The face of business has changed rapidly over the last two decades. With more and more purchases being made online, the majority of companies are now using digital advertising to generate interest in their products.
One way brands now try to draw in large numbers of potential consumers is through the use of social media influencers. These Insta-icons have many followers - sometimes into the hundreds of thousands, or even millions - and signing a contract with them to advertise your products can vastly expand your audience. After all, their job is to 'influence' people, and if they can convince even a small percentage of their followers to try out your brand, you could see a sharp spike in sales as a result.
If you’re new to influencer marketing, you may be wondering how to find influencers to work with. However, you shouldn’t just be asking how to find influencers, but rather, how to choose the right influencer for your particular brand or product. With this kind of promotion, there isn't a 'one-size-fits-all' option. Some influencers will be more suited to your brand and products than others.
With that in mind, we’ve come up with a handy list of influencer marketing questions, so you’ll know exactly what to ask a social influencer to determine if they’re the right fit for your brand.
How to find influencers for your brand – what to ask
1. What can you tell us about your target audience?
This initial question is the easiest way to separate genuine influencers from hobbyists and those who just hop on the 'trending' bandwagon. Influencers who can describe their audience in detail, regularly interact with their followers and know exactly what kind of content they’re interested in, will be much more helpful for your brand.
After all, having a large number of followers doesn't necessarily mean the influencer is creating valuable and targeted content. If they’re not, that also means they’re probably not influencing their audience effectively. A genuine influencer will be a trend-setter who has a sound idea of who their target audience is and what they like. They’ll then be able to generate high-quality content that their followers engage with.
2. Can you give us details of your metrics?
An influencer's profile metrics can tell you a great deal about them and how effective a promoter they might be for your brand. Any influencer worth their salt will be able to give you a detailed run-down of their metrics, which include important things such as audience coverage and geographical reach.
The report will also include analysis of views, comments, likes, and reposts, which are tied up with audience engagement. The greater the number of comments and reposts, the better, as it reveals genuine interest from the influencer's followers.
3. Do you know our brand – if so, what’s your opinion of it?
This question will help you determine how much a potential influencer knows about your brand and if their values are in sync with yours. However, if an influencer isn't familiar with your brand or products, that doesn't mean you should drop them right away.
In fact, you could use this lack of knowledge to your advantage. Give them a demonstration of what your products are, how they work, and why they are so amazing. This could then feed into the content they share with their followers.
What you should watch out for is if an influencer claims to be familiar with your brand or products, but obviously isn’t. If they lie to try and appear more favourable, it's probably not in your best interests to work with them. It also suggests they’re not taking their role seriously and that they might not offer trustworthy opinions.
4. How regularly do you create sponsored content?
Many influencers, particularly those with larger number of followers, will probably have dabbled in sponsored content before. They may even be involved in creating sponsored content for another brand during your initial talks with them. This shouldn’t be off-putting unless the company they are being sponsored by is a competitor!
However, you’ll probably want to steer clear of influencers who are constantly posting sponsored content. Not only can regular sponsorships be tedious for their followers, it can also become very easy for your brand's unique message to become lost among all of the other brands the influencer is promoting. A good mix of organic and sponsored posts in an influencer’s feed is therefore best.
5. Are you able to create content in the format we’re looking for?
This is one of the most important influencer marketing questions to ask, as the type of content you want and the type of content they’re comfortable producing may be very different. In this case, it may be best to find another influencer who is well-versed in the format your brand requires. This is important because, if you do go for an influencer who normally produces content in a different format, the posts they create for you might be dismissed by their followers as solely an advertising plug.
As a result, it’s crucial to give your potential influencer a thorough explanation of the kind of content you're looking for. That way, they can give you an honest answer as to whether or not they can effectively produce it. And, more importantly, whether they feel it’s something their audience will interact with.
In many ways, their platform of choice will impact the types of content they can create. For short videos, TikTok is a great option. For longer videos, you may want to opt for a YouTube influencer. And for a campaign focused around images, an Instagram influencer campaign would be ideal.
Find the perfect influencer with FYI
Now you know what to ask a social influencer to make sure they’re right for your brand, it's time to start your search.
You can find the perfect influencers for your brand by simply listing your campaign with Find Your Influencer. Influencers will contact you directly if they are interested in your opportunity, saving you countless hours and helping you instantly tap into the best talent around.
Alternatively, if you’d like to outsource the whole process, our Ambassador Programme is ideal. We research, source and engage the best performing influencers, then execute and manage the campaign from start to finish. As a leading influencer marketing agency in the UK, with a network of over 100,000 influencers in the UK and over 20+ million influencers across the globe, we can help you make a big impact.