Which influencer is right for me?

A large reach need not be the ultimate criterion when selecting an influencer. Brand fit, credibility and a close relationship with the community are at least as important

Which influencer is right for me?

  • A wide reach or a niche audience?
  • Micro, medium or macro influencers?

Collaborating with influencers has long since established itself as a popular strategy within the communications mix. In 2018, more than four in ten companies in Germany stated that they had set aside a fixed budget for influencer marketing.  To make the most of this, there are a few points to bear in mind. As well as setting specific goals and the KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) to be measured, choosing the right influencer is crucial to the success of a collaboration.

Micro or macro: engagement vs. reach

Does a higher reach and more followers on Instagram always mean better results? Not quite. A sufficiently large community is undoubtedly a plus, but factors such as the engagement rate must not be overlooked either. For micro-influencers with up to around 30,000 followers, this rate is generally significantly higher than for macro-influencers. This means that, relative to their reach, the number of user interactions – such as comments, shares or likes – is particularly high. It also means that the posts are significantly more relevant to their followers.

The right brand fit creates authenticity

Even the largest community is of no use if it doesn’t make the influencer seem genuinely enthusiastic about the product – for example, because they’re promoting offers from competing manufacturers as if on an assembly line, or because the product simply doesn’t align with their actual interests – and therefore doesn’t match their followers’ preferences either. Depending on the objective, product and message, companies may fare better with smaller reach if the influencer genuinely stands behind the product being promoted, the recommendation comes from the heart and the story fits credibly into the overall concept. Furthermore, the proportion of promotional posts in the feed should not be too high.

Finding the right niche

Food, fashion, lifestyle: for some topics, the density of influencers is simply higher than for others. Consequently, the choice of influencers and the reach figures are correspondingly high for mainstream topics. However, the narrower the niche, the better the community aligns with your own target audience, and the less wastage there is. Furthermore, the influencer is a credible expert in their field who enjoys a high level of trust within their community.

To be particularly effective, influencer marketing should be seamlessly integrated into your overall strategy. We’d be happy to help you find the right influencers for your business and support you with your influencer marketing strategy.