When it comes to social media influencers, everyone loves to focus on the number of followers as the primary factor in determining the influencer’s value. The bad news is that the total follower count is a worthless metric on its own. It’s essential to set higher expectations for total aggregate engagement and to focus on the factors that truly matter, such as matching influencer demographics to the target audience and translating active followers into actual engagement.

It’s crucial to set realistic expectations when it comes to influencer marketing. Local businesses must be mindful of the potential reach and engagement they can expect from partnering with social media influencers. Determining the right number of followers for an influencer to have a meaningful impact on your local business is not just about the raw numbers. Several factors play a role in setting the bar high and ensuring that your investment in influencer marketing yields significant returns. In this article, we will explore how to gauge the potential reach of influencers and set a minimum threshold for follower interaction to ensure maximum benefit for local businesses.

Setting the Bar High for Influencers

Don’t settle for less. Consider setting a minimum standard of 100,000 local, engaged followers. A larger audience increases the likelihood of reaching a more significant number of potential customers within your target demographic. However, it’s important to remember that base follower numbers alone don’t guarantee success. The key factors that can translate into actual engagement are:

1. 1. 1. Follower Demographics Matching Your Target Audience
         The influencer’s audience should closely match the demographics of your target customers, including age, gender, location, and interests. For example, if your local business targets women aged 25-40 interested in eco-friendly beauty products, an influencer with a majority of followers in this demographic would be ideal. However, if your business is in the world of home improvement, those numbers are absolutely terrible because the direct correlation between your target audience and the engaged audience of the influencer is unlikely to be more than a very slim margin.

      2. Active Follower Percentage and Actual Engagement
         An influencer with a high follower count and a 3% or higher engagement rate suggests that their audience is active and responsive. For instance, an influencer with 100,000 followers and a 3% engagement rate would have 3,000 active followers per post. However, not all of these active followers will engage with sponsored content. Assuming that 10% of active followers interact with sponsored posts, the actual engagement for your business would be 300 engagements per post which is still a pretty terrible number without a dialed-in way for the influencer to track actual conversion rates (how many engagements actually turned into purchases).

      3. Genuine Interest in Your Niche
         An influencer with genuine interest and expertise in your niche is more likely to drive authentic engagement with your target audience. Their followers are already interested in the content they create and may be more inclined to engage with posts featuring your products or services. 100,000 followers does you absolutely no good unless the vast majority of them are actually going to be interested in your specific business. Remember, an influencer’s base followers are almost worthless. Active, engaged followers with a vested interest in your market niche are the only ones that matter.

      4. Trust and Credibility
         A trusted and credible influencer in the local community can significantly impact your business’s success. Local influencers with a history of promoting local businesses and maintaining strong relationships with their audience can boost the likelihood of their followers engaging with sponsored content. Things to look for will be the ratio of how many posts the influencer posts about themselves versus actually promoting and supporting their local business clients.

         If the influencer’s page is filled with selfies, that should be a hard pass. You need to find someone with a strong grasp of business engagement with a demonstrated string of recent posts that prove that they know how to engage with a buying audience. The 100,000 adoring fans of your local facebook model are worth absolutely nothing. 100,000 actively engaged users that are looking to shop local deals are worth solid gold.