What exactly is a social media influencer, you ask? An influencer is a social media personality with a significant fan base that partners with brands to promote their products or services. The use of influencer marketing is continuing to grow, and a recent survey by Collective Bias found that 70 percent of millennial consumers are influenced by peers in their buying decisions. Social media influencers can be found in every industry, from software and tech to beauty and food.
If you want to work with influencers, there are a few things you need to know before getting started.
One thing you’ll need to do is identify the kind of influencer you’re looking for — do you want someone macro or micro?
- Macro influencers generally have upwards of 60,000 followers, which gives them a much higher potential reach.
- Micro influencers generally have between 1,000 and 60,000 followers. Their accounts are more personal, and they typically have higher, more meaningful engagement.
Once you decide the kind of social media influencer that works best for your brand, it’s time to research and reach out. As you’re moving forward with your influencer program, keep the following do’s and don’ts in mind.
Do:
- Do your research
- Use a social media influencer database to hone in on specific locations or go native and do your research on the platforms themselves. Try searching hashtags related to what you’re looking for like #lifestyleblogger, #fitnessblogger, or #orlandoblogger
- Do contact them where they hang out — DMs vs. traditional email
- Some social media influencers are all about email while others prefer to talk via direct message
- Do take engagement rates into consideration
- Don’t hire an influencer just because they have hundreds of thousands of followers — if those followers aren’t engaging with the influencer’s content, they’re useless to you
- Do look at their captions and the language they use
- Is their messaging on brand? Do they use a lot of profanity? Figure this out before they post something negative or completely off-brand
Don’t:
- Don’t discount someone with a smaller following
- Influencers with smaller followings typically have more sway with their audiences. The followers they do have really believe in the influencer and what they’re promoting
- Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want
- Social media influencers will ask for exactly what they want when it comes to products, compensation, and deliverables. As a brand, don’t be afraid to ask for what you want too!
Do you have even more questions? Our social media team is ready to help! Reach out us on our contact page.
