You probably heard the phrase “Instagram influencers” for quite some time now. Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you should know very well that Instagram can deliver a tremendous amount of traffic. This is not some empty statistic, mind you, this is traffic that actually converts.
How much are we talking about? Well, there is no shortage of online store owners who make tens of thousands of dollars a month after month like clockwork, simply because they got in touch with the right influencers.
What do these influencers do?
These are accounts being followed on Instagram that people simply pay attention to, that’s really what it all boils down. It’s all about the credibility and authority of these people when they post a new photo of some sort of alcoholic drink, some article of clothing, or even pet dogs, their followers just go crazy.
It’s not a surprise that Kim Kardashian is able to charge thousands of dollars for one picture post, because that post is enough to generate a tremendous amount of buzz. Not only that, she directly calls people to action who is actually following her own Instagram but there are all sorts of media buzz created, blog posts are written, new press releases are produced. Any simple acts by such mega-celebrities on social media are often trigger a chain reaction of direct and indirect marketing. The bottom-line is influencers do produce results.
Unfortunately, finding the real influencers that you can afford can be very challenging.
Why? Since the beginning, advertisers have been willing to pay top dollar for influencers. There are all sorts of fake influencers accounts coming up all over social media, I’m not just talking about Instagram, I’m talking across the board: Pinterest, Twitter, you name it. What makes this so dangerous is the fact that their followers are also fake. Finding real influencers can be a challenge.
The good news is that this is easier than you think. You really just have to put in the time and pay attention to the right details.
What you should pay attention to?
One thing and one thing alone: engagement.
Look at the total number of followers that an account has and look at the average number of engagements that person’s post gets. If you do the math, you should be able to come up with some sort of ranking system between different accounts. You should also pay attention to the kind of commercial posts that they published. If they give you a tremendous amount of leeway then go for them, assuming that their followers are real.
Here are a few other steps you can take to weed out fake influencers from real ones:
1. Check for a high audience quality to detect fake influencers.
2. An authentic influencer’s follower growth is stable and consistent
3. Daily follower changes can reveal whether an influencer has purchased followers.
4. The like-follower ratio shows how active an influencer’s audience is.
5. Check the earned media value – the ultimate metric to define an influencer’s value.
6. Video views should show a reasonable reach.
7. Comments should be rich and diverse.
8. Genuine influencers are also visible on other social media platforms (e.g. YouTube, Facebook, Twitter).
9. Google results should show valuable external mentions.
Keep these steps in mind because this can lead to you making a tremendous amount of money, thanks to Instagram. It really all boils down to unleashing the power of real influence. Key phrase, of course, is “real influence.” After reading the information above, you should have enough knowledge that you can tell real players from fake ones.
