نكرر دائماً أن المؤثرين في شبكات التواصل الاجتماعي إما قادة رأي بمكانتهم الاجتماعية، أو نُخب في تخصصاتهم، أو مشاهير في مجالاتهم ومهنهم، وجميعهم يؤثرون بمحتواهم في مواقف وتوجهات الجمهور، ويحضون بدرجة عالية من إعجاب الناس بهم وبما يقدمونه، ويتفاوتون في عدد المتابعين لهم، كما يتواجدون في المنصات أكثر من غيرهم؛ نتيجة تفاعلهم مع الأحداث والقضايا المجتمعية، أو المشاركة المستمرة في المناسبات والتغطيات الإعلامية، أو حضورهم في سرد قصصهم الخاصة، ومحادثاتهم المباشرة مع الآخرين.
ومع أهمية تلك الفروقات؛ يبقى الحديث عن معايير اختيار المؤثرين في الحملات التسويقية والإعلامية هاجساً لدى الكثير من القطاعات الحكومية والخاصة وحتى غير الربحية، وتحدياً كبيراً مع تنامي أعداد هؤلاء المؤثرين، وتنوع مجالاتهم، وتوجهاتهم، إلى جانب مستوى تفاعلهم، والعائد المنتظر منهم، كذلك معايير اختيارهم بما يتناسب مع نوع الحملة (أفكار، منتجات، خدمات)، وهدفها (تسويق، ترويج، تثقيف، تعزيز، تهيئة،...)، والجمهور المستهدف منها، ومحتوى الرسائل الاتصالية المراد إيصالها، وبالتالي تشكّل هذه التفاصيل مجتمعة تحديات كبيرة أثناء التخطيط والإعداد لتنفيذ الحملات الإعلامية.
هناك ستة معايير رئيسة لاختيار المؤثرين -هي محل اتفاق بين الباحثين والمختصين-، وتشمل: سمعة المؤثر، وشعبيته وانتشاره، واهتماماته وميوله، وخبراته وتجاربه السابقة، وسمات جمهوره المتابعين له، ومتغيراته الديموغرافية (جنسه، عمره، مستوى تعليمه).
ويتفاوت ترتيب هذه المعايير، والوزن النسبي لكل معيار؛ بحسب توجهات القائمين على الحملة، وأهدافها، فمثلاً قد يكون الهدف من الحملة تحقيق الانتشار للمنتج؛ فيكون معيار شعبية المؤثر بين الجمهور له الأولوية في الاختيار، أو قد يكون الهدف من الحملة هو التعريف بالخدمة وتوعية المجتمع نحوها؛ فتكون سمعة المؤثر ومصداقيته في الترتيب الأول عند الاختيار، وكذلك حينما يكون الهدف تسويق الأفكار العميقة في المجتمع؛ فتكون الأولوية للمؤثر الذي لديه تجارب وخبرات سابقة في هذا المجال، وهكذا يكون ترتيب تلك المعايير عند اختيار المؤثرين.
تشير إحصاءات (شركة ستاتيستا) الألمانية المتخصصة في بيانات السوق والمستهلكين إلى أن الإنفاق الإعلاني بواسطة المؤثرين في السوق السعودي وصل إلى 472 مليون دولار في 2024، ومن المتوقع أن يصل إلى 851 مليون دولار في عام 2030، وهذه المبالغ التي تُدفع اليوم للمؤثرين تستحق اختيارات أفضل من القائمين على الحملات التسويقية والإعلامية، لا سيما مع تنامي الوعي المجتمعي في التعاطي مع مضامين المؤثرين في شبكات التواصل الاجتماعي، سواءً أثناء حضورهم للتغطية الإعلامية للمنتج أو الخدمة، أو خلال تفاعلهم بنقل الرسائل الاتصالية للحملة ومنتجاتها في حساباتهم الشخصية.
أجريت مع طلابي في مرحلة الماجستير مسحاً أولياً لعينة من الحملات التسويقية والإعلامية لعدد من القطاعات الحكومية والخاصة، وأظهرت النتائج أن غالبية تلك الحملات تقوم على هدف تحقيق الانتشار، والوصول إلى أكبر عدد ممكن من الجمهور، وتوثيق ذلك في تقارير الرصد لإثبات نجاح الحملة، ولكن حينما تعمقنا في مستوى التحليل لإظهار علاقة الحملة بمؤشري التفاعلية لدى الجمهور، والعائد منها في تحسين الصورة الذهنية عن المنظمة أو علامتها التجارية؛ وجدنا أن معظم الحملات التسويقية لم تحقق أهدافها بالشكل المطلوب وفقاً لهذين المؤشرين، كما جاء سوء اختيار المؤثرين أحد أكثر الأسباب شيوعاً في عدم تحقيق تلك الحملات أهدافها.
أحمد الجميعة
سوء اختيار المؤثرين في الحملات التسويقية !
