The use of social media influencers
Many people think you need tens of thousands of followers to be categorised as an influencer; however, this is not the case.
Elizabeth Cromwell
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Using influencers to sell your brand, product or service is not a new initiative. Social media platforms such as Instagram and YouTube tend to be the ones businesses use to search for influencers, predominantly because they’re popular apps and the platforms on which creators post daily content.
The benefits of using influencers:
- Builds trust
- Improves brand awareness
- Effectively reaches your target audience
- Can engage with new audiences
- Increases your chances of sales
And much more…
Companies such as Daniel Wellington often collaborate with influencers to increase their brand awareness; they arrange with such individuals to create content that features their watches. Posts created by influencers often include an engaging caption, a discount code, and tagging of the brand’s account. According to www.publicfast.com, ‘Influencers and other users generated more than 800,000 photos and videos on Instagram (for the Daniel Wellington brand). Profit increased by 214%.’
Many people think you need tens of thousands of followers to be categorised as an influencer; however, this is not the case.
Influencer tier:
- Nano Influencer - 1K - 10K followers
- Micro Influencer - 10K - 50K followers
- Middle-tier Influencer - 50K - 100K followers
- Macro Influencer - 100K - 1M followers
- Mega Influencer - 1M+ followers
The pros:
- Influencers with a higher follower count means your content will go out to a larger audience.
- Influencers with a higher follower count tend to be more professional (though this is not always the case).
- Influencers with a lower follower count have a better engagement rate.
- Influencers with a lower follower count tent to be more authentic (this is not always the case).
- Influencers with a lower follower count tend to be more niche and specific with their posts.
- Influencers with a lower follower count tend to be more accessible.
The cons:
- The more followers an influencer has, the higher their fee will be.
- If you choose an influencer with a higher follower count, there’s less specificity (i.e. your content will go out to many people; however, they may not be your target market).
- Influencers with a higher follower count have a lower engagement rate.
- Influencers with a higher follower count tend to be less authentic (this is not always the case).
- Influencers with a higher follower count tend to be less accessible.
To summarise, if you want your product or service to reach a wider audience, ‘middle-tier influencers’ and those with even bigger profiles are the people you need to connect with. However, if you have a niche product or service, target ‘Nano’ and ‘Micro’ influencers, as their content will be more niche.
It’s important that you treat all the influencers you have chosen to work with well. They have an influence over their audience; they can sing your brand’s praises or speak out against you. The latter could damage your brand's reputation and show you in a bad light - who will want to buy from you if they know you treat content creators unfairly?
Influencers do not exist to provide free labour for your brand. Don’t exploit them and always pay what you agreed at the outset/what’s in their contract.
Payment can be in the form of:
- Money (i.e. a paid partnership)
- Gifted products or services
- Social media promotion (i.e. reposting)
- Affiliate commissions
When gifting products/services to an influencer, ensure that they amount to at least £20 in value (if they do not, create a bundle), so that the influencer feels like the collaboration is worth their time and effort.
Let us know if you think influencers are beneficial to a brand (or not); tweet us @intheknowemag.
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