With a lot of content to choose from, social media users have become wary of content that looks like ads. While influencer marketing can help take your brand from one level to another, the era when influencers would be pictured with images of a product to act as an endorsement is long gone.
Today, audiences are asking more questions, paying closer attention, and even asking more questions. This means it's no longer enough to increase social media reach and drive visibility. Instead, social media audiences want to understand the people they are speaking to and whether they are credible. That means if the influencer marketing strategy is to remain effective, it should shift its focus from driving volume to generating clarity, trust, and long-term alignment. In this detailed guide, we take you through the steps of building trust and transparency when leveraging influencer marketing.
How Social Media Users Have Become Wary of Ads
According to a study conducted on 11,000 consumers in the United States, 96% of them had a social media account, with 85% of them engaging with social media ads. This shows there is a lot of opportunity to reach your target audience on social media. However, consumers are also becoming wary of ads, as they feel they do not provide them with a good user experience.
According to people surveyed, the majority of users suggest that they find ads overwhelming, irrelevant, and repetitive. Various studies show that:
- Around 3 of every 4 users suggest that there are too many ads on social media.
- 63% of social media users say social media ads are repetitive and that they keep seeing the same ad repeatedly.
- 44% of social media users say they find the ads to be irrelevant to their needs and wants. The number rises to over 51% for audiences over 35 years old.
Another study suggests that consumers only trust around 33% of ads compared to 90% of influencer posts. This is because of the influencer's ability to connect more authentically with their target audience. Influencers are also able to show their knowledge, expertise, and real passion for their niche. When influencers show authenticity in content and engagement, this results in more influencer trust in their opinions and recommendations, turning them into brand ambassadors.
However, with consumers increasingly becoming aware that influencers are endorsing products for monetary gains, they are also becoming wary of influencers who advertise brands they wouldn't buy.
Why Trust is Key For Influencer Marketing
There is a lot of promotional content on social media today, where creators are seen promoting products on social media. The constant exposure to ads has, over time, impacted how audiences respond to influencer content. Before they believe the message from an influencer, many consumers first stop to see if the influencer is honest, relevant, and consistent. When the elements aren't there, the engagement level of the influencer post usually drops. This shift isn't an indication of the ineffectiveness of influencer marketing. It means the influencer's expectations are becoming higher, with trust as the deciding factor.
For an influencer marketing campaign to be successful, it must be founded on trust. There is a need for brands to carefully choose influencers whose values align with theirs and those of their target audience. For successful social media marketing, there is a need for authentic relationships that are built on mutual trust to gain a long-term partnership that drives brand advocacy and engagement.
For an influencer marketing program to work, it should feel more like a personal recommendation rather than an advertisement. When content feels like it was created by a business and is delivered by someone who doesn't believe in it, this results in audience mistrust. This is despite the fact that trust is what determines whether the content shared by an influencer results in:
- Audiences watching or skipping it.
- Content is forgotten or saved.
- Gets mocked instead of shared.
- Is believed rather than questioned.
If there is no trust, reach becomes noise. Even if the influencer already has millions of followers, there is no guarantee that it will result in respect or belief. To build credibility, a creator should:
- Remain focused on a clear niche or topic.
- Have a consistent opinion in the long term.
- Result in the partnership making more sense for audiences.
- Result in a matching experience during the promotions.
When there is an alignment of these elements, it results in earned influence. On the other hand, if there is no alignment, it causes the audiences to disengage.
How Authenticity Transforms Influencer Marketing
According to one study, 69% of customers trust recommendations from peers and influencers more than brand messaging. However, you cannot build trust by creating overly polished content. It's built on honesty, relevance, and the development of the creator's voice.
When creator content feels authentic, it reads like a friend's recommendation rather than a paid ad or a scripted copy. Influencer marketing works better compared to traditional marketing because of the trust signals. Once it looks like an influencer is faking things, trust disappears.
Authenticity is more valuable than before for several reasons, such as:
An Increase in Ad Fatigue
As noted earlier, social media users are exposed to many ads every day. If a video sounds promotional, they will instantly skip it. According to one study, over 60% of consumers prefer the recommendation of relatable influencers while only 11% choose the influencer endorsement.
Algorithms Are Rewarding Engagement
The top social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube prioritize highly engaging videos that drive more shares, comments, and saves over videos that are only receiving a high number of impressions. If you create authentic posts, they drive real interaction, while scripted ones only get a few likes.
An Increase in Skepticism by Consumers
Reports indicate that only five percent of customers fully trust an influencer endorsement. That means 95% of audiences are on the lookout for credibility signals and are becoming better at seeing undisclosed partnerships. This deception will not only hurt a single post but will damage your business credibility.
