Responsible influencer marketing: is it possible?

Influencer marketing, which involves using influencers to promote products or services to their audience, has become an increasingly common way for brands to raise awareness and reach new customers. However, it is important to ensure that this practice is ethical and responsible, so as not to deceive or manipulate consumers and to respect the rights and opinions of influencers.

The objective of this article is to enlighten readers on the ethical issues of influencer marketing and to give them the tools necessary to make responsible choices when they come into contact with this type of content.

Definitions

What is Influencer Marketing?

Influencer marketing is a marketing strategy that involves using public figures, called influencers, to promote products or services to their audience. These influencers can be celebrities, bloggers, Youtubers, Instagrammers, etc., and usually have high credibility and influence with their audience.

Who are the influencers?

Influencers are public figures who have a significant following on social media or online platforms. They may be known in a particular field, such as fashion, beauty, cooking, sports, etc., and are usually followed by thousands or even millions of people. We can cite for example, Michou , Inoxtag or Squeezie among the best known in the internet sphere.

The new concept of Squeezie: Who is the impostor?

What are the ethical issues of influence marketing?

Influencer marketing can pose many ethical challenges, both for brands and for influencers and consumers.

For brands, it is important to ensure that their collaboration with influencers is transparent and fair, and that it does not aim to mislead or manipulate consumers.

For influencers, it's crucial to maintain their credibility and authenticity by only promoting products they've actually used and enjoyed, and by being transparent about their collaboration with brands.

For consumers, it is essential not to be deceived by sponsored content that does not reflect the real opinion of the influencer, and to take the time to verify the quality and responsibility of the products promoted.

The benefits of responsible influencer marketing

For the brand, working with influencers responsibly can bring many benefits. First, brand credibility can be boosted through collaboration with genuine and credible influencers. Indeed, if the influencers are chosen carefully and if the collaboration is transparent, it can increase consumer confidence in the brand. In addition, influencer marketing can help create audience engagement through quality and authentic content.

Roger Federer's promise to Zizou, skillfully used by Barilla

For influencers, responsible influencer marketing is also beneficial. Indeed, this makes it possible to respect their work and their opinion, and to offer them fair collaboration. Influencers should be free to share their opinion in an authentic and transparent way, without being subject to too strict constraints on the part of the brand.

Finally, for consumers, responsible influencer marketing can lead to the discovery of quality and authentic content, as well as responsible and sustainable products. Indeed, by supporting ethical and sustainable brands, influencers can help consumers make more responsible choices in their consumption.

Influencer selection criteria

Influencer selection criteria are important to ensure a successful influencer marketing collaboration. Indeed, for the brand to benefit from the credibility and engagement of the influencer's audience, it is essential that the latter is in line with the values ​​of the brand. This means that the influencer must share the same values ​​and objectives as the brand, and that its communication must be consistent with the image of the brand.

Additionally, the influencer's audience must be real and engaged. It is important to verify the veracity of the audience figures of the influencer, in order to ensure that he has a sufficient audience to achieve the objectives of the collaboration. All this data can be checked on tools such as Socialblade .

Example of a Socialblade page

Finally, the authenticity and credibility of the influencer are also important selection criteria. An influencer who has lost the trust of his audience will not be able to effectively promote the brand's products.

Ethical rules to follow when working with influencers

Collaborating with influencers can be a great way for a brand to promote its products and services to a target audience. However, it is important that this collaboration is done in a responsible and ethical manner. Here are some ethical rules to follow:

1. Fair compensation: It is important to ensure that influencers are properly compensated for their work. This means that they must be paid fairly and equitably, taking into account their audience, their time and their expertise. It's a very difficult part today, as the environment remains opaque.

2. Transparency about the objectives of the collaboration: It is essential to clearly communicate to the influencers the objectives of the collaboration and to ensure that they are in agreement with their own values ​​and beliefs. Influencers must be able to express themselves freely and refuse to promote products that do not correspond to their convictions.

3. Freedom of expression and authenticity of influencers: it is important to respect the freedom of expression of influencers and allow them to share their opinion in an authentic way. This means that they should not be forced to promote products that do not correspond to their convictions or to lie to their audience. By promoting authenticity, brands can build trust with their audience and build brand credibility.

Promoting responsible products

To promote responsible products, it is important to take into account the ethical and environmental issues of the production and distribution of these products. By choosing brands that engage in sustainable and ethical practices, influencers can help raise awareness of these issues among their audiences and encourage positive change in consumer practices.

Kiboko from MEEKO for example hehe

To find ethical and sustainable brands, it is possible to refer to various sources of information. Certain labels and certifications can be an indication of the quality and durability of products. It is for example possible to turn to labels such as the " Fairtrade " label, which guarantees fair remuneration for producers, or the " GOTS " label, which certifies, for example, the use of organic cotton. We can also cite Standard 100 by Oeko-Tex , B-Corp or PETA jumbles .

It is also possible to obtain information from platforms specializing in the search for ethical and sustainable brands, which offer rankings and summary sheets on the different companies and their practices. Finally, influencers can also contact brands directly for information on their production and distribution practices, to ensure their commitment to ethics and sustainability.

Conclusion

Influencer marketing has seen tremendous success in recent years, but it's important not to forget about ethics and responsibility in this area. Indeed, the choice of influencers and the way they are compensated can have an impact on the authenticity of their content, as well as on the respect for their work and their opinion. Likewise, promoting responsible products is important for the environment and sustainability, but also for brand credibility and authenticity.

It is therefore essential to pay attention to the criteria for selecting influencers and the ethical rules to be respected in the collaboration, while favoring the promotion of responsible products. Readers can contribute to this effort by making ethical and responsible choices in their consumption, by learning about ethical and sustainable brands and by being critical of the content of influencers. By doing so, we can all contribute to more responsible and ethical influencer marketing.