OSG (2017)
The development of the internet has allowed the creation of many marketing tools that have allowed brands to acquire customers and communicate with them without specific geographical limits. In particular, the growth of social media platforms has allowed online users to share their views and experience in real time. This sharing of experiences, known as electronic word-of-mouth (Filieri & McLeay, 2014), has been found to be the most trusted among the different types of messages as they are perceived as customers’ own experiences (Uzunoğlu & Misci Kip, 2014).
Alongside the growth of social media platforms, in the last decade, a type of marketing strategy which have been recognised as a powerful tool in enhancing e-WOM on social media is the influencer marketing. These digital influencers share their brand experiences on social media on the daily basis influencing the members of particular communities gathered around similar interests (Uzunoğlu & Misci Kip, 2014)
Barker (2016)
Research conducted by Leverage Marketing have discovered that the 74% of people trust the opinion on social media to help them to make the right decision about purchasing a product. In particular, the 49% of people rely on influencers’ recommendations on social media.
So, are you looking to improve your brand communication and make your product known? Well, Influencers marketing could be the improvement that you are looking for!
However, the choice of the right digital influencer is not easy. In fact, in a survey conducted by Tapinfluence and Altimeter has discovered that:
Therefore, let’s have a look at the criteria to choose the right influencer:
– Influencer and brand match: the first criteria is to find an influencer that matches your brand. In fact, you want to reach your target audience and to do so you have to find an influencer that directly or indirectly is related to your product/market (Uzunoğlu & Misci Kip, 2014). In fact, if your product is shared by an influencer that matches your business, it is more likely to reach your target audience.
– Followers number: the second thing that you should look at when you choosing an influencer is to check the number of followers that they have on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. In fact, the more is the number of people is following the influencer, the more is the likelihood that your message/product reach your target audience (Uzunoğlu & Misci Kip, 2014).
– Frequency of posts: once you have found an influencer with a good number of followers, check their different social media platforms and see how often they post. In according with CoSchedule , the suggested number of daily posts on the different social media platforms are one on Facebook, one or two on Instagram and about 15 tweets on Twitter (Ake, 2017).
– Followers Interaction: once you have checked the number of posts, you should check the interaction between influencer and followers. Do the followers comment and leave likes to the influencer’s posts? Do they ask about products? Does the influencer respond to followers? It’s important the influencer is engaging with its followers (Ake, 2017).
– Reliability: this is a critical aspect to consider in the choice of the influencer as they will represent your brand and he will share your product and experience with its followers. Therefore, you should choose a reliable influencer who inspires trust (Uzunoğlu & Misci Kip, 2014).
Stephens (2016)
Risks:
Once identified the benefits of this strategy and the identified the criteria to consider in the choice of the right influencer, it is also important to consider possible risks of this marketing tool:
–They might be only interested in the money: this risk could lead to a poor advertisement of the brand by the influencer or even worst it could lead to mistakes that can affect the reputation of your brand (Dholakiya, 2017).
–Scandals: the influencer could be involved in a scandal which could affect directly or indirectly your brand reputation (Dholakiya, 2017).
However, the guide provided in this blog should minimise the risks related to the choice of a bad influencer!
Bibliography
Ake, C. (2017). Forbes Welcome. [online] Forbes.com. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2017/08/02/how-to-choose-the-right-micro-influencer-for-your-brand/#3cb95e107885 [Accessed 4 Apr. 2018].
Barker, S. (2016). Is Influencer Marketing The Future Of Marketing? [INFOGRAPHIC]. [online] Shane Barker. Available at: https://shanebarker.com/blog/influencer-marketing-future-marketing/ [Accessed 5 Apr. 2018].
Dhalatiya, P. (2017). 4 influencer marketing risks to be wary of | Smart Insights. [online] Smart Insights. Available at: https://www.smartinsights.com/online-pr/influencer-marketing/4-influencer-marketing-risks-wary/ [Accessed 4 Apr. 2018].
Ellering, N. and Ellering, N. (2017). How Often To Post On Social Media According To 14 Studies. [online] CoSchedule Blog. Available at: https://coschedule.com/blog/how-often-to-post-on-social-media/ [Accessed 5 Apr. 2018].
Filieri, R. & McLeay, F. 2014, “E-WOM and Accommodation: An Analysis of the Factors That Influence Travelers’ Adoption of Information from Online Reviews”, Journal of Travel Research, vol. 53, no. 1, pp. 44-57.
InfluencerMarketingHub (2017). 50 Influencer Marketing Statistics, Quotes and Facts. [online] Influencer Marketing Hub. Available at: https://influencermarketinghub.com/influencer-marketing-statistics-quotes-facts/ [Accessed 5 Apr. 2018].
OSG (2017). Influencer marketing has become one of the most sought-after marketing tactics in 2017 – Olori Supergal. [online] Olori Supergal. Available at: https://olorisupergal.com/2017/12/29/influencer-marketing-become-one-sought-marketing-tactics-2017/ [Accessed 5 Apr. 2018].
Stephens, R. (2016). Hidden risks for corporates in renewable energy PPAs – Risk.net. [online] Risk.net. Available at: https://www.risk.net/commodities/2473639/hidden-risks-corporates-renewable-energy-ppas [Accessed 5 Apr. 2018].
Tapinfluence and Altimer (2017). [online] Mms.businesswire.com. Available at: https://mms.businesswire.com/media/20160726005961/en/536548/5/AltimeterInfographicFinal.jpg?download=1 [Accessed 5 Apr. 2018].
Uzunoğlu, E. & Misci Kip, S. 2014, “Brand communication through digital influencers: Leveraging blogger engagement”, International Journal of Information Management, vol. 34, no. 5, pp. 592-602.
Ysasi, E. (2017). 11 Essential Influencer Marketing Facts and Statistics – Leverage Marketing, LLC. [online] Leverage Marketing, LLC. Available at: https://www.theleverageway.com/blog/influencer-marketing-facts-statistics/ [Accessed 5 Apr. 2018].