Influencers are individuals or organisations that have influence and appeal in a specific field or social media platform. Influencers build strong relationships with their followers by posting content, sharing opinions, and showcasing products or services on social media platforms. Their opinions, advice or recommendations have significant reference and influence for their followers. Brands can work with these influencers and brands can leverage their influence and fan base to expand brand exposure, increase awareness of their products or services, and reach a larger target audience. Compared to traditional advertising campaigns, brand influencer promotions are more personalised, authentic and trustworthy, and can better connect and interact with target audiences.
Therefore, choosing the right influencers is critical to the success of a brand's marketing and promotional campaigns. Brands need to carefully research and evaluate the influencer's audience base, content quality and fit with the brand to ensure that the collaboration delivers effective marketing results and good brand image communication.
First of all, brands need to determine who the target audience for their products or services is, including gender, age, region, consumption habits and other characteristics, which is the first step in finding influencers.
The size of an influencer's following can also affect the outcome of brand marketing. Generally speaking, working with influencers with a large number of followers is more likely to expand a brand's reach. As of June 2023, the number of TikTok netizens in Singapore with 10,000 to 50,000 followers reached 1,012, with 47 netizens having more than a million followers. Nearly 1,500 Facebook influencers are micro-influencers with around 10,000 to 50,000 followers and 218 Facebook influencers with over 1 million followers. From the above data, it can be seen that the number of internet celebrities in Singapore is not small. Influencers with a large number of followers who match the brand's target audience can be screened based on the number of followers and characteristics to maximise the brand's exposure.
Learn more: Number of TikTok influencers in Singapore
Number of Facebook influencers in Singapore
It is not enough to look at the number of followers of a netizen to select an influencer, but it is also necessary to assess the level of interaction between the influencer and its audience. According to an influencer marketing survey conducted in Singapore, as of October 2022, the average engagement rate on TikTok for nano-influencers is 10.15 per cent and for macro-influencers is 1.58 per cent. This suggests that in Singapore, small influencers have higher levels of follower activity and engagement. A combination of follower numbers and follower activity can be considered to find influencers with the right number of followers and activity levels, which will help increase the reach of the brand.
Learn more: Median engagement rates of influencers on TikTok in Singapore
It is necessary to understand the influencer's field and persona, consider whether it compounds with the brand's image, and ensure that they are influential in the brand's field. Choosing KOLs whose field of expertise and persona matches the brand adds credibility and recognition to the promotion. It also ensures that the characteristics of the influencer's followers and the target audience overlap, which ensures that there is empathy between the influencer and the followers, ensuring that the brand's message can be effectively communicated to the potentially interested group, and enhancing the efficiency of the marketing.
The quality and frequency of content posted by influencers should also be taken into account. Brands need to check the content posted by KOLs historically, especially those related to promotion and advertising, to understand their past promotion results and brand cooperation experience. Choosing KOLs with a better history of performance and case studies can improve promotion results and cooperation success. The frequency of influencer-brand cooperation should be moderate and not too frequent. Too frequent promotion is likely to disenchant fans and affect the KOL's reputation, which in turn affects this brand marketing.
Choosing the right brand influencers is critical to the success of a brand's marketing campaign. Brand influencers expand brand exposure, increase product or service awareness, and improve brand trust by building strong engagement with their followers on social media. When selecting brand influencers, brands need to consider factors such as target audience, audience size, activity, relevance, and content quality. Only influencers that match the characteristics of their followers, have a high level of follower activity, and are influential in the brand's field will deliver the best marketing results. Additionally, regularly evaluating the performance of influencers and ensuring that the frequency of collaboration is appropriate will ensure that the brand's image is conveyed and the effectiveness of the promotion is enhanced. By partnering with the right brand influencers, brands can achieve personalised, authentic and more trustworthy promotions, connecting and interacting better with their target audience.
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