Influencer marketing is getting bigger and wider these days. Everyone’s talking about how partnering with the right influencer can take your brand to the next level, but let’s spill the truth—it’s not as simple as just picking someone with a ton of followers and calling it a day. If you’re not careful, your campaign could fall flat, shutting down your entire business venture.

Before jumping into an influencer partnership, there are some key questions you need to ask. These questions can help you avoid common mistakes and make sure you’re not just picking influencers based on their popularity, but on how well they connect with your brand and your goals. In this blog, we’ll break down the five must-ask questions you should know before planning your next influencer marketing campaign.

What are your campaign goals?
If you skip setting clear campaign goals from the start, you might end up seeing little to no return on your investment. Each goal you set will lead to different outcomes, so it’s necessary to identify where your business needs improvement. By focusing on these areas, you’ll gain a better understanding of which results need improvement. Once you’ve pinpointed these goals, you can plan your campaign with a clear direction, avoiding wasted time and resources.

Who is the Target Audience of the Selected Influencer?
Doesn’t matter how popular an influencer you’ve shortlisted for your next influencer marketing campaign, if you haven’t analyzed the minutest details about their profile. Take a note of what sort of comments are they receiving, and what is the audience segment who is engaging with their content. Remember their audience should be the same you want to target for your campaign. The match is essential for you to keep track of things running smoothly through the entire campaign.

How much do they know about your brand?
While it’s important to not overburden the influencers with too much control, at the same time, you must inform them about your brand values and other nitty-gritties of the same.

It is common that the influencer might not have used your products before. If everything seems well, their follower count is amazing, content is also appreciative, the engagement is up to the follower count mark, you should think to shortlist them right away and allow them the time to use and review the products. This is important so that they get to know about your brand’s inception, it’s origin and product making procedure.

What is your campaign budget?
Influencer marketing can get expensive, so having a well-defined budget is essential. Your budget needs to cover more than just the influencer’s commercials—it should also include costs for creating content, promoting that content, and any other elements involved in the campaign.

By knowing exactly how much you can spend, you’ll be able to decide which type of influencer fits your campaign. For example, with a smaller budget, you might work with a nano or micro-influencer who has a more niche audience but charges less. If you have more to spend, you could consider partnering with a macro-influencer or even a celebrity, who might offer broader reach but at a higher cost. Your budget helps guide these decisions, making sure you get the most value for your investment.

How will you make sure the content is both creative and authentic?
Audiences can quickly tell when content feels forced and unnatural. For example, if an influencer who usually shares casual, off-the-cuff posts suddenly posts an overly dramatic, promotional video that doesn’t match their usual tone, followers may see it as inauthentic. Before launching your campaign, consider how the influencer will integrate your brand into their content naturally. This might involve giving them creative freedom or working together to develop ideas that will go with their style and audience.

Marqeting’s influencer marketing platform executes influencer marketing campaigns by matching brands with the top-trusted creators from the industry. Visit our website to know more.