For many companies, hooking-up with the right social influencer can get great results for their company.
However, in the world of social media, it is not always easy to tell if someone actually has any social influence. Here are 6 tips to help you spot a fake social media influencer, before you waste your money.
#1. Look past the numbers.
It can be easy to jump to the conclusion that someone with thousands or even hundreds of thousands of followers must be an influencer. Well, think again. Remember that it is very easy to pay for followers, and it's much more common than you may think.
#2. Focus on engagement
How many likes on average do their posts get? Are there lots of comments? What types of comments are typically made?
When an account has many fake followers, this can be reflected in their engagement rate on posts. Fake accounts do not like posts – they are simply deadweight in terms of follower numbers. If an account has a ton of followers, but a very low number of likes in comparison – that is a large red flag. Try to do a little math and find out what % of their followers are actually engaging with their posts. If this number is lower than the % you get on your business account (assuming you have taken the organic growth route) be wary. Instagram has made the exact number of 'likes' hidden, but you can still scroll through the list of accounts who liked a post, and measure that way!
#3. Pay attention to their growth
Although not all businesses will have the time to do this – it is a very good idea to monitor influencer’s accounts for a length of time, so that you are able to see their growth. If they are constantly loosing large amounts of followers, and gaining large amounts of followers – this is a red flag. Stable numbers are a good sign!
#4. Creep their “followers” list
This can be a super tedious task – but if you are going to pay someone money to promote your products/ services, you need to put the time into vetting them. Fake accounts/bot accounts are typically not too difficult to spot. They usually have a name and profile photo – but not much else. If you find many accounts that don’t seem real – it is a pretty good indicator that your potential influencer has paid for followers.
#5. Google them
So, this may not always work – depending on the type of influencer you are in search of, but it is always a good idea to look-up their name on Google. Large influencers usually have multiple social media channels – and are active online on more than one-way and platform. After a quick Google search – you may have a better idea about the influencer’s authority online. However, this is not always relevant – especially for micro influencers. Micro influencers may only be active on one channel (like Instagram) – so this tip may leave you empty-handed.
#6. Ask for the numbers
The proof is in the pudding – and many influencers will have done partnerships with brands in the past. Ask to see the numbers from pervious partnerships, engagement rates, exposure, etc. Many larger influencers will know basic numbers and averages as to what a company can expect to see if they choose to partner up.
It's important to remember that just because someone has a huge amount of followers, it does not guarantee they have any influence. If you are going to put money into an influencer marketing campaign – you want to make sure it's not going to waste.
At Polished Media – we focus on organic growth and are very good at spotting fakes. If you need some help with your next influencer marketing campaign – send us a message!
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