Influencers are people we feel like we know, but whom we have never actually met. We get to see intimate parts of their life – inside their bedroom, meeting their other half, where they shop for groceries – which builds familiarity and trust. As a result, average people trust influencers as much as they do their friends and families, according to research from Twitter.

When choosing the right influencers for your brand, it’s important to know the difference between different types of influencer:

Nano and micro

These are small-scale online personalities with between 1,000 and 50,000 followers. As a result of their smaller followings, micro-influencers are more likely to have conversations with their followers, creating a more personable feel between influencer and follower.

Mid-tier

This group includes influencers with 50-500k followers. This is your chance to get your brand seen by considerable numbers of social media users.

Macro

Macro influencers have 500,000 – 1 million followers. These influencers may have something of a celebrity status but still have the trust of their followers.

Mega/Celebrity

These are personalities with higher followings – think 1 million and up. As a result, these people are able to charge higher rates per post.

Now you’ve got to grips with the different types on influencer, follow these five top tips to choose the right person to promote your brand on social media.

Look for influencers who reflect your brand message

Before you start diving into the nitty-gritty of metrics, followers and engagement, do some research into a target influencer’s personal brand. Does it align with yours? For example, a family-oriented business would look strange working with an influencer whose brand is build on nightlife and going out. This influencer’s followers will be able to smell a sponsored post a mile away if it doesn’t fit with their usual content. Choose an influencer whose content reflects your brand message, and whose audience is in your target market.

Check their engagement

Did you know it’s possible to buy Instagram likes and followers? Influencers and brands can easily inflate their followings in order to look more popular than they actually are. The key things to look for in an influencer’s engagement are the indicators that their followers are responding, cementing and sharing. Do these engagements come from new followers or those returning? Returning customers are often an indicator of meaningful relationships between follower and influencer.

Count the frequency of their posts

The frequency of an influencer’s posts is a key indicator of how effective an influencer marketing campaign will be. Customers are more likely to return to, share, save and engage with content from an influencer who posts high-quality posts on a frequent basis. Those who post less frequently will have less site visitors as a result.

Stay within budget

Small brands will have less money to spend on influencer outreach than an international corporation. This is where micro-influencers come in particularly useful: their rates will be lower per post, or they may even accept a free product in return for a post. Spending a large portion of your brand’s influencer outreach budget on one person with a high following isn’t always advisable. Your brand might be seen be more eyeballs, but without thought to relevance or engagement, there might not necessarily be any significant ROI.

Champion authenticity

Does the influencer post back-to-back sponsored posts? This should be a red flag. Posting too much sponsored content makes an influencer’s social profiles look more like a billboard than a personal account. This reduces the influencer’s authenticity and, in turn, the trust their followers put into the products they are promoting.

Conclusion

Influencer marketing has changed the way brands reach new customers on social media. Gaining customer trust through influencer outreach can create a great ROI with the help of the above useful tips.