For several years now, the evolution of social media has birthed a new profession that seems to have seen resounding success. Content creators and influencers are the new terms that complement a brand's marketing strategy, aiming to get closer to its customers and beyond. But how do you know if such collaborations are suitable for your business, or, equally important, how do you choose the right influencers to represent your image?

Keep reading, and let's explore.

Firstly, what's the difference between UGC and an influencer?

User Generated Content (UGC) represents content created by any user of a social media platform through posts, reviews, photos, or videos. This content is voluntarily created by consumers, making it authentic and credible, coming directly from consumers who have tested and experienced a product or service, expressing their real opinions.

Influencers are individuals who have a strong presence online, with a considerable number of followers with whom they have formed a community in a particular niche or field. Influencers are paid by brands or receive various benefits to promote their services or products. Another differentiating criterion is that the activity of content creators is measurable through various KPIs, such as engagement, reach, follower growth, or sales.

Therefore, UGC and influencers are two distinct concepts in terms of digital marketing, but they can be used complementarily to amplify a brand's presence and impact.

Does your brand need an influencer?

We know that nowadays everyone has integrated social media marketing and influencer marketing into their strategy, but rather than dividing the budget inefficiently, it's better to look at the proposed marketing objectives.

In your field, is there the possibility of expansion through this type of advertising, or should you redirect your attention to offline advertising? The first step before choosing future collaborators is defining marketing objectives: do you want to increase brand awareness? Perhaps you want to promote a specific product or service? Or do you have a promotion you want everyone to hear about? Defining these objectives will help you identify influencers who can best help you achieve them.

Certainly, a juice factory will be able to promote its products much easier with the help of an influencer than a construction materials factory. However, what you mustn't forget is that for every industry, there is a content creator, even in technical or niche fields. Their impact or number of followers may not be as high as that of an influencer in the fashion industry, but that shouldn't discourage you from integrating this type of advertising into your social media marketing strategy.

Now that we've reached the climax, how do we choose an influencer?

Defining the target audience: Knowing your audience is crucial for choosing the right influencers. Try to identify who your ideal customers are, what interests they have, and which social platforms they spend their time on. This way, you can find influencers who have a similar audience and who can have the greatest impact among them.

Evaluating influencers' authenticity: Authenticity is not just a way to stand out anymore; it's the key in influencer marketing. To create the most authentic image of your brand, choose influencers who are sincere and genuine in their interactions with their audience. You can evaluate their authenticity by analyzing the content they post, their fans' reactions and comments, as well as their previous collaborations with other brands.

Compatibility of values and brand message: It's essential for the values and message of influencers to align with those of your brand. An authentic collaboration will be more effective in attracting and engaging the audience. Analyze the content of influencers to see if it aligns with your brand's values and message.

Measuring impact and results: Before choosing influencers, establish performance objectives and metrics you want to track to measure the success of the campaign. You can evaluate the impact through the number of views, engagement, follower growth, or sales increase. 

Negotiation and collaboration establishment: Once you have identified suitable influencers, it's time to initiate discussions about a possible collaboration. Set clear expectations regarding the content, terms and conditions of the collaboration, as well as financial compensation or other benefits.

Monitoring and campaign evaluation: Once the collaboration has begun, monitor and evaluate the campaign as it progresses. Be open to feedback and adjust the strategy based on the results obtained to maximize the impact and efficiency of the campaign.

What does the actual research look like?

Most of the time, research to find the right influencers doesn't have a recipe for success. Either you can create lists of those you already know and search for similar ones on social media, or you can use platforms that offer such services.

A digital marketing agency will know exactly whom to choose and why. It will make the decision-making, communication, and contracting process much easier, already having experience in influencer marketing.

In conclusion, when, how, and why to choose an influencer for your business? And after answering these questions, there's another one: which influencer to choose? It's not a straightforward process, which comes with a back-and-forth of emails. A digital marketing agency will transform this time-consuming process into a time-efficient one, which in the end will result in increasing brand awareness, more followers, engagement, and more sales.