Questions to ask before hiring a social media influencer

Solopreneurs, startups, and Fortune 500 companies have all resorted to using digital marketing to help their growth prospects after seeing the kind of potential it has. It becomes an expensive process when a startup tries to do it themselves. Running campaigns and creating strategies for social media require a battalion of experts and is not the work of two or three social media interns that you hire from MBA colleges for free. There has to be a defined strategy that identifies target segment, the platforms required to be concentrated on, and the goals that need to be achieved for the next three, six, and twelve months. Find a social media consultant who has the experience to take up the burden because you need someone who can raise your brand awareness.

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What are the things that you need to take care of before you hire a social media influencer?

Do they know your industry?

It is imperative that your hire should at least have a basic knowledge of how the industry works. They should at least understand the behaviour of your particular target market. You can ask them questions based on your industry and gauge their knowledge in it. See if they have written any articles on how social media in your industry works. If not the industry, has he or she ever done work for your specific target market for some other product?

Your hire’s portfolio

If a hire that you are interviewing is hesitant to share their portfolio, it is a red flag for you to stop the process with them. It means they have something to hide or nothing impressive to show. If you like their portfolio, take the liberty to call up any of their clients to find if they were pleased with their services. People usually are more than happy to share their feedback. Talking to their clients will help you to establish if they are technically strong or not. Evaluate their social media profiles to identify instances of clever thinking and strategy to bring about a change in the prospects of their client.

Ask them to share some social media campaign ideas for your business

Candidates should be given the opportunity to ideate and create innovative campaigns for your business. Without giving too much away, candidates should be able to plot strategies that will invite a lot of reactions and shares from the target market. What are the hashtags they would use on Twitter for your business? What are the relevant FB groups they would target?

How do they track ROI?

The best thing about social media, unlike traditional media, is that you can track almost everything. We do know that not everything has an immediate ROI, but you can certainly know whether people saw your post or tweet. Ask your potential hire how they analyse conversion rates and monitor it. Do you know to use Google Analytics, Page Insights, and Iconosquare for Instagram? You need these metrics to see how your campaign has fared.

How do they come up with a strategic plan?

Is there a ‘one size fits all’ marketing strategy that they employ, or do they take a week or two to figure out what to do for the client’s various handles? Is there a workflow that guides them through developing a plan for each client? Would they constantly change the plan based on the requirement or according to the company’s constant changes, or will you follow a rigid plan?

What are their pricing plans?

Is there a minimum contract period? After you have discussed with them about having a monthly retainer or one-time fee, understand the kind of budget that is required to spend on ads and other miscellaneous expenses. Will there be additional costs for communication after the stipulated time? Do they offer a discount for referring additional clients? Spend time on preparing such an exhaustive list before you commit.

What are the other questions do you think that need to be asked before you hire a social media influencer? Feel free to let us know in the comments below.