Influencer marketing occurs when companies partner with content creators to promote their content through social media. They can help increase your brand’s visibility, gain new followers or even boost sales. Sometimes, however, brands are stuck in choosing creators and deciding which ones are appropriate to their campaign. In this article we will discuss the things to look for in content creators when making that choice.

Before you begin

Before you begin searching for creators, you need to create your marketing campaign. Be sure to go through the following aspects and outline them:

• The purpose of the campaign
• Your target audience
• Your budget
• The timeline and any deadlines
• How will you track your improvement

Making a thorough plan now will provide you with an idea of what content creators seem like a good match and which ones aren’t.

What should you look for when you’re analyzing creators profiles

In analyzing the creators you want to select your collaborators, examine a range of factors and other metrics. Let’s look at a few of them.

Category

What is the creator’s classification? This is the subject they post about on their social media – food, fashion or health, etc. It is important to locate a creator whose content is  relevant to your business. If your business fits in a more specific niche, look deeper to find creators that are in the same space. If your company is an eco-friendly slow fashion label, look for creators with an interest in the topic.

Follower count and growth over time

A number of followers the creator has isn’t necessarily evidence that they are a success. Follower counts does impact a creator’s reach, as well as the amount they’ll charge for their services. However, it’s also crucial to examine how they’ve grown their followers over time.

Utilize influencer tools or request their media kits to study the growth of creators’ followers. Organic growth is consistent even though it is sometimes slow. But if you observe sudden dips and spikes in your numbers, be on the lookout. The creator might have purchased fake followers.

Engagement rate

This indicates how much the public is able to enjoy content from creators. Engagement rate measures interactions with social media content. The concept is that the more users enjoy the content, the more often they’ll interact with it. And when followers are engaged with the creator’s work they are more likely to take an interest in the brands the creator promotes. When you look at engagement rate, remember that it may differ based on a number of variables:

• Social network
• Followership number
• Content type
• Category

So, it is important to examine the particular creator against their same segment. Do not compare  TikTok creators and Twitch streamers, nor fashion creators with food creators, etc.

Audience demographics and their authenticity

Always check the target audience for a creator as well. Check to see if their audience lines up with your brand’s target audience. Analyze demographics such as gender, age, geographic location, interests, and language. Check for authenticity, too. Does the creator have a significant number of followers who could be bots?

Voice, Values and POV

Take a close look at the creator’s content. Does it reflect what your company’s core values are? It’s confusing for viewers if creators and brands with no commonality collaborate. The audience can pick up on this and afterward, it is obvious that the only link between both of you is that you’re paying the creator to promote your brand. The collaboration should be as authentic as it can be, so ID creators who are aligned to your brand. Take into consideration:

• Your brand’s mission statement and its message
• Your values
• Aesthetic style
• Tone and voice of the brand

Find creators with the same mission, voice and values as your company. This will make your partnership as organic as possible in the eyes of the audience.

Conclusion

The process of identifying and analyzing creators doesn’t require a lot of effort. To ensure success, you must carefully define your goals and campaign in advance. Also, know what to be looking for in creators to make well-informed and confident choices in selecting your collaborators.