Social media is where Millennials and Gen Z spend most of their time, getting recommendations, inspiration, laughs, shopping and even news. If your brand wants to reach these key demographics and be part of the conversation and cultural zeitgeist, keep reading!

We asked our resident influencer marketing expert, Molly, to answer some common questions brands have when considering kicking off their first influencer marketing campaign. So, Why utilize influencer marketing?

Working with content creators allows brands to increase brand awareness in a more authentic, organic fashion. The nature of the follower/influencer dynamic lets the audience learn about the brand from a voice they trust & allows them to better picture themselves using the product or service being promoted.

How do you select influencer partners?

Selecting the right influencer is key for a successful campaign; follower count is just one piece of the puzzle. Key factors to consider:

Engagement rate, average engagement is considered by many to be at least 1%. Checking your content creator’s engagement rate will ensure you’re getting the reach you’re looking for. Follower count is often misaligned with engagement rate and can be artificially inflated. We recommend prioritizing engagement over followers.

Aligned values & voice, to reach an audience that will convert to consumers, you need to consider the values and opinions of the creator you’re working with. Considering factors like authenticity, political alignment and tone are just a few.

Audience demographics of course, doing research on the age, gender and location of the creator will ensure you’re reaching the right folks.

Posting consistency, easily overlooked but important to consider. Social algorithms favor and prioritize consistency, oftentimes a seemingly ideal creator comes across my screen, but upon future inspection, they haven’t posted in the last year. 

Balanced organic & paid content is another forgotten-about factor. I wouldn’t recommend working with a creator who posts an overwhelming amount of sponsored content, it brings the reliability of the creator’s endorsement down. This isn’t to say brands shouldn’t work with creators who are sought out by many for collaborations, it’s just crucial that they’re sharing quality organic content alongside the sponsored content.

Content quality, spending time with a creator’s account to acknowledge the quality of editing, caption writing and photography and videography is a crucial part of the selection process; we can’t expect high-quality content if it isn’t happening organically.

Ultimately, Sitting down with the team and your agency to discuss goals, intentions and desired outcomes should be the first step.

How do you measure success?

There are many factors to consider when measuring success here, metrics play a role, but so does the experience had by all parties; influencer, client and the audience. Key results to consider:

Metrics, specifically the quality of comments and the number of shares; these metrics are prioritized by Isntagram’s latest algorithm. Spend time reading comments on the creator’s account, are they genuine, coming from real people and meaningfully engaging with the content?

Overall partnership experience, I recommend meeting internally to discuss the following post-campaign:

•  Did the influencer enjoy their engagement with the brand? 
• Are they now an organic fan of the product/service? 
• Is the client happy with how the content turned out? 
• Does the content feel authentic?
• Was partnership execution professional and timely?
• Would the client/influencer happily work together again?

Relationship building plays a crucial role in successful influencer marketing work. Working with creators who provide good communication and reflect authentic brand enjoyment will lead to organic coverage beyond the partnership, arguably the most valuable placements.

Have more questions about how influencer marketing could support your brand’s goals? Don’t hesitate to reach out so we can provide strategic advice.