How to Determine If An Audience Trusts Your Content
Authenticity cannot be added after production; it should be felt in the creation. Trust isn't measured as a single metric but leaves several signals you should be on the lookout for. These are:
- Sentiments in the comments. The comment can be a sign of skepticism and belief in real time. If content is trusted, it drives curiosity, personal experiences, and agreement. On the other hand, if people distrust your content, it results in disengagement, sarcasm, and call-outs. The tone usually matters more than the volume.
- Saves. Saves indicate consideration in the future. They show that your audience can feel the value beyond that particular moment, whether in trying the product, saves and shares.
- Shares. People are not likely to share content unless endorsing it. When shares happen in the feed or group chat, it shows the recommendations are credible.
- User's actions. The searches, profile visits, and follower behaviors can be an indication of the movement of trust. These actions show more intent compared to the likes and comments.
How to Foster Trust in Influencer Marketing Campaigns
Now that you understand the importance of trust, here are top tips for fostering trust in your influencer marketing campaigns:
Provide for Authenticity in Your Brief
When creating an influencer brief, authenticity has to be accounted for. When you get authenticity right, and you have an influencer creating content that resonates with their audience and your brand, you will win the war on authenticity. You will have hired a non-trustworthy advertiser if you don't get it right, and social media users will be wary of them.
Here is what you need to include in your influencer brief:
- Context of the product. What problem does your brand solve? Make sure the creator has a good understanding of your product.
- CTA. Outline what the viewer should do, whether it is to click on the shared link, take advantage of a discount code, or buy a product. Have a very specific CTA.
- Main message. Add a key takeaway you need your audience to carry. Avoid several of them, as it will be harder for them to remember.
- Non-negotiables. Make sure there is full FTC disclosure, the proper pronunciation of your brand name, and any professional claims, such as medical ones, that they should avoid making.
- Usage rights. You need to explain beforehand where the influencer content should be used, whether in paid ads, organic content, or a combination of the two. Creators should change their strategy depending on this.
Make sure you also understand what you will be leaving open, such as:
- Opening and hook. The creator should understand what scroll-stopping is and should write this down.
- Exact wording. Provide them with a message instead of a script. For instance, if they are promoting a pressure cooker, let them know how it will save time on their meal preparation. They can use words such as "See how this pressure cooker has revolutionized my cooking".
- Settings and Format. Allow the influencer to choose the format of their content, whether a headshot, behind-the-scenes content, or unboxing videos. This is key, as they best understand the kind of content that works best for their channels.
- Tone. When you select the right influencer, you should allow them to choose the tone to use.
Leverage Micro and Nano Influencers
Brands are now preferring to work with micro influencers because of the need for authenticity. Micro influencers are creators with between 10K and 50K followers. On the other hand, nano influencers are those with less than 10K followers.
For instance, an influencer with 3,000 subscribers in a particular niche can drive better engagement with audiences. This can be attributed to the fact that these influencers usually have a closer relationship with audiences. They communicate regularly on a one-on-one basis.
Micro and nano influencers often focus on a small niche where they are seen to be experts. That means when they recommend something, their recommendation is seen to be more genuine and honest compared to a superstar with millions of followers, who is often seen to be marketing a product rather than a genuine endorsement.
According to one study, 63% of consumers consider micro and nano influencers to be more authentic than mega influencers. The study also adds that 61% of social media users are more likely to follow a micro or nano influencer.
Embrace Deinfluencing
One of the influencer marketing trends that is rising in popularity is deinfluencing, where influencers encourage their followers not to buy a brand they deem to be harmful to the environment or for ethical reasons. That means, in the same way influencer recommendations can help create brand trust, the opposite is true. In recent years, the #deinfluencing hashtag has garnered millions of views on TikTok.
That means before buying a product or service, customers are asking some hard questions, such as:
- Is this product worth buying?
- How safe and sustainable are the materials used to make this product?
- Is this product really worth it?
Deinfluencing can feel like a bad thing for brands when influencers discourage their followers from buying your brand. However, it can be a good way for brands to use influencer marketing to increase customers' trust.
They can do that in different ways, such as:
- Showing transparency. You need to be open about the materials used to make the brand, their sourcing, impact, and surprises. This is important as consumers would like to better understand what goes into making the brand and the process of making the product.
- Ethics should be the main ethical focus, but not the campaign. Make sure your business model is an embodiment of ethical practices and share your story authentically.
- Focus on providing value. Make sure your customer understands why the product is helpful in their life, beyond the trends and discounts. Show them how it will solve their problems, last longer, and enhance their well-being.
- Educate instead of overselling. Provide some helpful information to enable the shopper to make an informed choice. When you create content to educate, it will build more trust compared to hard selling.
