Social Media Influencers: 7 Key Tips You Must Know

You may wonder how to work with social media influencers to promote your products or services as a business owner. It can be a great way to reach a larger audience and boost your sales. But it’s essential to understand the dos and don’ts of working with social media influencers before you get started. Many businesses have made the mistake of partnering with an influencer who doesn’t align with their brand or paying an influencer who doesn’t deliver results.

This can damage your reputation and cost you money. A study from Socialbakers found that the most successful social media influencers have many followers, high engagement rates, and high overlap with their target audience. Here are seven tips you can follow to ensure that you’re working with a social media influencer who will help promote your business or brand.

1. Know Your Audience and Your Goals

Picking a social media influencer is unlike picking a celebrity endorser or marketing professional. It can be hard to pick the right influencer because there are so many options available, and knowing which one will work best for your brand or company is hard. That’s why knowing your audience and setting your goals in advance is essential. Research your audience to identify the demographics when selecting a potential social media influencer.

Then you can use that information to determine what type of followers or fans you want to work with. In addition, you should know what you hope to get out of the relationship, such as increased engagement, faster growth, and increased sales. Identifying your goals will help you decide whether to work with an influencer who is an expert in your niche or a more general one.

2. Avoid Retribution Schemes

Many social media influencers reach out to brands that sell similar products or services. To find such companies, they search for your company alongside the terms “sponsored” or “advertising.” Some will then send a message to your team asking for money to promote your product.

This practice has been coined “retribution marketing.” Although it might seem tempting to get free advertising, avoid working with anyone trying to coerce you into paying them. If you aren’t ready to work with an influencer, they may try to sling dirt or spread negative messaging about your brand. Always do your research before working with someone.

3. Check Their Audience Engagement

One of the best ways to gauge an influencer’s value is to look at their engagement rates. You can then identify which ones will be able to deliver the results you want. You should also look at engagement rates over time, as short-term spikes are less likely related to true fans who engage with the influencer regularly.

Social media influencers with higher engagement rates are more likely to be successful as long as they align with your brand and audience. In a study from Socialbakers, the top 100 most followed influencers on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter had engagement rates of over 80%. These numbers are significant to consider before working with an influencer.

4. Create an Attractive Proposal

Once you’ve identified a potential influencer to work with, you’ll need to consider how to offer them an attractive proposal. A good proposal will discuss your company’s goals and outline the services that your company can provide. You should also include a list of topics that the influencer should talk about and how they will be able to promote your content. Remember that the influencer’s potential audience knows more about their interests than yours.

You’ll need to offer something they are interested in or already love to get their attention. In addition, the price should be reasonable. Please don’t pay the influencer an exorbitant amount to promote your brand when they can easily create high-quality content for free.

5. Track Results and Discuss Future Opportunities

The true value of working with a social media influencer is in your results. If you don’t see results, then the influencer won’t be able to increase your traffic, sales, or engagement as you hoped. To find out if the influencer is providing the results, monitor their account after they start posting on your behalf. Look at post engagement and subscriber growth to determine how well they are doing. Keep an eye on your numbers throughout the entire process.

If they are not helping you grow in the ways you’d hoped, it may be time to find a new influencer. To see if the influencer should continue working with you, it’s also essential to have an ongoing discussion. Ask them how they plan to promote your content and what they hope to get from the partnership. It will allow you to track progress more easily and determine whether you’re still on the same page.

6. Consider Whether You Have Enough Space

It’s essential to work with the right social media influencer, but it’s also important to avoid working with one who isn’t going to have enough space available. Many influential social media influencers have large followings, and their pages contain a lot of content. For example, some may post up to 30 times daily on Facebook. The more content that is produced by an influencer, the less that they can dedicate to promoting your product or service.

When you are trying to enlist the help of an influencer, the last thing you want is for them not to be able to promote your brand because they don’t have enough room. To help an influencer find time to promote your brand, you should give them a large block of time where they can share the content they create. This will allow them to continue producing their content while promoting yours throughout the day.

7. Check the Quality of Their Content

The quality of an influencer’s content is essential because it will determine whether or not their followers will engage with it. For example, if an influencer posts low-quality photos or videos, their followers may not take the time to watch or interact with them. Many influencers use a background remover to improve the quality of their photos. This tool can remove distracting background elements and make the photo look more professional. In addition, you should also check to see if the influencer’s content is well-written and informative. If it isn’t, their followers may not think it’s worth their time reading.

These are just a few tips to keep in mind when working with social media influencers. By following these tips, you can ensure that you are working with the right person and getting the most out of the partnership. Remember, the most important thing is to track results to determine whether or not the influencer is helping you achieve your goals.

Author Bio:

Sierra Powell graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a major in Mass Communications and a minor in Writing. She’s passionate about writing, reading, and learning. When she’s not writing, she loves to cook, sew, and go hiking with her dogs.