11 يونيو 2025 - 00:07
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آخر تحديث 11 يونيو 2025 - 00:07
تابع قناة عكاظ على الواتساب
We always reiterate that influencers on social media are either opinion leaders due to their social status, or elites in their specializations, or celebrities in their fields and professions. All of them influence the audience's attitudes and positions with their content, and they enjoy a high degree of admiration from people for themselves and what they offer. They vary in the number of followers, and they are more present on platforms than others due to their interaction with events and societal issues, continuous participation in occasions and media coverage, or their presence in sharing their personal stories and direct conversations with others.
Despite the importance of these differences, the discussion about the criteria for selecting influencers in marketing and media campaigns remains a concern for many government, private, and even non-profit sectors. It poses a significant challenge with the growing number of these influencers, their diverse fields, and their orientations, alongside their level of interaction and the expected return from them. Additionally, the criteria for their selection must align with the type of campaign (ideas, products, services), its goal (marketing, promotion, education, enhancement, preparation, etc.), the target audience, and the content of the communication messages to be conveyed. Thus, these details collectively form significant challenges during the planning and preparation for executing media campaigns.
There are six main criteria for selecting influencers—agreed upon by researchers and specialists—which include: the influencer's reputation, their popularity and reach, their interests and inclinations, their experiences and previous encounters, the characteristics of their audience, and their demographic variables (gender, age, education level).
The ranking of these criteria and the relative weight of each criterion vary according to the orientations of those in charge of the campaign and its objectives. For example, if the goal of the campaign is to achieve product reach, then the criterion of the influencer's popularity among the audience takes priority in the selection. Alternatively, if the campaign aims to introduce a service and raise community awareness about it, then the influencer's reputation and credibility are prioritized in the selection. Similarly, when the goal is to market deep ideas within the community, the priority goes to the influencer who has previous experiences and expertise in this field. Thus, the ranking of these criteria when selecting influencers is determined.
Statistics from Statista, the German company specializing in market and consumer data, indicate that advertising spending by influencers in the Saudi market reached $472 million in 2024, and it is expected to reach $851 million by 2030. The amounts being paid today to influencers deserve better choices from those in charge of marketing and media campaigns, especially with the growing community awareness in dealing with the content of influencers on social media, whether during their attendance for media coverage of the product or service, or during their interaction in conveying the communication messages of the campaign and its products on their personal accounts.
I conducted a preliminary survey with my master's students on a sample of marketing and media campaigns from several government and private sectors. The results showed that the majority of these campaigns are based on the goal of achieving reach and reaching the largest possible audience, documenting this in monitoring reports to prove the success of the campaign. However, when we delved deeper into the analysis to show the relationship of the campaign with the two indicators of audience interaction and the return from it in improving the mental image of the organization or its brand; we found that most marketing campaigns did not achieve their objectives as required according to these two indicators. Poor selection of influencers was cited as one of the most common reasons for these campaigns failing to meet their goals.
Despite the importance of these differences, the discussion about the criteria for selecting influencers in marketing and media campaigns remains a concern for many government, private, and even non-profit sectors. It poses a significant challenge with the growing number of these influencers, their diverse fields, and their orientations, alongside their level of interaction and the expected return from them. Additionally, the criteria for their selection must align with the type of campaign (ideas, products, services), its goal (marketing, promotion, education, enhancement, preparation, etc.), the target audience, and the content of the communication messages to be conveyed. Thus, these details collectively form significant challenges during the planning and preparation for executing media campaigns.
There are six main criteria for selecting influencers—agreed upon by researchers and specialists—which include: the influencer's reputation, their popularity and reach, their interests and inclinations, their experiences and previous encounters, the characteristics of their audience, and their demographic variables (gender, age, education level).
The ranking of these criteria and the relative weight of each criterion vary according to the orientations of those in charge of the campaign and its objectives. For example, if the goal of the campaign is to achieve product reach, then the criterion of the influencer's popularity among the audience takes priority in the selection. Alternatively, if the campaign aims to introduce a service and raise community awareness about it, then the influencer's reputation and credibility are prioritized in the selection. Similarly, when the goal is to market deep ideas within the community, the priority goes to the influencer who has previous experiences and expertise in this field. Thus, the ranking of these criteria when selecting influencers is determined.
Statistics from Statista, the German company specializing in market and consumer data, indicate that advertising spending by influencers in the Saudi market reached $472 million in 2024, and it is expected to reach $851 million by 2030. The amounts being paid today to influencers deserve better choices from those in charge of marketing and media campaigns, especially with the growing community awareness in dealing with the content of influencers on social media, whether during their attendance for media coverage of the product or service, or during their interaction in conveying the communication messages of the campaign and its products on their personal accounts.
I conducted a preliminary survey with my master's students on a sample of marketing and media campaigns from several government and private sectors. The results showed that the majority of these campaigns are based on the goal of achieving reach and reaching the largest possible audience, documenting this in monitoring reports to prove the success of the campaign. However, when we delved deeper into the analysis to show the relationship of the campaign with the two indicators of audience interaction and the return from it in improving the mental image of the organization or its brand; we found that most marketing campaigns did not achieve their objectives as required according to these two indicators. Poor selection of influencers was cited as one of the most common reasons for these campaigns failing to meet their goals.