Deinfluencing shouldn't be taken as a passing fad but should be a wake-up call for brands to be customer-focused, ethical, and honest. By using transparency to build genuine value and trust, it's easy to connect with shoppers interested in substance instead of style.
Focus on a Long-term Campaign
When you run a short-term campaign, it can bring some quick attention but may not result in long-lasting value. If a creator only mentions your brand once, social media users will notice. That makes the whole recommendation feel transactional rather than an authentic relationship.
Here are some of the key benefits of working with an influencer in the long term:
- Increased authenticity. You can imagine a situation where you see your favorite influencer using a particular brand consistently. This will send a message that they truly love the product and weren't paid to advertise it. Audiences can observe the consistency in the influencer recommendation and check the credibility in the long run. Trust arises from repetition rather than surprise. For most organizations, the move from that isolated campaign to an ongoing relationship can help drive results.
- Better storytelling. When you have an online partnership with an influencer, you enable them to understand the product better in a way that enables them to create better narratives, such as unboxing videos, sharing some top tips, and adding the brand to their everyday moments.
- More audience trust. Trust building is usually an ongoing process. Audiences want to know if a creator truly believes in the product they are marketing, which means a strong brand affinity and a higher conversion rate.
- Higher ROI. A long-term influencer marketing campaign may have a higher upfront cost but will pay off in the long term using deeper engagement, higher impressions, and a lower level of customer acquisition cost. Through repetition, the presence of your brand can perform better than a single campaign.
Therefore, when you focus on a long-term relationship, the influencer recommendation can feel authentic.
Ensure Full Disclosure
According to one study, 71% of buyers say that for them to trust an influencer, they need to know their relationships with a business. That means if you are hiding your partnership, this will kill your authenticity and trust. Therefore, when sharing sponsored content, provide full disclosure that the article, review, or post was paid for.
Such transparency can enable people to recognize the difference between paid messaging and a genuine opinion, ensuring trust in the public information shared. When doing that, you need to:
- Focus on transparency. Use visible labels and clear language to show that the content is sponsored to enable viewers to understand the involved financial relationships.
- Protect reputation. When you have an honest disclosure, you can remain compliant with the law to increase credibility and gain the trust of customers and followers.
- Follow the legal guidelines. Ensure that all paid endorsements and partnerships are disclosed according to the law, avoiding the use of hidden references and ambiguous hashtags that can mislead audiences.
When social media audiences understand why a creator is sharing something, they can listen more. On the other hand, unclear or hidden sponsorships can result in doubt. When you are transparent, it becomes easier to protect the creators. But when there are some clear expectations, it is easier to maintain trust even with sponsored content.
Choose the Right Influencer to Build Trust
Your choice of an influencer will be a key factor that determines the amount of trust that social media users have in your brand. That means when hiring an influencer, you need to consider the following factors on top of working with macro and nano influencers we discussed earlier.
Niche Alignment
You can consider a situation where a micro influencer in the vegetarian niche starts promoting a hearty beef stew. This recommendation will look authentic and will leave their followers confused. That is why it is important to choose an influencer who is already creating content in your category.
For instance, if you are a seller of sports shoes, a good idea would be to collaborate with an influencer who reviews sports gear. Otherwise, if you collaborate with a creator in the tech space, the recommendation will appear inauthentic, and there will be a mismatch between your target audience and theirs.
To ensure that the influencer aligns with your niche, pay attention to their previous 20 to 30 posts. Consider if they are consistent with the topic. If the answer is yes, it means you are building on their authenticity.
Consider their Quality of Engagement
A common mistake that brands make when hiring an influencer is that they check the number of followers an influencer has. However, an engagement rate will rarely show the level of trust. Therefore, you need to dig deeper to ensure that the engagement is genuine.
Read comments to find out if they are related to the post or are generic. If you find some generic comments such as "nice post" repeated over and over again, this means it could be fake. Consider also the fraction of likes and comments, and pay attention to the number of shares and saves. These can be great trust signals, as they need more trust compared to the double taps.
Do They Mention Your Product in Your Category?
A great trust signal is when an influencer is already discussing products related to yours. This works great because their followers associate them with your category. For instance, a tech gadget reviewer will look authentic when they review AirPods. The product will fit naturally in their current content.
Leverage an Influencer Marketing Platform
If you want to find and vet a creator from scratch, this can be challenging. This is why a good idea would be to find an influencer on a top influencer marketing tool where they are vetted for content standards, audience authenticity, and quality of engagement. Such influencers are more likely to create scroll-stopping Instagram content.
Final Thought
With social media users becoming wary of promotional content, it has become more important to work with influencers who drive authenticity. This will not only bring you an audience that is interested in your brand, but you can also get loyal customers. Therefore, use the steps outlined above to find an influencer who drives trust and transparency.
