Authenticity is a buzzword for a reason. When it comes to social media marketing, authenticity is key to gaining consumers’ trust.
Since the turn of the century, social media giants like Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok have stolen consumers’ attention. As each platform evolves, so does its cultural influence and impact on youth culture. The rise of one doesn’t always dethrone the other, though it can shift the user demographics of these titans.
Through it all, we’ve gained content creators and influencers who consumers trust in their niche — mostly when they’re authentic.
Influencer marketing has exploded because people connect with authentic, relatable content shared by real individuals. A recommendation from someone you trust tends to ring true.
Brands should work with influencers who prioritize maintaining their audience’s trust.
When audiences spot inauthenticity in a sponsorship, they lose trust. Consumers listen to creators who display integrity in what they promote. So don’t be off-put if a creator refuses certain parts of the ad copy that wouldn’t ring true to their audience.
Digital natives like Gen-Z and younger millennials can spot a creator hitting specific points from an ad read. If those don’t feel like something the influencer would normally care about, an authenticity alarm goes off in the consumer’s head.
What is an authentic influencer?
An authentic influencer promotes products and services that naturally align with their brand and values. Rather than accept any sponsorships, an authentic influencer ensures it’s a product they would authentically use before promoting it to their followers.
Authenticity can mean something different to each consumer,
A 2021 study on what authenticity means to consumers found these 6 key factors determining consumers’ perceived authenticity:
– Originality
– Legitimacy
– Proficiency
– Integrity
– Accuracy
– Connectedness
The same study notes that “consumers can place more emphasis upon a particular construct, like accuracy over originality, depending upon the context in which the concept is being evaluated.”
If an influencer seems to enjoy your product and service before you reach out to them, even better! Search for creators in that niche already raving about your product.
Say you’re a wellness brand who makes products for muscle recovery. Seek content in the physical therapist niche, for instance, and find a creator who either loves your product or uses something similar. You can start with a gift, and if they enjoyed your product, reach out to partner for a sponsored post.
An influencer can still authentically support your brand if they haven’t tried your product or service before you reach out. When influencers are authentic, audiences trust that they use discretion when accepting sponsorships.
On Sponsorship Disclosure
While it may be tempting to seek influencers who won’t disclose sponsorships, it’s important to note that in the United States, creators must disclose all advertisements in a way that is clear to the user.
In early social media — notably on youtube — sponsorships often went undisclosed. Social media marketing was new, and this uncharted territory was soon subject to regulations from the FTC. In the mid-2010s, consumers learned that certain influencers weren’t disclosing sponsorships or revenue from affiliate links and lost trust in their favorite creators.
“…influencers may try to hide the fact that a post is sponsored by using multiple hashtags where #ad or #sponsored can get easily lost or not disclosing the sponsorship at all. Some are even requested by the sponsoring companies to not disclose the partnership. A common concern seems to be that disclosing the sponsorship would damage the traditional neutrality of influencers and hurt their likeability for “selling out” (Audrezet and Charry 2019; BBC, 2020).”
The YouTube space has cleaned up its act since the early days, with far fewer undisclosed ads. The TikTok space, on the other hand, has fallen into the same pattern as early YouTube. The platform is riddled with undisclosed ads, so consumers are wary.
Interestingly, TikTok owes its rise to authentic content. In 2021, “an average of 64% of TikTok users say they can be their true selves on TikTok, while an average of 56% of TikTok users say they can post videos they wouldn’t post elsewhere” (Nielson). In a platform built on authenticity, users can spot the lack thereof.
Creators have even made content commenting on this phenomenon. Robert Welsh on Youtube, for instance, a creator in the beauty space posted this video instructing consumers on how to spot undisclosed ads on TikTok.
According to a 2022 study regarding sponsorship disclosures, transparency through clear sponsorship disclosure helps maintain the trustworthiness of the posts, preserving positive evaluations of both the brand and the influencer (AMA 2022).
Digital natives can spot an ad, so content with all the hallmarks of an advertisement yet no disclosure will quickly destroy their faith in a creator.
While some users will always view sponsored content more skeptically, this is nothing compared to the grave loss of trust that affects an audience who discovers a creator was paid to promote a product and did not properly disclose it.
Consumers’ trust in your brand works the same way. When influencers who align with your values openly disclose sponsorships and comply with legal and ethical guidelines, it underscores your brand’s transparency and reliability — highlighting your dedication to being trustworthy and responsible.
