Would you choose Lady Gaga to be the face of your big data company?

Sure, she’s got an impressive 37.4 million followers on the ‘gram.

She’s a big-name star, selling out stadiums around the world. The question is, how much authority does she have in the big data world?

Watch that 37.4 million drop to zero.

According to Linqia, 86% of marketers use influencer marketing today and over 92% have found it effective.

Throwing money at an influencer feels like a quick win, but it’s not always the right move when there’s more to chase than hearts and hashtags.

Read on for a delve into the do’s and don’ts to make sure you’re investing your time and budget where it counts.

But first…

Print. A Japanese stereotype.

Japan still tops global rankings for newspaper circulation, with the top three spots held by Yomiuri Shimbun (11,266,806); Asahi Shimbun (8,005,453) and Nikkei Shimbun (3, 870,927). [2018 figures, combined morning and evening editions].

However, the Yomiuri has seen its combined readership drop 20% from 14,323,781 people in 2002 to 11,266,806 today. A Nikkei random 5,000-person poll in 2008 found that 90% of respondents were getting their news from print. In 2018 that number had dropped to just 68.5%.

Don’t fall for the stereotype. Even Japan is not immune to the impact of digital, the rise of alternative news sources and the changing face of influence.

Traditional media and specialist magazines remain a critical element to any advocacy program, but clearly social media is filling a gap in Japanese consumption, blurring traditional lines between news, editorial and experience-led content.

Influencers. Who cares?

As consumers, we’ve got trust issues.

Generations of us have now grown up with so-called hard-hitting marketing messaging at every turn, every page and every click. It just isn’t enough to convince your average consumer anymore.

We need proof. And who better to prove it to us than someone we admire, trust and respect?

Yes, brands have been using celebrities to promote products since Wedgwood began stamping a royal endorsement on their pottery in the 1760s. Social media however has fired things up to levels beyond the kiln.

92% of marketers cite Instagram as the most important network for influencer marketing. It makes sense. It’s easily digestible, sharable and has more than 1 billion active users, with the average user spending 55 minutes per day scrolling, commenting and interacting.

For our purposes, let’s define an influencer as bringing two things to the table:

A user who has established credibility in a specific industry, access to a large audience and can persuade others to act.
Has the tools and credibility to attract many viewers consistently and motivate others.

Just like traditional PR, influencers offer reach and a call to action. But not just any old influencer will do.

Let’s take a look at the types out there.

CELEBRITIES

Celebrity endorsement is a powerful thing. We live in a celebrity-obsessed world, with 24/7 exposure to their social media musings, pictures and videos.

It’s fairly basic psychology, hitting all the aspects of social proof: “I want to be like them. If the celebs are doing it, I want to do it too.”

THOUGHT LEADERS

These are your industry experts. Journalists, academics, industry leaders and professional advisors. Their value is rooted in credibility due to qualifications, position, experience and knowledge – and as our look at thought leadership discusses, they produce content worth stealing.

Put simply, we believe them because they know things we don’t.

CONTENT CREATORS

Bloggers and content creators will most likely have a specialised niche. This means they don’t communicate to the masses, but have nurtured a community who are looking to them for topics they’ll find interesting. Particularly powerful in Japan, the land of the super-enthusiast.

Think of them as industry experts, but with valuable marketing know-how.

MICRO-INFLUENCERS

Micro-influencers are smaller-scale personalities who promote brands.

They usually have between 1,000 to 10,000 followers, share posts that are in partnership with other users/brands, and tag brands that are in the photo (even if it’s not a partnership post).

If you can see them tagging brands in photos, it’s usually a sign that they’ll consider promoting a brand on their Instagram page.

Do’s and don’ts

DO choose someone that aligns with your brand

An influencer needs to enhance and protect your brand, not confuse it. All of those building blocks you’ve put in place to form your brand need to remain intact, not obliterated by a wildcard influencer.

Here’s a checklist:

Tone of voice and brand personality. Does your influencer fit your brand’s characteristics and the way it speaks? For example, if you’re a young, cool beauty start-up don’t choose a stuffy corporate face as your influencer of choice.
Target audience. Do your audience know and relate to the influencer? If he or she is irrelevant to them, you’ll want to steer well clear. Even if they’re a global superstar (Lady Gaga and big data).
Values. Do they share the values of your brand? For instance, if you’re a vegan clothing company, don’t go for someone who’s known for their meat-eating ways.

DON’T CHOOSE SOMEONE WHO ISN’T INTERESTED IN YOUR BRAND

This is pretty important. If a post is insincere, your audience will be able to tell.

Even more dangerous is that if they don’t care about or believe in your brand, they’re liable to make mistakes.

DO MAKE SURE THEIR FANS ARE INTERACTING WITH THEIR PHOTOS AND POSTS

There’s a reason you’ve heard the term ‘everyone’s an influencer these days’. It’s because it’s so easy to stick that in your bio if you have a fair few followers.

But how many of those followers are actually engaging? Is there genuine trust and a relationship there?

Review their photos and see if real users are liking and commenting on the photos.

Things to look out for:

Are followers tagging friends in the comments?
Are they asking follow-up questions about what’s in the photo?
Is the influencer responding? One-way conversations are not a good sign.

DON’T PICK someone ON THE WRONG PLATFORM

Put simply, don’t put all your eggs in the Instagram basket if your audience isn’t there.

We’re all consumers so the temptation to do something flashy is always there, but B2B content is likely better shared via niche media titles or a B2B blogger with an enviable email list of eager subscribers.

OK now you’ve thought about all this, don’t be afraid to come back to that original question…

So do I really need an influencer?

Are you being influenced by all the gurus out there (this post included), singing the praises of influencer marketing?

Amid ever-changing algorithms and noisy minorities, there’s still a strong argument to be made that influencers mostly preach to the converted and miss the mark when it comes to reaching the ‘invisible audience’.

Three types of social media audiences

Enthusiasts: those who post more than five times a week
Dabblers: those who post two to four times a week
Lurkers: those who post once a week (or just lurk without posting)

Here’s the interesting thing. Lurkers make up 52% of social media users and they’re far less interested in being influenced. They’re unlikely to talk about posts, products or services they’ve seen on social media to family and friends.

Remember, influencers will have more impact on the enthusiasts and dabblers.

So there’s no one answer. It requires a deep understanding of your audience, local insights and some strategic thinking to truly reach and influence your audience.

Still unsure? If you haven’t already been influenced to do so, contact us to request personalised recommendations and a communications plan that best reaches your audience.

2021 update: Read our thoughts on what COVID-19 means for your Japan PR, for an updated take on shifting attitudes in Japan towards digital PR.