Influencer Marketing is an increasingly central marketing lever for companies. Let’s clarify and try to understand why it’s important to do it seriously and professionally.
INFLUENCER: a term used in marketing to indicate people who have a decisive weight in influencing public opinion. They are the opinion leaders of the latest generation: bloggers, YouTubers, TikTokers, Instagrammers. Regardless of the social platform chosen, the lowest common denominator of the influencer is always the same: very loyal followers who are constantly listening.
Influencers: how to recognize and categorize them?
There are mainly two variables that we can take into consideration to try to bring order to the different types of influencers.
– Audience size
– Social influence
According to a 2018 definition by ANA (Association of National Advertisers), we can divide influencers into four categories plus a more recent one: micro-influencers (up to 40,000 followers); macro-influencers (up to 100,000); mega-influencers (up to 500,000); celebrities or mega-influencers (over 500,000); nano-influencers (a close circle of followers in a very specialized field).
According to the classification proposed by Forrester Research, on the other hand, we can identify three main categories, ordered according to an increasing level of social influence:
– Social broadcasters: personalities who have built their notoriety outside the web.
– Mass influencers: people very present on social media with a large following who are recognized as experts in some specific field and therefore create communities of followers interested in the topic.
– Potential influencers: users with high communication potential. Active on their channels, they create aggregation with their community, which is generally small.
What is the activity of influencers?
People talking to people. People who choose to share many aspects of their daily lives with their audience of followers, people who want to convey a message and who choose to do so online and mainly on social media to an audience that voluntarily chooses to listen to them (remember this passage because it will be fundamental in a couple of paragraphs!).
Influencers are the example of the new communication paradigm that has surpassed the traditional B2B and B2C in favor of H2H: human to human. Digital transformation is also this: markets have become conversations, companies interact with their customers with a peer-to-peer exchange, the review is the strongest lever in the purchasing decision because despite the digitalization and “virtualization” of our daily lives, the sharing of experiences remains the queen of hearts.
Influencer marketing: how to do it well
Each Influencer speaks by addressing their followers, who become fond, intimate, and very attentive. As anticipated a couple of paragraphs above, the fact that the audience decides to listen voluntarily is the fundamental lever for the high effectiveness/impact of the influencer who decides to do Advertising activities and establishes relationships with companies and brands. Followers trust “their person” and are therefore more likely to try and buy what they recommend. They may be willing to talk or even get actively involved in the influencer’s proposals. It is clear, therefore, that for companies, influencer marketing has become an indispensable element in integrated communication strategies.
How to select the right influencers for your brand?
Embarking on this path involves the evaluation of several elements. The essential questions to ask are few but very important.
– Who does the influencer speak to? Having a clear idea of the target is essential for the success of the strategy.
– What is the “Tone of voice”? How does the influencer interact with their audience? Is it consistent with our brand’s communication style?
– What content do they deal with? These are the famous related topics. It is good to choose an influencer who deals with themes and content that have a certain consistency with our product. In this way, it will be easier to stimulate the curiosity of followers.
How much does an influencer cost?
Understanding how much it costs to engage an influencer is not simple, given that there are no fixed rates. The variables are many, especially since Instagram eliminated the display of likes, an element that could serve as a reference value for an initial, albeit not exact, estimate. There are several ways in which an influencer marketing strategy can be activated. Many aspiring influencers often accept collaboration simply in exchange for the merchandise they have to sponsor.
However, if you want to collaborate with an already established influencer with a larger audience, prices rise significantly. Beyond a certain level, it is unthinkable to offer products such as shoes or clothing in exchange for sponsorship. Information on the prices of “micro-influencers” can be obtained through online services such as Instagram Money Calculator by Influencer Marketing Hub: simply enter the Instagram name of the influencer you are interested in to obtain data.
If, on the other hand, we are interested in understanding how much an influencer’s post costs, we can use InfluencerDB.
It is clear, however, that the most effective way to understand how much an influencer’s collaboration may cost is to contact them directly and try to reach a win-win solution.
Why it is important to rely on professionals in managing influencer marketing operations
In an increasingly social world, made up of thousands of profiles that want to get noticed and collaborate, influencer marketing is best managed by professionals.
– First of all, an industry professional will be able to quickly select the influencers best suited to the company’s profile.
– Collaborations will be established through professional negotiations, contributing to the seriousness and clarity of relationships.
– By turning to professionals, you will have an effective medium that can guarantee the correct setup for sending materials.
– An industry specialist will certainly be able to carefully evaluate the target and the influencer’s notoriety to then propose the most suitable collaboration.
If you are looking for an agency to handle your influencer marketing campaigns, Mentarossa Comunicazione offers a qualified service including:
– Analysis and monitoring of influencers
– Selection of the best creators for your project
– Management of contractualization with influencers/agencies
– Conception of the influencer marketing project
– Follow-up and final reporting
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