3 Ways to Conduct Influencer Marketing Research
You know that influencer marketing is a powerful way to grow your business, earn credibility and respect, and attract more prospects. You also know that the endorsement or support of an influencer can change your business overnight. Hopefully, you’ve integrated influencer marketing into your marketing strategy and you’ve begun to see results.
One of the most important first steps you can take is to make sure your influencer marketing research is thorough. However, it’s also critical to know that the research phase isn’t just a first step. It’s something that should be ongoing throughout the year.
What is influencer marketing research?
Initially, it’s the process of identifying influencers in your industry who you want to target. They will be people or businesses that have a large and engaged audience with whom they have significant influence. If they recommend a product or service, their audience pays attention.
Influencer marketing research is also about digging deeper than the influencer and researching their audience. Are they engaged? Are they motivated? Are they going to buy your products or services if the influencer endorses you?
Influencer Research – How, and When, to Do It.
Before you begin connecting online with influencers, or people you believe to be influencers, it’s a good idea to devote some time to researching them.
- Social Media – Visit the major social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, and look for people in your industry who talk a lot about your topic and who have a large and engaged following. Start making a list of the influencer’s name, their social URL, how often they post, their website address, the topics they discuss and talk about, the other websites and companies they mention.
- Online Search – Conduct research using your keywords. Take note of the names that come up page after page. Who is creating a lot of content, social or otherwise, on your topic? You’re not looking at your competition; keep this in mind. You’re looking for people who are active online and talk a lot about your niche. Visit their websites, find their social media accounts and take a look. Do they have a large and engaged audience on social? Do they post often and would they be a good influencer for you to target?
- Alerts – You can set up Google alerts to notify you when your keywords are used in online content. The alerts can be sent to you daily or weekly. Use this information to start identifying the influencers in your market.
You’ll want to pull all your information together and to target a few chosen influencers. Start engaging and connecting. Start building a professional online relationship that may grow into an endorsement, a partnership, or more.
Keep in mind that influencers come onto the scene on a regular basis, and some people lose favor with their audience. Strive to research influencers at least twice a year. Make sure you’re targeting the best people to grow your business.
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