Influencer marketing is one of the trends that has taken over the internet, from small businesses to market giants. Using public figures to promote a product is not a new marketing concept – from the beloved Pepsi commercials to the hated Pepsi commercials, hiring celebrities has always been an efficient method to create a  relationship of trust with the consumer.

Things have changed in the last few years, since the emergence of “common folks” in promotional marketing campaigns. These people, known as “influencers”, have built such a tight relationship with the public that they are considered to have almost the same purchasing influence as friends and family.

Considering this, it comes as no surprise that all kinds of businesses are skewing towards this method of advertising. In this article we will discover how to choose the perfect influencer for your niche, in order to efficiently promote your business.

First of all, what is an influencer?

An influencer is a person that can affect the purchasing decision of the consumers, due to their authority, knowledge, status or the relationship they have with a certain market segment.

This individual has a high number of followers, with whom he/she interacts and communicates on a constant basis, resulting in a closer relationship with them.

Influencers can be:

• Celebrities
• Experts or opinion leaders
• Content creators
• Micro-influencers

The type of interaction an influencer has with the public and the costs associated with his services differ according to notoriety, social status and number of followers. This is precisely why it is vital to choose the right person for your niche, one that can promote your brand in an authentic way.

Still, why should influencer marketing interest you?

1. It’s more targeted

As opposed to traditional marketing techniques like TV commercials or banners on a website, advertising through influencers is more targeted to your niche customers.

2. More trust

As we’ve mentioned before, the public trusts people that interacts with it on a regular basis, with whom it can communicate directly, as opposed to a nice poster.

3. It’s more cost-efficient

Visuals, content writers, SEO specialists, etc. – a marketing campaign can get really expensive. Things are a bit easier when a single person is in charge with both creating the content and promoting it.

4. It’s more versatile

Traditional campaigns (TV, radio, outdoor) have certain limitations that need to be respected in order to get green-lit by the people in charge. Because an influencer has full control over their content, you have the freedom to explore more creative advertising methods. You can find such examples here.

So, how do you start looking for an influencer?

Before you start the search, you’ll need to define your brand’s identity and goals. Some of the questions you’ll need to have an answer for are:

“How does my client avatar look like?”

“How am I currently perceived by the public?”

“What do I want to accomplish – sell, create brand awareness, enter a new market?”

What is you niche?

After you’ve found the answers to the questions above, you’ll have to determine the niche in which your business is operating. Influencers create content in a specific, targeted segment, such as:

• Fashion;
• Cooking;
• Travel and lifestyle;
• Parenting;
• Tech;
• Sports;
• Health and fitness.

What do you want to advertise and where does it fit? It’s ideal that you choose a single, primary category, even if the product could exist in more areas simultaneously.

Now that you know who you are and what you want, it’s time to start searching

While researching influencers from your niche, it’s important to consider performance parameters, such as:

• Relevance (how well does my message overlap with this person’s message?)
• Reach (how many people does this person reach?)
• Engagement (how many reached people choose to interact with this person?)
• Frequency (how often does this person create content?)
• Authenticity (how real and honest does this person seem?)

Aside from the essentials listed above, you’ll need to take into consideration the influencer’s history. This includes past collaborations, opinions they’ve shared publicly and values that they associate with. For example, if you want to promote the new Huawei phone, you won’t hire someone that has stated that Apple is their favorite brand.

It’s obvious that influencer marketing is one of the most efficient promotional methods today; even more, it can be adapted to any type of business. The present text has helped you find the best influencer for your niche – and if you want to better understand the phenomena, give this interview with Aura Dumitru a read.

(pentru varianta în limba română a acestui material, un click aici)

—
The new marketplace on 2Performant is dedicated to influencers and the ways they can help businesses grow. The new section of the platform allows brands to set up campaigns in a transparent and simple manner. For more information have a look at the Influencer section on our website