“A brand is no longer what we tell the consumer it is—it is what consumers tell each other it is.” Scott Cook, Founder and CEO of Intuit
This shift in the consumer-brand balance can be, in part, attributed to the high levels of engagement on social platforms. Peer recommendations are playing a much larger role in purchasing decisions and, consequently, the importance of influencer marketing is growing. Given the power of peer recommendations and the central role that social media plays in word-of-mouth marketing, one widely asked question within marketing teams is: How do we find our social brand influencers?
To clarify, influencers are social media users who have an established credibility and audience. These are users who can persuade others by virtue of their trustworthiness and authenticity. An influencer is not a brand evangelist, nor are they brand advocates: these may be your biggest cheerleaders, but they do not have followings at scale to extend your brand message beyond their immediate circles.
In order to identify top social influencers, you need to take into account the following.
How to Find Social Media Influencers
1. The influencer must be relevant to your customers
Every day, there are millions of social media users posting photos about the brands and the products that they love. You want to choose social influencers based on the niche lifestyle that they represent—a lifestyle that reflects that of your brand. Essentially, look for social media influencers in your industry and make sure it’s a contextual fit. Ask yourself: Who is this influencer’s audience? How does this influencer brand him/herself? And, does this align with my brand’s target audience and brand message? Social users follow influencers on social media because those influencers embody a self-identity that reflects a higher-order value proposition for the follower. When choosing your influencers, make sure that your brand and your influencer’s brand align.
2. The influencer must appear to be authentic
The reason that social users trust influencers is because they view them as authentic sources of information. Therefore, the more sponsored content an influencer posts, the more their status is diluted. Essentially, you want your influencer to look authentic, not promotional, or else they lose their value. Influencers in crowded verticals may work with many brands and products, but the best ones do this discreetly. Genuine mentions of your brand may seem too subtle, but it is much more powerful in validating your products to prospective customers. Even if you are the only brand that your influencer works with, soft promotional touches drive the best results.
3. The influencer must be active on social media and post frequently
The more active an influencer is on social media the further your brand message will spread. There is a distinct correlation between how often an influencer posts and the rate of return visitors to his or her feed. It often takes multiple return visits to posts about your brand to turn a prospective customer into a customer. Alternatively, social influencers who do not post consistently see high rates of follower turnover and fewer profile visits. Look for indicators that your influencer is active on social media—monitor for
Now that you’ve identified a list of potential brand influencers on social media, you will need to develop these partnerships. To ensure a strong start to these relationships, follow these three tips to get started.
How to Connect with Social Media Influencers
1. Reach out to the influencer directly
Large brands often rely on the agencies that they work with to drive outreach to potential influencers. However, 79% of social influencers would rather that brands reach out to them directly (Augere, 2015.) While it’s tempting to templatize your outreach, it’s best to personalize each pitch.
2. Get to know the influencer
Take the time to get know your brand influencers so that you can better understand their following and what they are looking for out of a partnership. Part of the outreach process is proving to the influencer that your opportunity is relevant to their audience.
3. Don’t lose track of influencers
Create a spreadsheet to help you record your influencers’ information or use an influencer relationship management platform. Build a consistent way to keep track of your influencers’ contact information and to avoid potential mistakes.
Social media influencers are your silver bullet to modern day word-of-mouth marketing. When you find and leverage your best influencers, you reach not only their audience, but their audience’s network as well. Influencers with a loyal pool of followers can increase brand awareness and drive traffic to your product pages. Traditional outbound marketing is a thing of the past—and influencer marketing is becoming one of the most effective ways to reach new customers.