Influencers are excellent content creators. Their success stems from being creative and they have first-hand insight into what makes their audience tick. And they’re often a much cheaper option than using a traditional marketing agency. However, choosing an influencer/s to collaborate with can seem like a very overwhelming task. Here are our top tips to help you on your way. 

WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR: SIGNS OF A GOOD INFLUENCER

• They’re highly engaged with their audience and regularly respond to the comments left on their posts.

• They consistently create high-quality content.

• They add value by offering advice, tips and something that little bit different to all the other influencers out there … they go the extra mile and are not carbon copies.

WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR: SIGNS OF A BAD INFLUENCER

• They never engage with their audience and have a tendency to post and disappear.

• They have a very low number of likes relative to their follower count (this could also be a sign that they’ve perhaps bought followers in the past).

• They post photos with little or no meaning or context behind them.

SET OUT YOUR CRITERIA

Start by thinking beyond the main category your product falls into. For example, if you are selling fashion items but your target audience is based in the UK and aged between 45 – 55, you need to look for an influencer that ticks all of these boxes, not just the fashion tick box.

Want to delve in to whether an influencer a good fit? Look at their posts and ask yourself if your product would sit perfectly on their page? A good influencer will be very particular about consistency so if you contact an influencer and your product doesn’t fit their style, they’re probably not going to want to work with you. 

RESEARCH – A LOT!

Don’t rush into an influencer marketing campaign. You really need to choose the right influencers very carefully for the sake of your brand. To find the right influencer for you …

• Look at hashtags relevant to your brand/niche.

• Tap into your network! It might sound obvious but the connections you already have may just have further connections that could be very useful to you. 

• Look at blogs and accounts you think fit the bill and then research the comments made on their posts. Look to see who those commenters are also following (if their accounts aren’t private). This may give you an insight into a list of other influencers relevant to your brand. 

Influencers are creative people with creative hearts and through their hard work are in the enviable position of being able to give an opinion that matters to thousands of followers. They have grown their audience by creating authentic content over a long period of time and can use their knowledge to create a positive story around your brand. 

*Photo taken from a Joules influencer campaign featuring Aster & Fern’s Karen and Rachel (and families).