Negosentro.com | What Makes Instagram Influencers Attractive to Brands? | Nowadays many brands use Instagram influencers as a top strategy for their marketing campaigns. But there are a lot of influencers out there, so how do brands choose which to work with?
There are many factors that come into play to make an influencer attractive to brands. Let’s take a look at some of them.
Follower count and growth
Obviously one of the most important things brands look at when choosing influencers is how many followers they have. This is important for a few reasons. First, it shows the influencer’s reach, or how many people will potentially see their content. Second, it determines their price; generally, the more followers an influencer has, the more they cost for collaborations.
Gone are the days of needing millions of followers to be considered an influencer. In fact, in recent years many brands have actually turned to nano (1-5K followers) and micro influencers (5-50K followers) for their marketing campaigns. This is because these influencers cost less, and despite their smaller followings, have a greater connection to their audiences.
In addition, brands will look at follower growth over time to see how an influencer obtained their followers. Was it from years of hard work creating good content? Did they suddenly go viral for some reason? Or did they perhaps buy fake followers?
Follower growth, as well as the other statistics mentioned below, can be evaluated with help from an influencer marketing platform. This type of software helps brands search for influencers and also analyze their performance statistics.
Engagement rate
As we said above, many brands have been working with nano and micro influencers the last few years. And that’s because they have the highest average engagement rates in the industry.
Engagement is the level of interest and connection between an influencer and their followers. If followers trust an influencer’s opinion and content, they’re more likely to like or comment. When influencers have high engagement, it’s good for your brand, as their followers are more interested in what the influencer is posting.
Know that engagement varies depending on a few factors. First, different social networks have different engagement averages. You can’t compare Instagram and Twitter, for example. Second, engagement tends to drop off as follower count grows. Therefore, brands will often measure a specific influencer’s engagement against the average for people with similar follower counts.
Audience demographics and authenticity
One of the greatest challenges for social media marketers is identifying and reaching their target audience. Influencers can help brands do that. If brands analyze influencers’ audience demographics, they can choose to collaborate with those influencers who best help them hit their target.
Audience demographics means analyzing an influencer’s followers for data like age range, gender, country location, primary language and main interests. If those factors match the demographics of the brand’s target audience, that influencer will be more attractive.
Now, as we mentioned before, influencers sometimes buy followers to increase the number at the top of their profile. However, these followers don’t add value or engagement, because they’re not real people, but bots. As influencer marketing is an investment on behalf of the brand, having an authentic audience is paramount for influencers who want to hook up with brands.
Consistent and authentic content
For an influencer to be attractive to brands, they have to produce consistent content. It’s great to be creative, and Instagram offers a lot of content formats where influencers can explore new ways to post. That being said, it’s also important to have a consistent theme and aesthetic. Marketers want influencers who align well with their brand, and a defined personal style will help influencers get noticed.
@danaeandco is a mommy influencer from Barcelona. She dedicates her profile to content that explores her life with her children, and uses a hazy, warm aesthetic.
Another thing that makes influencers attractive to brands is an authentic voice. If an influencer’s profile looks like a revolving display case for all types of brands, followers may doubt their authenticity. Likewise, followers may see through perfectly-polished content in which the influencer looks more like a celebrity than a real person. Commitment to their work
Finally, influencers become more attractive to brands when they’re committed and reliable. If a brand reaches out to an influencer with a collaboration proposal and gets no reply, that doesn’t look great. Or, if an influencer gets hired for collaboration and then doesn’t follow through, that could damage their reputation too.
A big part of being an influencer is the behind-the-scenes work. It’s not the most glamorous part, but it’s part of the job. And brands want to know that they can rely on the person they’ve chosen.
Conclusion
When brands need to find influencers for their campaigns, it’s not just a walk in the park. There are a lot of things to consider, like the type of content the influencer produces and their performance statistics.
And of course, the right influencer totally depends on the brand and its marketing objectives. The best influencer for one brand won’t necessarily be the best for another. Influencers should recognize this and not try to change their style to attract different brands. Instead, influencers should commit to their work, stay true to their style, and keep their performance metrics in top shape if they want to be chosen for brand collaborations.
