As the relevance of social media persists, a new era of marketing has begun. Influencer marketing, now a billion-dollar industry, utilizes the tactic of a third-party endorsement. The driving forces behind the success of influencer marketing are trust and credibility. These users are influential because they essentially persuade their followers to try a product or a service, simply from reviewing and recommending it (or not) themselves.
But as it becomes increasingly more common for influencers to receive compensation for their recommendations, both trust and credibility are at stake. The Federal Trade Commission requires influencers to indicate paid content by including “#ad” somewhere in their post. But is this enough? In a world where social media influencers are taking over, how can we be sure these users remain genuine? Below are six best practices for influencers wanting to remain credible and trustworthy in the eyes of their audience.
1. Allow your follower base and engagement levels to grow organically.
This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t boost your posts. It simply means that you shouldn’t be “buying” followers or likes on your posts. Sure, you might get anywhere from hundreds to thousands of extra “likes,” but these metrics are not genuine. (2,000 likes with only 500 followers doesn’t exactly add up.) When your follower base is filled with “bots,” you appear more influential than you really are, which can erode trust and credibility.
2. Share content you are particularly passionate about.
If you are someone who is not particularly outdoorsy (you know you wouldn’t be caught dead camping), it probably does not make sense for you to be promoting products from REI on your Instagram page. It’s okay to stick to one niche, especially if it is something you are extremely passionate about. It is disingenuous to promote products that you do not care for or would not actually use yourself.
3. Post frequently and consistently.
It’s likely that those who follow your page rely on you to regularly post content specific to your niche market. Failing to keep it up will not only reduce your level of credibility, it can also give your followers the impression that you don’t entirely care about them. It is essential to respect your audience the same way you want them to respect you.
4. Maintain a level of commitment to your audience.
This point goes hand-in-hand with posting frequently and consistently, but there are other ways to show a dedicated level of commitment. Show your audience you care about them by constantly engaging with them in your posts. Ask their opinions on products or services, ask them about their weekend plans or you could even ask them what products or services they would like to see featured next. One prime example of meaningful audience engagement is hosting a series of Q&As with them via Instagram stories. Let your followers know how much you appreciate them. (Let’s be real, you wouldn’t be anything without their support.)
5. Keep your intentions in check.
Instagram is not meant to be one giant sales platform. It is intended to be used for creative and artistic purposes, and blogging about topics relevant to your everyday life is a perfect way to achieve this. We’ve already established that you should avoid endorsing products you wouldn’t actually use or have never used yourself – even (or especially!) if you are getting paid to do so. Additionally, it is wrong to falsely claim that a product led you to certain results. (Is your perfect hair really the product of ingesting gummy vitamins every day? Or is it from the copious amounts of money you spend getting it done?)
6. Fully research/understand brands you are representing.
This one is especially important in order to remain genuine. If one of your core values is centered around eco-friendly and sustainable products, it is imperative that the products you endorse support that. (That haircare line may claim to be environmentally friendly and cruelty free, but what about the excess amount of waste the manufacturers irresponsibly deposit each year?) The most genuine influencers complete their due diligence before promoting a certain product or service.
With trust and credibility on the line, these steps are crucial for preserving genuineness in influencer marketing. Your followers rely on you for quality, bona fide content that is relevant to the particular niche of their interest. Without an established level of trust and corresponding support from them, you wouldn’t be an influencer. After all, you don’t want to end up in the same boat as the influencer with two million followers who was unable to sell a mere 36 t-shirts, do you? [Read story here].
In addition to the six highlighted in this post, are there any other tips you have for influencers wanting to remain genuine?