There are a bazillion (ok, ok, hundreds of thousands) of influencers out there, and that can feel super overwhelming when you’re getting started with influencer marketing. You may be tempted to shoot for the stars—literally, movie stars and other celebrity influencers—but trust us, there are more important things than fame and number of followers when it comes to influencer marketing. In fact, the goal here is not necessarily to land a partnership with the influencer who has the most followers; it’s to find your perfect influencer match—the one that gives you those sappy match-made-in-heaven vibes.

If you’re not sourcing influencers that are a good match for your company/business/brand, then you may actually be doing yourself a disservice. We really don’t want that for you! But how do you find that perfect fit?

Green flags when sourcing influencers: 

• Shared values: Do you hear choirs of angels singing? You most certainly will when you find an influencer whose values align with your values. This is GOLD in influencer marketing. Shared values make for better, more authentic, and more successful influence-marketing partnerships.
• Audience overlap: Strive to find influencers who are reaching your target audience. Take a look at the influencer’s audience and how it compares to your own. You want some overlap but not too much, since your goal is to reach new potential clients through the partnership.
• Consistent, thoughtful content: Is this influencer posting regularly? Does she take the time to put together thoughtful posts that resonate with her audience? If so, this is a definite green flag.
•  Engagement: If an influencer’s posts routinely attract a lot of engagement from followers, she could make a solid influencer-marketing partner. Compare engagement on a handful of recent posts with engagement on a handful of older posts. This can help you gauge how the person’s influence has grown, plateaued, or waned over time.
•  Vibe: Does this influencer get back to you within a reasonable timeframe? Do you like communicating with her? You don’t have to be BFFs with every one of your influencer-marketing partners, but you should get a good vibe from him or her, and ideally, both of you should enjoy working together.

Red flags when sourcing influencers:

• No interaction on ads: A good influencer-marketing partner will have consistently high engagement across post types and platforms. If an influencer’s #ad posts haven’t landed in the past with her audience, it’s a red flag. Move on.
• Trolls: If you notice a lot of negative feedback on an influencer’s posts, it’s not a good sign. No influencer is safe from internet trolls, but if comment sections are rife with in-fighting and nastiness, look for someone else.
•  Unclear branding: If it’s not clear who an influencer is, what he or she stands for, and what values he or she has, that influencer may not be a good fit. You’re better off selecting someone with a clearer and more coherent voice and brand.
•  Suspicious followers: If there’s any question about an influencer’s follower-to-following ratio, or if you start examining the account’s followers and questioning their authenticity, it’s a hard pass for us, and it should be for you too. As a general rule, anything below a 1-2% engagement rate is suspicious! (Not sure how to calculate engagement? Try this: likes + comments / number of followers x 100 = engagement rate.) 

There’s also something to that gut feeling you get about people. Trust your instincts when sourcing influencers and follow the tips above, and you’ll be well on your way to finding the right partners on your influencer-marketing journey. Making the right match is 100% worth the extra effort!

For more advice on building a successful influencer-marketing strategy, get in touch! We’d love to work with you.