The emergence of social media platforms have changed the way we interact with potential consumers. Advertisements no longer have to come in the predictable form of pamphlets and leaflets since they can be displayed on the side bar of Facebook itself. Brands and companies have turned their attention to social media users to promote products/services, increase brand awareness and drive conversions.
One interesting method is to approach people who have a strong presence and influence on social media, we call them “influencers”. Influencers are not limited to only celebrities or bloggers, they can be any one who have a large following of loyal supporters and fans on their social media platforms.
A notable example would be Kim Kardashian, who recently got caught up in backlash for promoting a morning sickness drug. It was also reported by Dailymail that she allegedly commands up to $10,000 USD (RM42925.00) for every tweet she posts on her Twitter account as part of her contract with in-stream advertising company Ad.ly.
Anyone can be an influencer. With the increase of influencer marketing methods, what can you do to determine which influencer can give the most impactful response on your advertising campaign?
Taking Advice From Someone In The Industry
Audrey Ooi, or known as the blogger from FourFeetNine shares her thoughts on being an influencer since she too happens to be one. Audrey has 9 years of blogging experience since 2004, she has 109,000 Instagram followers who religiously track her motherhood journey and her daily life experiences.
“The term is super misleading. An influencer technically can be anybody. You got influence over your cat’s behavior then you can also be an influencer,” Audrey said on her blog. Nowadays, many people look at this gig as an easy way to earn side income, so to increase their following, they opt to buy followers—and this obviously isn’t ethical.
Siel Devos, a European lifestyle blogger told Racked, “It’s kind of depressing. You think these bloggers are famous because they work for it until you realise that it’s all bought.”
Also this leads to worldwide purging events by Instagram and Twitter which remove any inactive or spam accounts.
There are many things brands should look out for when evaluating if an influencer is suitable and real, and “not fake” (read: genuine followers). Regarding to this matter, Audrey shares with her readers on how to “avoid fakes”.
1. Research on the influencer’s social media platforms.
First off, let’s begin with the quantity. There is no exact amount of followers you would need to be consider as “influential”.
“10K? 30K? More than 100K? No hard and fast rules cos it depends on many factors,” said Audrey on her blog. As she explained, the factors include location, content, social platform, even the language used. Therefore, large number of followers does not mean anything. She continued, “If the influencer is a hot girl, 10K isn’t going to cut it.”
That being said, remember to check these two things—blog traffic (if they own one) and also their social media followers (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Dayre, etc.). Compare similar content posted by bloggers or influencers to determine if a number is good. How many is good? You judge for yourself.
2. Look up on the influencer’s overall engagement.
One reason why Billboard advertisement is expensive is because of the amount of people it reaches, which brings more awareness. However it only works if your advertisement is reaching to the right targeted consumer,” said Audrey.
In this case, the influencer’s engagement includes comments, shares, likes, etc. Take a look at the numbers. “In an ideal world, every sponsored post a blogger/influencer does would be traced to a sales record because the final desired outcome is after all, a sale,” remarked Audrey.
For example, the comments section is an interesting place to find out what your customers think of your product. “If a post sparks a conversation about said product, we can presume that the blogger has introduced/reminded a reader about the product. The more top-of-mind a product is, the more the reader is likely to buy it.”
3. Select the right product for your influencer.
As the term suggest, make sure that your product is relevant to your followers. You wouldn’t engage a male photographer to promote cosmetics product.
Don’t be too sensitive with the quantity of followers. As Audrey said, “Quantity may be low but if relevance is high, the overall effect should still be positive. In other words, even if you are reaching a small audience, if the blog is known to be a trusted word on that subject, it’s the right move to make.”
4. Does the influencer have a good relationship with his/her followers?
Rapport means a close and harmonious relationship in which the people or groups concerned understand each other’s feelings or ideas and communicate well. You can pretty much able to tell it on the influencer’s social media posting on the comment section, for instance the screenshot below shows the influencer’s followers are pretty positive towards @juweiteoh posting on the smartphone.
“The industry is not big, therefore, it is not difficult to find out if an influencer has good or bad rapport with his or her followers. “If a blogger has good rapport with his readers, has generally supportive comments and seems well liked, I can presume whatever product recommendations he makes will go down well,” said Audrey.
There you have it, some tips and tricks the veteran blogger and former digital and social media expert has to offer. Of course none of us can accurately predict the future or the outcome of the advertisement, but these tips will surely help in creating more effective advertisements and exert control to avoid wasteful advertising expenses.
You can read Audrey’s full insightful blog post here.
