Brands should fully trust the influencers they work with, says Gushcloud CEO

"While some marketers believe that brands should be focusing on the engagement rates of influencers instead of prioritising vanity metrics, influencer marketing agency Gushcloud says it depends on the needs and priorities of the brand. Althea Lim, the group chief executive of the Singapore-based agency explains to The Drum for certain brands, awareness is key. Therefore, it would be better to engage influencers with high numbers."

""However, if the brand is sales or performance-driven, we would advise the brand to create campaigns that are engaging and performance-driven," she adds. "That typically means targeting influencers with niche communities and high engagements within their communities. Many brands today also simply cede all control of their product and brand to the "creativity" of the influencers because they feel the influencer knows how to best communicate to their audience segment. This means no detailed background checks and short-term, non-committal contracts, creating a recipe for disaster."

Brands should match influencer selection to objectives: prioritize high-follower creators for awareness and niche creators with high engagement for sales or performance campaigns. Some brands hand full creative control to influencers without background checks or long-term agreements, risking brand integrity. Brands need to trust influencers' ability to engage audiences while maintaining oversight and clear influencer tiers across premium, macro, micro, and nano segments. Agencies can identify key influencers and help build genuine brand-influencer relationships. Marketers should consider talent wellbeing as influencer careers become more sustainable and brands increase influencer marketing investment. Short-term, non-committal contracts often create a recipe for disaster if not paired with appropriate vetting and relationship-building.

Read at The Drum