Influencer marketing has definitely conquered its place in promoting goods and services. Brands turn to opinion leaders, as people tend to trust authorities. But we also face a situation where advertisers are no longer satisfied enough with a huge number of subscribers. They need a person who will create high-quality and useful content for a certain audience, which in turn will lead to targeted actions on the part of consumers. And here it comes to the fact that bloggers should have certain expertise and be “pros” in what they say or do.

Influencer and performance marketing agency Zorka.Agency answered some of the most common questions about the expertise of opinion leaders.

Is it important for a blogger to be an expert?

It depends on the type of advertising campaign. If we talk about youth brands or mobile games, then the blogger’s charisma and fascinating content will be more important than his education. However, the brand must choose an influencer based on the portrait of its target audience, and adhere to brand safety. In certain business areas, blogger’s education can even attract the right audience.

Do advertisers strive for quality expert content?

Most advertisers are primarily interested in sales and performance, rather than coverage. Therefore, it is essential for an influencer to know what he is talking about.

In most cases, bloggers with wide reach are addressed to only for image purposes. If the brand is interested in working with a blogger-expert, then, generally, there already exists narrow targeting and a certain goal is being pursued. For example, if an advertising campaign requires business channels with a solvent audience, then we select those bloggers who talk about entrepreneurship, startups, technologies, etc. In this case, it is really important to find the experts. Often these are nano- and micro-influencers since their audience is specifically those people who are interested in the topic. While bloggers with wide reach have the audience whose interests too diverse to be confident in getting on target.

In what areas influencer expertise is significant?

The blogger’s knowledge is important, for example, in the medical and business fields. It is always rewarding to address to a person if he has a good grasp. Firstly, he makes competent and efficient content. Secondly, such an influencer can be an interesting solution for an advertising campaign.

For example, mobile games with a historical connotation may look for bloggers who have a good command of the history topic in order to natively connect the mobile game and its storytelling. Also, when planning dedicated campaigns gaming projects prefer to turn to professional gamers, as they understand how the functionality of a particular genre works, and are able to demonstrate the game well.

What is the role of the agency in the selection of the right bloggers?

Firstly, specialists from the agency can make a high-quality targeted selection of bloggers, as they have all the necessary tools for the audience analysis.

Secondly, they have already launched a lot of advertising campaigns and may have much more information about this or that influencer than there is in open sources.

Thirdly, the agency can act as a legal pillow, which is very important. When advertising products that have restrictions, side effects, or products that fall under the law on advertising, the agency conducts a thorough examination of influencers, either internally or outsourced. It helps to develop an advertising strategy that protects the brand from blocking, negative reaction of the audience and scandals.

Advertisers now ask for an explanation and confirmation of why a particular blogger is suitable for their campaign. They are interested not only in performance indicators, such as ER and views, but they also wonder what story is behind this page, what is remarkable for a blogger as a person. The agency helps to answer all these questions.