Having a public figure representing your brand can go a long way in growing your brand image. In the past, big brands used to hire celebrities as ambassadors, while smaller brands could make use of mascot or mascot-like characters to attract attention. While these practices are still ubiquitous, social media has brought us yet another viable option to grow the brand image. And let us tell you, it is actually super effective – finding the right influencer in South Africa to represent your brand
Yes, that is correct. We are talking about social media influencers here. You might have heard this term already, thanks to Instagram. An Instagram influencer is a worldwide well-known term for those who use social media. In this article, we are going to talk about how you can find the right influencer to represent your business in South Africa.
Who is an Influencer?
Before we define that, let’s be absolutely clear on this. A celebrity can be an influencer, but not every influencer is a celebrity. Are we clear? Good!
Now, an influencer. An influencer is a following in a defined niche(s), in which they hold authority, knowledge, and a position over their followers. People follow influencers mainly because they get some value out of them. In past, people used to gather in public places to hear or interact with them.
Social media has been revolutionary and allowed a common person to rise as an influencer, given you have the right way of representing yourself. South Africa alone has thousands of social media influencers. There are five levels of influencers.
- Superstar influencers with more than a million followers (such as celebrities)
- A-lister influencers with 250K to 1 million followers
- B-lister influencers with 50K to 250K followers
- Micro-influencers with 5K to 50K followers
- Nano-influencers with 1K to 5K followers
Where to find the right Influencer in South Africa?
You can find such influencers in South Africa on popular social media channels such as Instagram, Facebook, Youtube, and even LinkedIn. Also, nowadays, South Africa has observed the rise of TikTok, especially amongst the younger population. Influencers have also understood the importance of this platform, and so, this might prove to be a good place to look for influencers too.
But, social media isn’t the only way to find influencers online in South Africa. Another way to do so is to create a ‘landing page’ on your website for ‘influencer collaborations’. If you are a fairly reputed company, this works in your favour as nano and micro level influencers are often looking for ways to make extra income. This is a win-win situation, as hiring multiple nano and micro level influencers is actually more effective for your business, and they get to earn the extra income.
How to Choose the right Influencer for your Brand?
Your brand image matters, so should the influencer who will represent your brand. Ask yourself these four important questions:
- What is the size of my business?
- What is the niche of my business?
- Does this influencer feel like the right buyer profile for my brand?
- How much budget would your business be able to spend on hiring influencer(s)?
Let us explain each question thoroughly.
1. Size of the Business:
If you are a small business in Cape Town, you would not hire Bonang Matheba as your brand’s voice, would you? An influencer like that would literally overshadow your brand. Similarly, a giant corporation would not consider hiring nano or micro-level influencers as their brand voice. The type of influencer and your business size matter when you are finding the right influencer in South Africa.
There is a right type of influencer for all types of businesses. Being aware of your business size is an important factor in this chain.
2. Niche of your Business:
Another important factor in your chain decision is understanding the niche of your brand. You would want to hire an influencer who shares some level of authority in the niche your brand deals in. This way, you stand a higher chance of influencing the right target audience. An influencer who has a good level of authority in your niche is the best influencer for your business.
For example, Mark Jackson would do wonders for your brand as an influencer if you are into the photography business.
3. A right buyer profile:
The most ideal influencer for your brand would be the one who would actually find your products or services convincing. Such influencers can convincingly introduce and recommend your brand to the audience. Technically, you can still go for any other influencer. But, if you can find an influencer who also fits your brand’s ideal buyer persona, you’re golden.
4. Budget planning:
A deciding factor in actually hiring an influencer. Influencers have put countless hours into being where they are today and they spend around 8 or so hours producing content for your audience. So of course, influencers have their prices. Make sure the influencers you are hiring for your brand are within your budget. Make sure the influencers you are hiring would actually be helpful as your brand’s voice, and that you get a good ROI value out of it.
Bottom Line
Three important things to remember if you are finding the right influencer in South Africa:
- You should choose appropriate influencers as your business’ voice, depending on your business’ size and niche.
- Micro and nano-level influencer(s) are more effective than higher-level influencers, especially if your business is on a small or medium scale.
- Influencer marketing actually helps your website’s SEO as well, as they spread your presence around the internet.
If you are finding an influencer in South Africa, we would suggest you start looking from here: Top 1000 Instagram Influencers in South Africa in 2021 | StarNgage
The best thing is that they also have mentioned categories for each influencer listed, making it easy for you to choose an appropriate influencer.
If you are looking for other ways to improve your brand’s image, Digital Lime Green can offer you a social media management or a digital advertising package. We are a small website design and digital advertising agency in Cape Town that provide high-quality services at affordable prices. Please contact us for more information.