The Difference Between Popularity and Authenticity
In the early days, the number of followers was the main criterion for selecting influencers. But as influencer marketing grew, brands realized that a huge following doesn’t guarantee success. If no one appreciates the performance, there’s no point in having a full house.
Large social media influencers have advantages like vast reach and high engagement, giving your brand visibility to many potential customers. The challenge is balancing authenticity with popularity. Select influencers whose values and voice match your brand, focusing on authenticity for a more profound impact.
Micro – influencers often have high engagement and invested communities. You can make efficient use of your budget by seeking influencers in special interest communities that align with your brand. If you sell outdoor wear, various small influencers in the camping and adventure niche will have a better reach than a couple of large fitness influencers.
If your product or service does appeal to a mass audience, keep in mind that authenticity and popularity can coexist. You can search for influencers who remain genuine in their broad appeal.
How to find influencers for your campaign
Authentic influencer campaigns are distinguished by a genuine and consistent voice that resonates well with their audience without deviating from the creators’ usual style of communication.
If you’re seeking influencers for your upcoming campaign, start by compiling a list of influencers serving the same demographics of your audience.
1. Review Their Engagement & Analyze Their Audience
Check the engagement of each influencer. And go deeper than simply comparing the like and comment ratios. start by ensuring their followers interact in a way that matches their following to weed out any influencers who have paid for followers.
Next, look through their comments. Search for Reddit threads based on their content. By looking at the conversations their content sparks, you can get a sense of how invested their following is.
If you find comments from users who are grateful for the products or services the creator has recommended, it’s a clear sign that the influencer has gained their audience’s trust.
2. Verify Content Quality
Ensure the influencer produces quality content. Start by putting yourself in the shoes of your target audience. Pick one specific buyer-user persona if that helps.
Is the content consistently entertaining?
Is it educational (if that’s relevant)?
Do their posts tell a genuine and consistent story?
Does their content give you a solid sense of who they are?
Does the creator integrate ads of products and services that relate to their niche?
Answer each of these questions through the lens of your audience — and consider if the creator is a right fit. Remember to focus on the authenticity and consistency of their message rather than just the aesthetics of their photography or writing.
3. Check Past Collaborations
Look through each influencer’s content for past collaborations. Which brands have they worked with? Ensure their sponsorships show a consistent pattern. Advertisements in previous posts can serve as a reference to ensure that the influencer aligns with your brand values.
Don’t shy away from influencers who post negative reviews.
When seeking influencers who review products and services of a particular niche (fashion, beauty, tech, wellness, etc), make sure they have a good balance of positive and negative reviews. Users trust creators who aren’t afraid to make criticisms.
In some cases, you may even want to partner with a social media creator who has critiqued your brand. An influencer who has honestly criticized your brand can tout an improved product better than anyone else. Say a beauty brand reformulates a product to improve the texture, for instance. They may want to send it to a product reviewer who disliked the previous texture — speaking to your brand’s capacity to implement consumer feedback.
The De-influencing Movement
TikTok users have since popularized the de-influencing movement, where creators post what they won’t be buying and why.
“After the movement reportedly began on TikTok in early 2023, the hashtags #antihaul and #deinfluencer quickly gathered hundreds of millions of views, helping audiences to discover creator content touting products they would not purchase or repurchase” (De Gruyter 2023).
Content creators who de-influence are also influencers who endorse products — as both aim to generate goodwill and followers through perceived authenticity. De-influencers promote non-purchasing behavior, often to alleviate consumerism, but can still attract advertisers and generate profit by influencing their audience.
There is no evidence that audiences see ethical issues with Influencers using both traditional and de-influencing tactics. Despite encouraging non-purchasing, de-influencers still guide their followers’ spending decisions, maintaining their core role as influencers and potentially securing more corporate sponsorships (De Gruyter 2023).
Conclusion
When planning your brand’s next influencer marketing campaign, ensure your first goal is authenticity. Seek influencers that are genuine and easily align with your brand values.
Authenticity remains the cornerstone of successful social media marketing. Platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok have revolutionized how we communicate with influencers who can deeply connect with their audiences.
For brands, partnering with influencers who genuinely resonate with their values and maintain transparency is crucial. Authentic influencers build trust by promoting products they believe in and openly disclosing sponsorships, ensuring long-term engagement and loyalty from their followers. As social media continues to evolve, the focus on genuine, relatable content will remain vital for driving meaningful connections and achieving marketing success.
Authentic campaigns, driven by influencers who connect with their audience, lead to stronger customer acquisition and higher retention rates, proving to be more effective than traditional advertising channels.
Need help finding genuine influencers who are authentic to your brand? Email us here!