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Greg Glynn, of Pliable Marketing
Updated: February 1, 2024
How to find the right influencer for your brand
By Greg Glynn, Pliable Marketing
For both small businesses and large corporations, there are all kinds of influencers who can represent your business and brand. Partnering with the wrong influencer can be very costly, but finding the right influencer can lead to a lot of success.
While most influencers use social media to become brand ambassadors, there are several ways influencers can help build your brand awareness and create affinity for your product or service. Before trying to find the right influencer, it’s important to take the first step and identify the target audience you want to reach.
When it comes to influencers, there’s one common element that is extremely important: authenticity. Since many influencers are found on social media, it’s important to establish a strong partnership, in-person or on a video call, to interact and create a level of expectations before moving forward. In today’s world, you can find influencers who range from college athletes to foodies. Influencers are everywhere!
Here are 5 keys to finding the right influencer:
Make sure the influencer is passionate about your product or service
The best way is to look at your customers who are already talking about your company. Your marketing department can use your own social media accounts, including using branded hashtags to find your most engaged users. You can also try searching for keywords related to your product or service, including your brand name. You can also tell your audience that you are looking for influencers (also known as brand ambassadors). Many companies have started adding brand ambassador applications to their website. A brand ambassador program is a great way to encourage your core audience and empower them to share their story.
Find the person and personality that matches your brand
Refer to your brand values and core beliefs to find the right influencer who will best reflect your brand. Partnering with an influencer who has a small following, or a larger audience, both should go through the same vetting process. Any influencer should be interviewed by multiple people in the company to ensure a right fit. Don’t leave the decision to one person.
Seek experience
If your business has never worked with an influencer before and the influencer has never worked with a brand before, that’s a recipe for disaster. It is important to work with an influencer who has endorsed products or services before and has the experience and following to reach your target audience with the right message. There are also rules influencers must follow to comply with Federal Trade Commission guidelines and paid partnerships.
It is also important to set clear expectations for the campaign with measurable goals and objectives. The influencers should be provided with guidance and keywords to use (or not use) but let them handle the rest. Remember, authenticity is key.
Find an influencer that matches your audience and your budget
The bigger the influencer, the bigger the following and the bigger the budget. Finding local influencers in your market who have a strong local following can be very effective. While working with a national celebrity would be great for publicity, starting local is a great way to pace your progress and grow the relationship. All it takes is for a post from an influencer to go viral and you might be getting more orders, phone calls and clients than you can handle.
Aroma Joe’s Maine and New Hampshire development office along with other Maine-based companies like Hilltop Boilers and the End Zone Pizza and Deli have found high school and college athletes as influencers. Each business is able to reach its target audience and grow its presence on social media a lot faster. For companies with a limited budget, posts from an influencer can be exchanged for free products, or as low as $50 per post.
Good communication
Like any relationship, it requires good communication to work with an influencer. This means routine check-ins or creating content dashboards to manage and track the posts. The influencer should feel part of your brand culture and marketing team.
Many influencers might have an agent or talent agency they work with to help secure their partnerships. Your relationship with the marketing agent and the influencer is important. Oftentimes, things can get lost in translation, so it’s important to try and always have the influencer in the planning meetings so they can hear information firsthand. Some influencers might not work with an agency, and instead send a direct message to your social media account to partner with you. In any case, be sure you have a signed contract with the deliverables that will guide the relationship.
While television, print, radio and digital media are a big part of how businesses execute their marketing strategy, a campaign and the messaging is only as good as the person who conveys the message. Always remember the power of social media and choose your influencers wisely.
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