So you’re thinking of selecting a few influencers for your business. Here’s a few steps to consider to that will help you get started.

Identify

Do you already have a clear understanding of your target audience’s demographics, interests, and behaviour? This will help you find influencers whose followers align with your ideal customer profile.

Research

Decide which social media platforms are most relevant to your audience and industry, then look for influencers who exhibit authenticity, engagement with their followers, and a consistent posting schedule. Ensure their values align with your brand’s values. When you scout brand ambassadors, make sure that you have asked for a screenshot or pdf of follower count, engagement rate, reach, and impressions to assess an influencer’s potential reach and impact. It’s also helpful to check in with your social media manager. Review their content quality, style, and consistency. Make sure their content resonates with your brand’s image and message.

IMPORTANT: You do not want to get scammed, but unfortunately there’s many accounts with fake engagement, so again – check in with your social media manager to verify authenticity. Check if the influencer has real followers and engagement. Be wary of those who buy fake followers or engagement. Next is to analyze previous work. Look at their previous collaborations and campaigns. Assess the success of these partnerships and whether they align with your brand’s goals.

Negotiate terms, create a contract and reach out to potential influencers with a clear proposal, including compensation (e.g., payment, free products, affiliate commissions), content expectations, and campaign timelines.

Here are a few more factors to have in place before we get to the most important part!

• Review and approve influencer-created content before it’s published to ensure it aligns with your brand guidelines.
• Provide guidelines for engagement with followers, responding to comments, and handling any potential issues or negative feedback.
• Monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) throughout the campaign, such as likes, shares, comments, website visits, and conversions.
• Engage with influencers, providing feedback and support as needed to ensure the campaign stays on track.
• Disclosure Compliance: Ensure influencers comply with disclosure regulations in your jurisdiction, clearly indicating when content is sponsored or contains affiliate links.

Tracking Results

Tracking Links are by far the most important aspect. To get a good idea of what is working, you must provide influencers with unique tracking links or promo codes to measure the direct impact of their posts on website traffic or sales.

Are you up for learning the ins and outs of creating discount codes or discovering the ultimate influencer-driven sales campaign tactics? Keep it locked! With Black Friday and the holiday season right around the corner, you won’t want to miss out on our expert advice and marketing strategies to make this season your best yet!