What brands should look for in an influencer
The past year has transformed several industries, and although the influencer marketing industry has continued to flourish, it hasn’t been without its changes and adaptations. And over the last year, one thing that has become even more apparent is the need to create the perfect match between brands and influencers. Brand love is pivotal to […]
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The past year has transformed several industries, and although the influencer marketing industry has continued to flourish, it hasn’t been without its changes and adaptations.
And over the last year, one thing that has become even more apparent is the need to create the perfect match between brands and influencers.
Brand love is pivotal to creating a successful influencer marketing campaign, as is building trust and creating an honest and organic relationship between everyone involved.
Finding the right influencer to collaborate with can be a pretty daunting task. It isn’t quite as simple as choosing somebody with a large following. Gathering data, conducting research and developing a relationship with an influencer is all part of the task at hand. Unless, as a brand, you have access to industry insights and invaluable data, it can be challenging to find your dream match. However, by working with an influencer marketing agency, all of the hard work is done for you.
Brand love is pivotal.
When working with a social media influencer, it is essential to decide on your primary goals and objectives and what it is you hope to achieve by working with an online creator.
Influencers spend their time engaging with their audience, garnering all-important trust and respect. If an influencer has previously spoken about your brand organically, their audience will be much more likely to reciprocate paid-for campaigns and collaborations positively. Explaining that influencer marketing is more effective than the blanket approach of traditional advertising, Liam Chilvers, founder and managing director of OP Talent, says, “The influencers have to be relatable. The people watching them largely share the same interests, and if people are watching a YouTube channel, they are there for the creator.”
And so, by utilising the power of influencers and their loyal following, brands and business can build brand love and more importantly, trust.
How to utilise influencers and their content
It is no longer viable to simply send an influencer a product in return for free press and content creation.
Time, effort and expertise goes into delivering such high-quality content, and brands must begin to decipher where they’d like this content to sit.
Content can be created and shared across an influencer’s social media platforms to raise brand awareness, but it can also be utilised on the brand’s channels. In this way, influencers can act as a brand advocate and allow the brand to offer its audiences a friendly and relatable human element instead of using social media as a complex sales tool.
When it comes to working on collaborative content, it is crucial to ensure you are not only working with the right influencer but with the right platforms, too.
Just because a social media platform is proving to be particularly popular, doesn’t mean that it will generate positive results for your brand.
It is important to ensure that your niche, goals, audience, and social media platforms align to achieve the best results. Find out what works for you, and if you don’t know, then an influencer marketing agency will be able to do so for you. And not only that but influencers have wider ties to all aspects of media, too. They are innovative creators, storytellers, advice-givers and as 2020 has shown, an influencer’s genuine personality and interests are what sets them apart from the rest.
Think outside of the box
In the early days of influencer marketing, it was all about promoting a new product and its launch. But today, it is so much more than that. Influencers can be used to raise brand awareness, generate sales, attend events and create an honest and authentic relationship between brands and potential consumers.
It must also be said, that just because an influencer specialises in a certain industry or has a particular niche, it doesn’t mean that they are all capable of. Former SAS: Who Dares Wins Star Ollie Ollerton, for example, is renowned for his efforts within the health and fitness industry. However, he also has a passion for motorcycles, which is another area in which he is able to create interesting and compelling content for brands.
Consider influencers who not only share the same interests but the same values, ethos and end-goals, too.
This will make all the difference. So, are you ready to find the perfect match?
