Identify authentic influencers with these steps!

The world of influencer marketing is constantly evolving and finding the right influencers for your brand can be challenging. There are more and more creators with fake followers and bought interactions, which is why we bring you a guide that will help you navigate the world of influencer marketing and choose the right partners for your brand. 

The importance of authentic influencers

Authentic influencers are important because they have an established connection with their followers, trust them and engage with their content. If the audience trusts the influencer, it is likely that they will trust the brand they are promoting, which means a better return on investment (ROI) for the brand. Working with influencers who have fake metrics can lead to wasted campaign spend and minimal impact. 

How do you recognize an authentic influencer? 

1. Engagement – monitor whether the influencer receives likes, comments and saves that correspond to the number of followers, and most importantly, whether the comments are meaningful. 

2. Consistency – authentic influencers are consistent in their schedule, style and focus. 

3. Transparency - honest reviews and correct labeling of collaborations are a sign of trust and integrity.

4. Expertise – the right influencer should be knowledgeable in his area of interest.

5. Organic - an authentic influencer's audience grows gradually and organically, not suddenly. How can you find out? Read on.

If you're not sure if an influencer you've targeted for your brand has achieved their following organically, use tools like HypeAuditor, Social Blade, or Sprout Social. These tools will help you identify fake followers and analyze interactions. However, do not forget about manual analysis - scroll through the influencer's profile, look at the comments, content quality and frequency of posts. Manual analysis captures human factors that tools may not recognize. 

Find the right influencer with these 5 steps

1. Define goals - define your campaign goals and key performance indicators (KPIs). Knowing what you want to achieve and what audience you want to reach will help you choose the right influencer.  

2. Research - make a list of influencers and choose the most suitable ones based on the mentioned tools and your goals.

3. Get involved – if you're still not sure which influencer to choose, like, comment, share, start a conversation and follow their engagement style. 

4. Data – ask influencers for media kits or data from their previous campaigns.

5. Conversations - direct conversations with influencers is the best way to get to know their way of communication, enthusiasm for the campaign or professionalism. Don't be afraid to reach out to the influencer for an online call or a personal meeting.

Red flags!

Beware of influencers who suddenly have and unexplained spikes in followers, low engagement rates, and generic, repetitive comments. This may indicate a false audience. 

Be strict with yourself, not only with influencers

Authentic partnerships are based on mutual respect and understanding, so it is important to be able to show support to the influencer you are interested in working with to cooperate.

Choose an influencer who reflects the values of your brand so that you can give him freedom in creative and advertising processing. In order for the influencer to perform as you expect from him, understand the market prices and fairly reward him for his work.

Educate yourself and be curious. Look at specific successful campaigns in your industry or with influencers that you are looking for and analyze why they were successful. We wish you good luck!