unpredictable. Nevertheless, brands must be careful when choosing influencers because that is the base of the entire campaign.
Collaborating with influencers simply on the basis of their follower count is what most brands do. But that can impact the campaign negatively. There are several other things to consider when it comes to finding and choosing influencers on social media.
The process of collaborating with an influencer is more than just comparing the follower count. Brand managers need to see whether the influencer is right for the brand message and whether he/she has the right audience base for the same.
In this blog, we will discuss the questions every brand manager needs to ask influencers before collaborating.
Before we jump to the questions, let’s understand how to find influencers and how to choose the right ones.
Tips to Find Relevant Influencers for your Campaigns
1. Know the objectives of your brand campaign
A lot depends on what you intend to achieve from your influencer campaigns. The objectives will set the base of your campaign planning in terms of its scale, audience, and influencer selection.
2. Analyse the influencers based on social media platforms
The platforms you choose for your marketing campaigns will help you choose influencers. For instance, you will need to rely on Instagram influencers if you want to market on Instagram and so on. Make sure you choose a social media influencer based on the platform you are going to implement your strategies on.
3. Identify the scale of your campaign
Every influencer campaign is different. The scale of the campaign will decide what kind of influencers will fit your brand. Micro-influencers are highly preferred these days because they are believed to have more engagement than mega influencers. However, all of it depends on the kind of audience you want to target and the scale of your campaign.
4. Know the kind of content you want to curate
Not all influencers are great at all kinds of content. Make sure you consider this aspect when looking for influencers. If your campaign is video-oriented, your influencers must be good with videos.
5. See what kind of followers your chosen influencers have
Instead of the number of followers, you must check the quality of the followers. There are many influencers out there who have no engagement with their audience but have numbers on their follower count. Choosing influencers with no actual engagement will do nothing for your campaign.
Hope these five tips will help you find relevant influencers for your brand campaign.
Questions to Ask Influencers Before Collaborating
1. How do you engage with your followers?
Whether it is a top influencer or a micro-influencer, engagement is of extreme importance in influencer marketing. An influencer who is not in tune with its followers will serve no purpose. Make sure you ask your chosen influencers how often they engage with their followers. The better they interact with their followers, the better it is for your campaign.
2. Which social media platforms are you active on?
All social media influencers are not active on all platforms but they may be active on a couple of them. If you browse the list of influencers you will surely see maximum active influencers on Instagram. However, many of these influencers have an active presence on two or more platforms. Knowing this will help you choose influencers too. Moreover, this information will also impact the way you plan your influencer marketing strategy.
3. Have you ever created content for a niche similar to ours?
Influencers collaborate with a number of brands but there are many out there that are focused on only one industry or niche. For instance, certain lifestyle bloggers only focus on travel while some post content on food and fashion too along with travel.
Make sure you are aware of your influencers’ niches before you choose them.
4. What content type do you prefer?
Social media allows you to curate content in several different ways and influencers also have their own style of presenting and curating content. Before you go ahead and discuss with social media influencers, ask them about their content. Check their social media handles to get a better idea.
5. Can they give reports of their past campaigns?
The best way to understand an influencer’s capability is to look at their past campaigns. Brand managers must check how their previous collaborations have performed and whether they have tied up with any of the competitors. This will give you an idea of how proficient the selected influencer is in carrying out the campaign.
6. What is your target audience?
Every influencer has a basic target audience. This target audience is interested in their niche and content. Moreover, the audience that follows them is also fond of their content presentation style. These followers will indirectly become the audience for your brand and hence, it is necessary to know about it. The influencers’ followers should match your campaign’s audience requirement.
7. What are your thoughts on our products and services?
If the influencer does not have faith in your brand then he/she cannot convince their followers to do the same. Ask the shortlisted influencers about your brand and their thoughts on the same. Try and gauge how they feel about your products and services. This will help you choose better.
8. Will your content be in sync with our brand guidelines?
Before you go ahead with an influencer make sure they are aware of your brand and campaign guidelines. This can often create a glitch in the campaign planning process. Some brands are extremely specific about what they want to showcase in their influencer posts while some give a lot of creative freedom to the influencer. Discuss these things beforehand.
9. How much will you charge for the sponsored posts?
Make sure you discuss the numbers clearly with the influencer. Make sure your terms and conditions are clearly stated and that the influencer is well-informed about the same.
10. Would you be a part of the content planning for the campaign?
As we mentioned before, every influencer has their style of presenting content. Some influencers actively participate in the brand’s campaign planning while some just prefer being told what is needed in their posts.
Launching an influencer campaign can look quite challenging but if done in the right manner, it can give your brand presence an amazing boost.
Make sure you keep in mind these 10 questions before collaborating with an influencer.