How to Vet an Influencer...and Why We Focus on Microinfluencers
With nearly every public relations plan we do for a client, social media influencers is an integral part—as well it should be. While traditional media and online news and lifestyle outlets are important ways to elevate a brand, social media influencers—particularly on Instagram—and bloggers can be personal, effective channels to your target audience.
But working with influencers isn’t simple or straightforward, and taking the wrong approach can cause a lot of frustration and cost you thousands of dollars with no real results to speak of. I’ll never forget being approached by an influencer for $11K for a single Instagram post, a cost that my small client could never afford. But before I said no, I asked them for some sort of case study or testimonial—anything to indicate the ROI on that kind of price tag.
They had nothing they could send me.
I use this as a cautionary tale for many of my clients when they talk about social media influencers with large followings.
Big influencers usually require payment—and it can be hefty! There’s nothing wrong with this—often, this is their job and they’re good at driving sales for their partner brands. But for smaller businesses, this can often just be too risky a proposition.
Influencers are what I like to call “the wild west.” While you can usually dig up readership on traditional media or get a sense of traffic to a website or blog, many people measure social media influencers simply by followers. In an era where followers can be bought, this can be seriously misleading. (Read on for a better method.)
Oftentimes, bigger influencers do a lot of sponsored posts and ads… eventually diluting their followers’ trust in their opinions.
One solution we have to this issue is to encourage our clients to focus on microinfluencers. The particular definition of microinfluencer can vary—basically, it’s someone with a smaller but still significant following. We love microinfluencers for a variety of reasons:
Microinfluencers tend to be more affordable and accessible to smaller businesses and brands. While many of them still charge for their services—typically rightly so, as they are putting a lot of work into their posts—they typically charge a rate that’s in line with what smaller brands can afford. (This also makes them a great, inexpensive testing ground to see if influencer campaigns work for the brand before going “all in” with a bigger budget.)
They are often more flexible and personalized. While many microinfluencers charge, I’ve also worked with many who just love a brand I represent, or a product that I’m working with, and are happy to work together in exchange for product. Which brings me to my next point…
Microinfluencers are often more authentic in their endorsement of a brand. Because they’re typically not being paid thousands, microinfluencers are largely working with brands because they like them—and their audience knows it.
They also often have a closer connection with their audience, answering specific comments and questions and building that personal connection with their audience.
Regardless of the size of influencer you choose to work with, we go through a rigorous vetting process when we begin pitching influencers for a client. We often have a few we’ve worked with before in mind as good fits, but our process includes:
Researching the right fit using hashtags, competitive analysis and search words
Vetting the reach and engagement of the influencer. Followers can be bought, so we examine the engagement and comments on posts—especially sponsored posts or those talking about a brand the influencer loves—to get a sense of how much of their audience is actively participating. (Yes, we actually take a look at the comments to be sure that they’re authentic, not just look at the numbers.)
Looking at the quality of the writing, the creative and images, the look of their website and their Instagram feed to ensure it’s aligned with what we envision for our client.
Want to learn more about working with influencers? In our next post, we’ll be sharing DIY ways that brands and small businesses can find and engage with the right influencers. Stay tuned!