In all the ongoing buzz around influencer marketing, few stop to question whether the data they’re getting from their influencer campaigns is trustworthy — or whether the influencers they have partnered with actually have the audience demographics they claim.
“[It’s] crazy to me that brands are spending so much money with influencers with a completely inaccurate idea of what the demographics of their followers are.” — Danielle Wiley, CEO, Sway Group
Marketers tend to be more focused on the end results of an influencer marketing campaign, but the truth is that it’s equally important to verify those results. Brands weren’t always able to get performance metrics directly from social media platforms, but they are now — if influencers are willing to authenticate their accounts.
Clear as mud? Essentially, influencers who permit data access to their accounts through authentication allow partnered influencer agencies like Sway Group to pull metrics directly from the platforms themselves (even metrics that may not be displayed to followers!), rather than relying on the influencer’s provided information or scraped data provided by platforms.
This is critical for all the reasons you might imagine, starting with ensuring that the influencers picked for a campaign really are the right fit for the job.
“At the end of the day, the social platform really has to speak as a source of truth, understanding that they have the user data, they know the IP addresses and where people are logging in from and what their profile says, and ultimately what their followers’ profile data says.” — Michael Lambie, Head of Global Measurement and Insights, CreatorIQ
In a recent LinkedIn Live, Sway Group’s Danielle Wiley sat down with our technology partner CreatorIQ in order to discuss this important topic:
Platform authentication also truly legitimizes the value of influencer marketing metrics. Without the first-party API data that reveals reach, impressions, engagements, and more, brands can’t be sure of their results.
In fact, without access to the data that matters, brands can’t be sure of anything. Influencer marketing without metrics is just throwing your budget at the wall … and hoping something sticks.
Want to learn more about how we ensure every one of our influencer marketing campaigns includes authenticated data? Get in touch today!
