Continuing the Influencer Selection Process

If you have read our past blog, Everyone’s an Influencer to Someone, then you have probably considered what type of influencer would best suit your small business. However, after selecting which type of influencer (Everyday Influencer, Brand Advocates, Micro-Influencers, Macro-Influencers, Celebrities) you want to hire, you must also evaluate the right influencers within your market. This process may seem like more work than expected but with the proper research, an influencer can expand your brand awareness in minutes! 

First, consider what type of niche your target audience is in. A niche is a social network that targets a select segment of the population interested in specific topics. Common niches found on Instagram are fashion, health and wellness, cooking, traveling, and animals. Ultimately, a niche allows a small group of users to connect with people who have similar interests on a larger platform. This exclusivity increases direct communication within that niche of people. Therefore, it is important to select an influencer who is relevant to your business’s segmented market. For example, a restaurant may choose to work with an influencer who specializes in sampling local cuisine.  

We also recommend analyzing the engagement of that influencer. Engagement relates to the number of likes, comments, and followers a user receives. Typically, the higher these numbers, the more experienced they are on social media, so try hiring somebody who has a large fan base! However, beware of those who use bots to generate false engagement. Bots can be used to increase data by mimicking human behavior. You can determine this by comparing likes, views, and comments. Typically, if a user is using bots to generate engagement, they will have a lot of likes/views but no comments on their posts, or if they do have comments, they are irrelevant or spam-like.  

In relation to engagement, consider the influencer’s resonance with the platform. As discussed previously, it is great to have a large following; however, their posts should also provoke emotion and entertainment for viewers. If you cannot analyze this through their profile, try calculating their engagement by taking the total number of interactions divided by their total number of followers, multiplied by 100%.  

As a final step, analyze the reach, or the number of users who came across that profile. These details will help you identify the size of their audience and their popularity on a platform. Ideally, you want all their followers (plus more) to see your content. We categorize these two types of users as organic or paid. Organic users see your content naturally on their feed, while the paid user sees your content through an ad campaign. Nevertheless, a high reach shows that they have experience working on social media.  

Once you have taken the step to analyze these details within your chosen influencer type, you will be able to successfully select an influencer who can engage customers within your company’s niche! 

If you have any questions regarding hiring an influencer, please contact one of our experts at Absolute Marketing Solutions.