Identifying the right influencers was the biggest challenge when rolling out an influencer engagement strategy, cited by 75%. Respondents also struggled to get influencers’ attention and to measure efforts.
Professional bloggers polled worldwide in May 2015 by GroupHigh gave some insight into influencers’ attitudes toward such partnerships, some of which may help marketers address challenges. For one, when asked which metrics marketers cared about when determining which influencers to work with, respondents said social profiles and data were the most important, at 87% of respondents. Verified traffic data followed, at three-quarters, and demographics rounded out the top three, cited by 50%. Page rank/search engine optimization standing (27%) and Alexa rank (10%) were less important.
Responses indicated that brands weren’t necessarily reaching out to bloggers the way they wanted them to. Agencies representing brands were the most likely to contact bloggers, followed by third-party networks and then brands. However, bloggers overwhelmingly wanted to be contacted by the brands themselves, cited by 79% of respondents. In comparison, just 26% wanted to hear from agencies and 4% from third parties. Read the rest at eMarketer.
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