Tips for finding and working with social media influencers

You don’t have to look far these days to find an influencer. It’s become a well-paying job for many people.

And honestly, it’s all about branding!

Being an influencer means creating a personal brand that is uniquely yours.

Some influencers start with fame behind them (e.g. already established business owners, fashion icons, reality TV stars etc.), and others build their reputation by building a loyal following.

But when you become established as an influencer, that’s where the magic starts.

Business brands want to tap into your network and have you promote their product or service.

If you’re not up to becoming an influencer yourself but want to leverage the power of an influencer for your business, here are some ways to find and work with a social media influencer.

5 effective ways to find (and work) with social media influencers

1.     Find the right influencer

Influencers come in many shapes and forms. My top tips on finding an influencer include making sure they:

·        Align with your brand values and messaging

·        Have a strong and engaged audience that is filled with your ideal audience too

·         A person who you want to represent your business

For example – if you’re a makeup brand, you’d want to find a beauty influencer who can spruik your products to their audience. They’d already have an engaged audience who follows their beauty tips, and when they drop in your product, you know the audience will be watching intently.

There’s no point in using an influencer who will damage your brand or whose audience doesn’t need what you offer.

 2.     Establish your goals

All your social media strategies should start with a clear goal, and deciding to use an influencer is no different. Don’t think you should use a social media influencer just because it’s trendy!

 Before you start with influencer marketing, set specific goals and objectives. These will also help you to measure the success of your campaigns.

 Goals of engaging an influencer may include:

·        Increasing awareness around your brand

·        Boosting your sales

·        Connecting with a wider audience

·        Becoming seen as an expert in your industry (or perhaps a bit of an influencer yourself!)

 3.     Build a strong partnership

Just because someone makes a living being an influencer doesn’t mean they want to work with everybody. Building trust with others takes time, which is vital when connecting with influencers.

 You want to build a strong partnership with an influencer based on mutual trust and respect. Although you may know all about them and what they represent (that’s why you choose them!), they’ll know little about you.

 Only through holding genuine conversations will the influencer come to know you and what your brand represents. From there, you can work together to create authentic content that aligns with your brand and engages with their audience. Remember – their audience should be your ideal audience too!

 4.     Measure and evaluate your success

Before you start your influencer marketing journey, you should have set your goals. Once you’ve worked with your influencer for a while, measure and evaluate the success you’re having. Have you hit your goals? Is it working how you envisioned?

 The built in analytics on social media platform are a brilliant way to track social media success. For example:

·        Has your following increased

·        Has your website had more hits

·        Have you sold more products

·        Are your DMs increasing

Once you’ve determined what is or isn’t working, you can adjust your strategy. You may need to rejig your content to suit the audience. Or, you may need to find a more suitable influencer.

5.     Stay up to date

Social media trends change. Influencer marketing is no different. As it evolves and becomes more sophisticated, you’ll need to keep yourself up to date on what’s trending and what’s not.

 For example:

·        Is a new influencer on the scene better suited to your business?

·        Have platforms introduced any regulations (such as disclosure of sponsored content) that you need to follow?

·        Is your influencer still gaining traction, or have they gone stale?

·        Is your audience talking about any influencers who you should be connecting with?

Don’t get stuck in a rut with influencer marketing. It’s a fast-moving industry and one that’s booming. Keep your eye on what’s happening and stay relevant and current to make it work effectively for you.

Want to chat about social media influencers?   

If you’ve had your eye on an influencer who aligns with your brand but are unsure how to approach them, my team is here to help you.

Social media is about networking and knowing how to introduce yourself to others. We can help you build a solid social media strategy that includes influencer marketing and show you how to connect (effectively) with influencers.

To find out more, please send me an email to connect. And here’s a reminder of my services.

Here are some other blogs you may find handy:

·        Social media trends you need to know for 2023

·        How to create a comprehensive social media strategy

Have you used an influencer before? Are you scared to? Or do you want to be an influencer? I’d love to hear your story! Please feel free to drop your comments below.