Influencer marketing only works if you recruit the right people to represent your product. You need a strategy for prospecting and vetting the influencers for your specific brand and product. Just because one influencer worked for one company doesn’t mean the results will be the same for you, so do your homework.

Your brand has a unique message and voice. The influencers you select should be a reflection of your story. See how to recruit the right influencers for your brand to be sure you achieve influencer marketing success.

Authenticity is key to social media marketing. Consumers are overwhelmed with ads and their trust for brands continues to decline. Who they trust is their peers and those willing to give an honest review and opinion of a product or experience.

Communication with your influencers should be a natural relationship where both parties provide input. Also, make sure the champion you choose fits with your brand message and voice. Dive deep into their interests, blog, social pages and followers to get to know them better. You can quickly vet influencers for your brand by using a recruitment survey. Create a survey that all influencers must complete prior to being accepted into your influencer marketing program. This allows you to have all the information about your influencers in one place and lets you to easily compare potential influencers. One best practice is to clearly define who you’re looking for before you start comparing prospective influencers.

Speaking of defining your ideal influencer, you need to ensure the influencers you select are able to reach your target audience. This means you should have your ideal persona clearly defined before you start the vetting process. Getting it wrong will set you back and has the potential to hurt your reputation.

One of the most important parts of a successful influencer marketing program is your return on investment. This means making sure your products and brand are reaching your correct target audience and not just the largest group of people. Once you’re in touch with the right people, then it’s up to you and your influencers to create and share engaging content.

This step involves evaluating influencers through the lens of:

1. Reach – How many people do they reach?
2. Relevance – What subjects do they cover?
3. Resonance – Do they engage with their audiences?

Finding advocates becomes easier when you discover influencers who meets all these requirements for your brand.

It isn’t just about being the biggest celebrity anymore. Social influencers have a following who trusts, listens and engages with them on a regular basis. Their audience expects content they share to be relevant and authentic. Trying to force or mold a particular person to fit your brand and speak on your behalf is never a good idea. This is why it’s not just important that you recruit a bunch of influencers, but the right ones.

Brands have an amazing opportunity to reach and engage with their customers through a voice who consumers trust the most. It takes strategic decisions, research and proactive outreach to create and manage an influencer marketing program that delivers real results. Selecting and working with the right influencers is worth the work it takes upfront to secure a perfect fit.