Finding influencers has become an essential step for brands wishing to stand out in an increasingly competitive digital landscape. However, it's not just about finding people with a large audience, it's also about making sure they match the brand's values and can truly engage their community.
If you would like us to help you find influencers, contact us. Influencer strategy agency n°1 in Francewe can help you set up your influencer campaigns to boost your results.
Whether you want to work with us or not, before you start looking for influencers, here's a list of five essential things to follow step by step.
1. Define your campaign objectives
The first step before looking for influencers is to clearly define your campaign objectives. What are you trying to achieve with your influencer campaign? Here are some examples of common objectives:
Awareness objectives
If your main goal is to raise awareness of your brand, you surely want to collaborate with influencers who have a wide reach and high visibility. These influencers can generate a large number of impressions and increase brand awareness.
Commitment targets
If you're looking to engage your existing audience or encourage interaction, it's best to work with influencers who have a high engagement rate. This means they have an active audience who comment, like and share their content.
Conversion targets
If your goal is to generate sales or increase event registrations, you need influencers who have a direct influence on their followers' purchasing decisions. Look for influencers specialized in your niche with a loyal and active audience.
Clearly defining your objectives ensures that you're heading in the right direction. You target the right influencers, and you can measure the effectiveness of your campaign with greater precision.
2. Know your target audience
Before looking for influencers, you need to know your target audience inside out. You need to understand who they are, what they like, where they spend their time, what scares them and who they follow. To get this information, there are analysis tools available on your social networks, but you can also use specialized tools like Metricool or Hootsuite.
Defining personas
If you want to create and deliver a message effectively, you need to create personas. You need to know who you're talking to. As we've seen, a persona is a fictional representation of your ideal customer based on real data. So you can create personas using data such as age, gender, interests, online behaviors and challenges.
Identify the social platforms used
Once you know your audience, identify the social platforms they use most. If your target audience is mainly on Instagram, it would be more relevant to look for influencers on this platform rather than on YouTube or Twitter. Understanding where your audience is will enable you to choose the influencers with the most impact.
3. Evaluate the relevance and authenticity of influencers
When looking for influencers, it's essential to make sure they're relevant and authentic. Here are a few criteria to consider:
Relevance
Make sure the influencer is relevant to your brand and sector. A fitness influencer would be relevant for a sportswear brand, while a food blogger would be more appropriate for a food brand. Also check whether the influencer has previously worked with competing brands, which could affect his or her objectivity.
Authenticity
Authenticity is one of the most important factors to consider. An influencer's community can easily detect when content is sponsored and not very authentic. Analyze the influencer's past publications to see if they share sincere and honest content. Micro-influencers, with a smaller but more engaged audience, are often perceived as more authentic and credible, so don't overlook them. By the way, if you'd like more information on the micro/macro-influencer distinction, take a look at this this article.
Commitment
Finally, a high engagement rate is a good indicator of the quality of the influencer's audience. Active followers who comment, like and share publications reflect a genuine interest in what the influencer shares. Use analytics tools to evaluate the engagement rate of these potential influencers.
4. Check the influencer's credibility and track record
Before collaborating with an influencer, don't forget to check their credibility and track record. That way, you can avoid entering into partnerships with influencers who could damage your brand's reputation.
History of partnerships
Who has this influencer worked with? Have they worked with brands similar to yours? Have previous collaborations been successful? A positive history of partnerships can be a good indicator of an influencer's ability to generate results. HypeAuditor or Klear can help you gather this valuable information.
Online reputation
Research to see if the influencer has been involved in any controversies or scandals. A bad online reputation can quickly backfire on your brand. Use social media monitoring tools to spot negative mentions or reviews.
Follower Fake
As you probably know, some influencers artificially inflate their follower count by buying subscribers or using bots. Use verification tools to detect the signs of fake subscribers. An audience made up largely of fake accounts won't generate results for your campaign, so check your data carefully before committing yourself.
5. Prepare a clear, detailed brief
Finally, before contacting influencers, prepare a clear, detailed brief. A good brief is essential to get off to a sound start. Detail your expectations and objectives, and then you'll see what can and can't be put in place.
Expected content
Describe the type of content you expect from the influencer. Do you want photos, videos, stories or blog posts instead? At the same time, be specific about the style and tone you want him or her to use.
Brand guidelines
Provide your brand guidelines, key messages, values, colors, hashtags to use, and any other relevant information. This will help the influencer create content aligned with your brand identity. It saves you time.
Objectives and KPIs
Clearly explain the campaign objectives and the key performance indicators (KPIs) you'll use to measure the results of your partnership. This could include metrics such as impressions, engagement rates, clicks, or conversions, for example.
Budget and compensation
Finally, indicate the campaign budget and how the influencer will be compensated. This could include cash payments, free products, or commissions on sales. Be transparent about what you're offering in exchange for your collaboration.
Conclusion
As we've seen, the search for influencers is a long and complex task that requires meticulous preparation. It involves clearly defining your objectives, getting to know your audience, assessing the relevance and authenticity of influencers, checking their credibility and preparing a detailed brief. Once these steps have been validated, you'll be well equipped to choose the right partners, monitor your results and launch a successful influencer campaign.
However, if you'd like to save time and delegate this part of the process, don't hesitate to contact us. Specialized in influencer marketing, we're the number 1 influencer strategy agency in France. We'll work with you to identify your needs and create a tailor-made strategy. We've already worked with Booking, Nokia, Décathlon... So why not you?
See you soon to perfect your influencer marketing strategy!
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