Kerb appeal was king.
Now it’s clicks.

Inspired by US-style fanfare, UK developer Avanton recently created a media kerfuffle with a sleb-strewn influencer campaign. Popular C-listers from Love Island and Made in Chelsea were asked to ‘test drive’ the new residential Coda building in Battersea. Some journos dismissed the idea as tacky while others revered it as a maverick move that cements Avanton’s rep as the enfant terrible of PR stunts.

Whatever your view, there’s no doubt that as promos go, this one got people gabbing. But was it a commercial success? Coda is, after all, a smash hit – with the highest sales rate of any new build in the area. But it’s doubtful this has anything to do with the eye candy they employed to endorse it. Why? Because no amount of celebrity pouting at the end of a selfie-stick will convince people to splash the cash in Battersea, unless they’re already in the market to do so.

Fatigue is affecting influencers, who are tired of the hustle, and consumers, who are wary of the sponsored posts swamping their newsfeeds. It’s got so bad that one study conducted by Dealspotr – the community-based coupon site – revealed that 52% of Millennials don’t trust social influencers. Yet despite this, business pundits predict that brands will spend up to £11bn on influencer marketing by 2022. That’s up from as much as £5.5bn in 2019.

So why the optimism? Possibly because we’re seeing more ‘grown-up’ brands use TikTok and celebrity to gain trust among young people. Doing so may encourage the spotty, lank-haired youths of today to become the loyal, daily-washed first-time property buyers of tomorrow.

To answer that question, we need to cast our minds back to when Instagram was just a simple photo-sharing app. Many early contributors attracted small but highly engaged followings with authentic, premium, eye-catching posts. They weren’t monetised, e-commerce influencers. They were inspired, compelling content creators. And this is what astute brands are looking for.

In addition to quality content, you need to make sure that the influencer you’re interested in has an audience profile similar to your own. If they don’t, you’ll be targeting the wrong people.

Engagement rate is important, too. Take the time to see how many of their followers actively like, share and comment on their posts.

Potentially. But they need to be specialist influencers – people who know about property, design, wellness and lifestyle. Their opinion has to count. And, of course, your product has to pack a punch. If it doesn’t, any influencer worth their salt will let you – and their thousands of followers – know about it.

That’s why, when Vertus asked us to style an apartment at 10 George Street, Canary Wharf, we considered every detail. Walls were painted in warm, jewel-like hues. Instagrammable moments were created with arresting neon art. Bathrooms were filled with luxury body products.