There are so many so called influencers, but how do you tell if someone is actually infuential?
One of the major challenges in influencer marketing is to identify relevant influencers. You need to make sure that each influencer you partner with is an expert in your industry or niche and is trusted and followed by a large number of people.
But how can you identify whether or not a potential influencer is really influential or not? The number of followers is not the only criteria you need to use to evaluate an influencer. Before certifying someone as influential you need to use these 5 different ways to check.
1. Engagement
An influencer who has a large number of engaged followers who like, comment, and share their posts has a high engagement rate. A high engagement rate implies that the followers are interested in their content and are enjoying it.
However, if the number of engaged followers compared to the total number of followers is too low, it raises a red flag. This indicates that their followers aren’t very engaged or that their followers haven’t been gained organically. So you need to evaluate the engagement rate of your potential influencers.
2. Authenticity
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To gain the trust of their followers, influencers need to be authentic. Their content needs to reflect their genuine passions towards their niches. Their sponsored content shouldn’t look salesy or as if they’re promoting a brand just because they have been paid to do so. An influencer’s authenticity is what makes their audience trust them and their recommendations.
3. Leadership
A successful influencer is one who is able to inspire and motivate their followers with their unique content. Your potential influencer needs to be able to do so.
Go through their social accounts to get an idea of the quality of work they can deliver. In order to create a lasting impact in the minds of their followers, an influencer must produce quality content. Also, make sure that they have a decent-sized following on their social accounts.
4. Expertise
It doesn’t matter how many followers or how high an engagement rate an influencer has – if they’re not from your niche, they can’t help you reach your goals. An influencer can’t afford to be a jack-of-all-trades. They need to be a master of one or a maximum of two related niches.
5. Activity
Content that leaves an impression in the minds of an audience is the mark of a successful influencer. Other than the quality of content, this also depends on their frequency of posting content. An influencer who is very active on social media is likely to be a better partner for your brand as well as one who has engagement for example Twitter Retweets or Instagram comments.
Also, you need to find an influencer who invests time into engaging with their followers. Check if they reply or react to comments and post interactive content (polls, quizzes, or contests).
