Use Influencers to Boost Your Online Reach

Jill Kurtz, Owner, Kurtz Digital StrategyReaching anyone in your target audience is great, but connecting with an influencer – someone with an active network of the people you want to reach – can be awesome. Getting influencers on your marketing or communication bandwagon takes some strategy.Anyone can be an influencer, as long as they inspire someone to act. Brands need to find the right influencers and have the right approach to engage them and avoid pushing them away.One of the most common mistakes brands make when identifying influencers is choosing someone simply based on the number of followers. Quantity does not equal quality. There are many ways social media accounts can grow without actually having a solid network, including just outright buying followers.Here are the factors that you should look at to identify the right influencers for your message.BioJust like with media relations, dig deep to find out who people really are. What are their interests, where can you find them online, and how do you identify with them? Where is the person located and what is the geography of their reach and influence? Does the person seem like a good fit with your brand and message?TopicsMost people are influencers around one narrow topic. Take a look at their content to make sure that their niche is helpful to your brand and message.EngagementAre the influencer’s followers liking, commenting, sharing and taking action based on the influencer’s content? Are conversations being generated that have a tone and outlook that you want to be part of?ReachLook at the potential influencer’s followers’ accounts. Do the followers represent your target audience? Go as many levels deep to get a good answer to this question.Original ContentLooks for posts of valuable, original content that is credible and resonates with your target audience. You want an influencer that is creating new content rather than aggregating content from other sources.ChannelsUnderstand which channels that the influencer engages on. Some influencers have impact across channels and others focus on one. Make sure that wherever they are aligns with your needs.Examine these and other factors are are important to your message. You want to reach out to the right influencers who can help you achieve your goals. Researching these factors ought to identify some good places to start.