Unveiling the Power of Influencers: A Guide for Nonprofits on Partnering with the Right Creators
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Are you looking for new ways to reach your target audience and drive actions and donations for your nonprofit? Partnering with influencers could be your solution to increase awareness and support for your cause. These helpful tips provide valuable insights on identifying and collaborating with influencers to amplify your nonprofit's mission.
How to define different levels and tiers of social media influencers:
To begin with, it's crucial to understand the different levels and tiers of influencers, which range from mega-celebrities to micro-influencers with niche followings. Knowing the various tiers can help you determine which aligns best with your nonprofit's goals and audience demographics. While mega and macro-influencers may have more significant followings, they come with higher costs. In contrast, micro and nano-influencers often have more engaged and loyal communities. Here's a helpful guide we use:
nano-influencer: less than 10,000 followers
micro-influencer: 10,000 - 100,000 followers
macro-influencers: 100,000-500,000 followers
mega-influencers / celebrities: more than 500,000 followers
How to Vet and Research Influencers for Your Nonprofit:
When vetting potential influencers, it's essential to look beyond their follower count and delve into audience demographics, engagement rates, content authenticity, and alignment with your nonprofit's values. You want to conduct thorough research by reviewing their past collaborations, audience feedback, and content quality to ensure they fit well with your nonprofit.
Specifically for nonprofits, begin by curating stories from mission-affected creators who have a direct connection with your nonprofit. From there, make sure that you are connecting with influencers who represent a diverse range of connections to your cause and demographics. After you have vetted mission-affected creators with a connection to your brand, expand your search through hashtag research.
If you’d like to learn more about Hiper’s digital marketing services for nonprofit organizations, reach out today.
How to Use Hashtags to Find Influencers:
Hashtags are powerful tools for discovering influencers within specific niches or industries. By searching relevant hashtags related to your nonprofit's mission, you can identify creators who are already passionate about causes similar to yours. Engage with their content, assess their influence and authenticity, and consider reaching out for potential collaborations.
What Is an Ideal Engagement Rate?
While follower count is important, engagement rate is a more accurate measure of an influencer's impact and effectiveness. A healthy engagement rate varies depending on the platform and audience size but generally falls between 3-5%. Focus on partnering with influencers with a significant following and generating meaningful interactions and conversations with their audience.
How Much Should You Budget and What Can You Expect to Pay for Brand Collaborations?
Budgeting for influencer collaborations can vary greatly depending on factors such as influencer tier, scope of work, and campaign objectives. While mega-influencers may demand hefty fees, micro-influencers often offer more affordable partnership opportunities with higher engagement rates. Consider allocating a portion of your marketing budget towards influencer collaborations, ensuring a balance between cost-effectiveness and impact.
When budgeting for your influencer campaign, look at the comparable CPM (cost-per-thousand impressions) for other more traditional advertising channels and apply a similar media forecast for your influencer campaign. While every campaign is different, here are the costs that we would expect to see from creators:
nano-influencer: $250 – $500 per post
micro-influencer: $1,500 - $6,000 per post
macro-influencers: $6,000 - $15,000 per post
mega-influencers / celebrities: > $15,000 per post
“For every dollar that businesses spend on influencer marketing, they are generating $6.50; therefore, the ROI itself simply shows why influencer marketing is more cost-effective than other channels.”
Example of Successful Nonprofit Influencer Campaign:
March of Dimes and CDC collaborated with Hiper for Birth Defects Awareness Month in January 2024. By partnering with mission-affected creators, we helped to raise awareness of birth defects and their impact on individuals, parents, and families.
Creators who shared their journeys as part of this campaign:
Beth & Coop | YouTube Shorts
Karneshia Shantel | Instagram Reels
250K views on YouTube Shorts
17,000+ engagements
6.8% engagement rate
8,900+ views
750+ engagements
8.5% engagement rate
Final Thoughts
Influencer campaigns have been established as a powerful strategy for nonprofit organizations to engage audiences and drive impact. By leveraging the reach and authenticity of influencers, nonprofits can amplify their message, reach new audiences, and inspire action. If you’re ready to incorporate an influencer campaign into your next cause marketing campaign, reach out to Hiper to discuss the possibilities.
Sources:
The Power of Influencer Marketing: A Comprehensive Study, Tomoson: https://www.tomoson.com/blog/influencer-marketing-study