Influencer Marketing - The dos and don'ts

Influencer marketing continues to be one of the most popular marketing strategies for brands. Despite the success it brings to some, many marketers have experienced extreme disappointment from their influencer marketing attempts. So if you’re considering jumping on the influencer bandwagon, have a read of our advice below.There are three types of influencers: Mega, Macro, and Micro.Mega-influencers are generally celebrities for other reasons, with their fame status a cross-over onto social media. Famous athletes, actors, musicians, etc., these influencers have more than a million followers which is the main reason brands want to work with them. The understanding is; the more eyes on a post promoting a product, the better. Mega-influencers come with their downfalls too though. Given their status, mega-influencers are not cheap and whilst having a wide reach, sometimes don’t generate as much influence as you’d think as engagement levels vary.Macro-influencers are the next step down from mega-influencers, with anywhere from 10,000 to a million followers. Macro-influencers tend to be focused on a specific topic such as food critics, mum bloggers or business professionals, which means they are highly relevant to their distinct category. This is perfect for marketers looking to advertise to a specific group of people.Micro-influencers have a much smaller following, between 500 – 10,000 people, and often have the closest relationship with their followers. This results in followers who care more about what the influencer shares. Whilst they have fewer followers, and therefore a smaller reach, micro-influencers are great for marketers because their following are the most likely to engage with the messages, creating an authentic influence amongst their followers. (image3)Choosing the right influencer is now more important than ever as the modern consumer not only expects, but demands, honesty. The authenticity of micro-influencers is why they are the hot choice right now and are a great way to bring this level of legitimacy to a brand.Here are a few tips on how to create authentic content:A genuine relationship with an influencer will result in genuine content. Getting to know your influencer directly gives you (and them) the chance to assess whether the chemistry is right, and the relationship feels valuable to both parties. By putting this effort into building and managing your influencer relationships, your collaborative content will be more believable.Authenticity also comes from giving your influencer the freedom to speak openly about your products and brand. Overly controlled content will stick out like a sore thumb, but it is also incredibly scary to have no control over content. It comes back to building strong relationships. If your influencer believes in your product/brand, and you believe in your influencer, this shared trust will create a win-win situation.To get started, engage with as many potential influencers as you can because as you work on developing these relationships, you will start to narrow down to just a select few influencers that are the right fit and truly invested in your product/brand. If they are a frequent user of your product, they'll more likely frequently mention it. And as with traditional advertising methods, repetition creates familiarity, and familiarity can turn into conversions.Beware the “fake” influencer, who, for just a few dollars, increases their follower numbers to appear to have influence. Bought followers are rarely engaged, so working with a fake influencer will get you nowhere. When choosing influencers, don’t simply focus on follower numbers, but monitor engagement too as this will give you a more accurate understanding of the impact they can make.If you’re seeking short-term results, then steer away from influencer marketing. However, if you’re prepared to play the long game and invest in the relationship between your brand and an influencer, then take our advice and run with it! Word-of-mouth has and always will be one of the most genuine forms of recommendation for consumers, and influencer marketing is a great tool for delivering this on a digital stage.