Your Influencer Should Have These Qualities
Finding influencers is easy. You can find them on Instagram, Twitter, or Snapchat. But finding the right people who will send your brand’s message to big audiences is challenging. But while we think it’s challenging, we also think it’s worth noting what to look for.
Their interests match the message of your brand
Like we always say, huge following isn’t everything. We have several reasons for not necessarily going after everyone with a million followers. It doesn’t always work.
Take for instance Person A with 800,000 followers and Person B with 80,000 followers. At first glance, it seems the former is the right person, your likely candidate. So you dug in a bit deeper and found out the former is a sports enthusiast, while the latter bakes cakes and pastries.
If you’re running an automotive repair service, the former seems the way to go. But supposing you are an event planner or an event photographer, you’ll have to choose between the person whose hobbies and interests are related to yours. In that case, you’re better off expending your resources on the latter.
Another important point is to understand the behavior of the influencer. Do they actually like sharing about their interests? What do they usually post about? You can have people in your niche, but aren’t actively sharing content in that niche? Their online behavior shapes their following. For instance, someone who regularly posts about baking cakes and cookies will attract audience that are passionately interested in baking and pastry. In contrast, a baker who posts about anything may not draw that same kind of crowd.
They are active on social media
What’s the point in making deals with a celebrity who’s too busy to check out their Instagram? It doesn’t matter if they have 5 million followers. If they’re not active, then they can’t do pretty much to help your brand. When you’re scouting for good candidates, look at the activity on their pages. Do they post often? How many likes and comments are they getting? What kind of interaction happens on their posts?
A good influencer can engage a substantial number of their followers. This influencer isn’t a passive personality. He or she knows what makes people tick. He or she knows what posts will trigger reactions. That’s exactly the person you should be looking for. It doesn’t matter if they only have fifty thousand followers, and not five hundred thousand.
They’re interested in your brand
You can pay an influencer to write posts about your brand, maybe even post a how-to demo. But if they’re not genuinely interested in your product or business, they are not going to put their heart and mind into the task. They may have understood the dynamics of social media marketing. They may be adept at making viral content. But if they don’t share your vision for your campaign, you’re better off putting your resources somewhere else.
