How to choose the perfect influencer for your brand

A well-chosen influencer certainly strengthens both the credibility and reach of the brand. According to Econsultancy, 73% of marketers believe that matching the right influencer with the brand is one of the biggest challenges. For those who have not yet decided to collaborate with influencers, because they cannot find the creator that best fits into the concept of their brand, we have prepared a short guide. These steps can not be forgotten if we want to create a perfect duo!

Explore the world of YouTube and discover its potential

One of the fundamental mistakes that brands make when taking their first steps in influencer marketing is taking a very narrow perspective in the selection of the creator for the campaign. A customer who applies to a partner network, for example, often already has a certain vision of who will be the best fit for the planned creation. Of course, there is nothing wrong with being decisive and specific, provided that this certainty is justified by a well-established knowledge of YouTube and knowledge of the creators. Many brands focus their interest around the biggest influencers whose faces they know from the media. However, the market is much larger, and among the huge community of youtubers there are not only top celebrities, but also mid-range creators who create content at an equally high level. Good research should be the first step in planning. We can be helped by a partner network that brings together influencers from many segments. It often happens that cooperation with a creator with less reach, but very engaging and with a well-matched target audience, turns out to be much more effective than the creation realized on a channel with millions of reach. Many smaller creators have a very hermetic audience interested in a given topic. The community gathered around a channel with a strictly defined theme will be a great environment to carry out the campaign of a smaller entity that operates in this industry. Success lies in placing the brand in the ideal context for it and matching the message to the audience.

It is worth remembering that each creator has a specific image built on YouTube and many characteristic elements that regular viewers know perfectly well. Therefore, it is necessary to delve into the way of communication of a given creator and to write your message in this relationship as best as possible. An example is Marco Kubiś. Creator who runs a channel about the paranormal and lifestyle. His viewers are sure that without one thing Marco is not able to live, and this is... coffee! Placing such a product would not surprise anyone, it would definitely arouse positive associations. It would be different if — without knowing about the youtuber — a producer of tea insisted on the same placement. The best creations are those in which the creator likes a given brand and recommends it because he knows its value. Such authenticity is expected by the recipient.

Planning to collaborate with influencers

When planning collaborations with influencers, it is especially important to think out of the box. Who said that a youtuber from the beauty segment can only advertise lipstick or powder, and the gamer will not find himself in the non-gaming world? The creators are happy to tackle topics that, at first glance, are not directly related to the topic they are discussing: Youtuber-makeup artist prepared different looks to match the film heroine (when promoting the premiere of a new film), gamers recreated in Minecraft a copy of the Białowieża Forest (in cooperation with Greenpeace), the popular science creator explained based on the scientific basis of how dandruff works and where it comes from — and how to get rid of it (in collaboration with Head & Shoulders). Entertainment YouTubers are also not afraid to talk about seemingly difficult issues, such as the use of contraceptives. Ignatius Aygor handled this topic very well, who, in an accessible way and with his own sense of humor, told a story showing the consequences of lack of contraception. The film was created in cooperation with the Durex brand and met with a very positive reception from the viewers.

It is also a myth that only entertaining content is justified on YouTube. The popular science and education segment is a very popular category, and cooperation with state institutions can be an example. Project “Financially active. Mission: I pay taxes fairly” — an educational program for middle school students and teachers implemented by Piotrek Ziemiak Latała, on behalf of the Ministry of Finance. The creator explained to his audience how they can start recording their first films - interviews, polls, public speeches or finally how to create their own channel on YouTube. Another example is the campaign for the Ministry of Digitization, in which Kaluch, a youtuber from the gaming segment, undertook to promote programming and coding among Polish youth

Set a goal when working with an influencer

The mistake in choosing an influencer for a brand is to be guided by the information heard, without relying on proven data. YouTube provides tools for extended analytics that are very helpful in this process. There are also dedicated research tools, such as inScore, which allows you to measure the image of youtubers and estimate the effects that a campaign for a given brand with their participation will bring.

It is also very important to clearly define the goal that the brand is aiming for. Depending on this, it is easier to match a creator who, for example, has a very engaged community, a strong image, feels good in online activities with the audience or has a positive reception in traditional media. The concrete definition of the objectives of the campaign directly translates into its success. It is also worth looking for creators who can become ambassadors of our brand. More and more marketers are opting for long-term partnerships. Such actions are the most effective, because in addition to the reach of the creator, the brand also benefits from his image, which ultimately also translates into loyalty to the brand among its audience.