In trying to decide which influencer to collaborate with, brands often look at the number of followers a given influencer has. But the number of followers is just half the story. The other half is influencer engagement. This is what influencer marketing agencies suggest a brand look at mainly when deciding which influencer to go with.
Engagement is any interaction the social media user makes with an influencer’s post. This interaction could be in the form of likes, shares, comments or any kind of clicks. The exact type of interaction varies depending on the social media platform. For example, retweets are possible only on Twitter. But some interactions count more than others. For instance, a comment would count for more, as it takes more effort on the user’s part to make a comment than to like or simply view. Influencer marketing agencies have studied engagement as compared to other metrics and stress its unignorably importance.
Influencer marketing and the importance of engagement rates
Influencer marketing agencies claim that engagement rates should be the most important consideration when brands are choosing influencers for collaboration. This strategy is substantiated by a 2021 report from Influencer Marketing Hub that says engagement or clicks, in general, are the important factor in picking an influencer for a brand.
There is so much content competing for our attention on all social media platforms today, and talented and skilled content creator influencers are those who are able to regularly get not only attention but also interaction (engagement) from their following. A good engagement rate is the best guarantee, as much as a guarantee is possible, that the money a brand is spending on an influencer will generate a profitable return on the investment and drive sales. But what is a “good engagement rate”?
Best engagement rates for influencer marketing
The engagement rate is calculated by dividing the number of engagements for an influencer by their number of followers and multiplying it by 100. The engagement rate is basically the average amount of engagement an influencer is generating overall expressed as a percentage. Unfortunately, these influencer engagement rates are declining on the whole, as there is an ever-increasing number of creators today and an ever-increasing amount of content. Influencer marketing agencies have specific criteria to determine whether an influencer’s engagement rate is good or not.
In numbers, a good influencer engagement rate for a mid to mega-size influencer (100K-1M+ followers) would be 3% or above, though most influencers in this tier range will usually have an engagement rate between 1% and 3%. Micro-influencers (less than 15K followers), however, will have an engagement rate of 5% and above if they are good. Influencer marketing agencies recommend brands keep these figures in mind.
Wise advice for influencer marketing
It is well advised for brands to keep in mind that it’s not that simple and there is more complexity to influencer engagement. For example, engagement rates are to be evaluated differently for each platform, because different types of interactions are more common on different platforms. Then there is the phenomenon of fake followers. Some influencers (intentionally or not) have fake followers that also drive engagement and can fool the brand. There are inevitably some fake followers, but a real followers rate of 90% or above is good. That means the influencer has a real audience.
To navigate these complexities and case-specific scenarios, it is recommended that brands work with influencer marketing agencies, who are experts in the field. Moreover, influencer marketing agencies understand the brand’s personality, identity and vision well and are able to match them with the right influencers who will fit into the brand’s overall awareness and sales strategy.
