How to Find Influencers Who Align With Your Brand
Social media influencers can take a business from nowhere to everywhere. That’s why new startups acquire their services to get the word out about their business.
Influencer marketing has its benefits. Firstly, there are influencers for every possible industry, and secondly, the services are affordable compared to a (high-profile or lesser-known) celebrity endorsement.
Imagine hiring a social media influencer for one product line and Beyoncé for another, and do the math. If you want to go with the former, here are some ways to help you find influencers for your brand.
Analyze Your Target Audience
From your marketing efforts, you probably have clear information about your target audience. The next step is to dig deeper into your audience’s interests. Find out who they follow, what social media platform they spend the most time on, where they read reviews and turn towards for information.
You need to ensure the social media influencer targets the same audience as you.
For example, if you sell makeup products, you need to get in touch with influencers in the beauty niche, especially someone who has a dedicated following and subscribers. Someone new or unknown might not matter as much to the audience.
If you sell multiple (different) products, you’ll need to repeat the process and find multiple influencers for each product type. Give priority to your best-selling product and then move to the rest.
Get Help from Google
Google can find just about anything, including social media influencers, so use it to your benefit. After all, it’s smart, fast, and free. A generic query will not work, and you’ll have to be specific with your search.
First, create a list of keywords related to your business. Mention the website you want to search through, such as Instagram, before the keyword to ensure Google only looks through the platform. To narrow down your search, even more, add a location with your keywords to find influencers in your desired area.
Your search query should look something like this:
- site:Instagram.com pasta recipes
- food bloggers in Long Island, NY
- site:Instagram.com food influencer
Try Using Hashtags
Since the “hashtag” revolution, they’ve actually become the quickest way to source out information. Do a hashtag search on social media platforms such as Instagram that are relevant to your business. Use the terms #ad, #blogger #sponsored, #influencer, and more and check out the results.
If you like anything from the posts that pop up, check the creator’s profile. If the content seems impressive, find out if the creator and you share the same niche. If you’re happy with the number of followers, do a check on their engagement rate using a free Instagram engagement calculator.
This will give you an idea of how much the influencer is worth. Create a list of potential candidates that meet your criteria and contact them via Instagram message.
Do a Youtube Search
Youtube is the kickstart platform for almost every influencer on the planet. The things that distinguish the cream of the crop from everyone else are quality of content, professionalism, and number of subscribers.
Use your business-related keywords to search for influencers on Youtube, and you’re likely to find relevant matches.
Also, most renowned influencers tend to use other platforms to increase their following such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok and may promote your business on these platforms as well.
Reach out to Bloggers
Bloggers can help build quality backlinks to your business and promote your products through sponsored posts. Apart from great written content, bloggers also have active social media accounts, where they have a decent following.
To search blogs relevant to your brand, use the word “blog” with your keywords.
Apart from offering bloggers to collaborate with your brand, keep an eye on the sources they link to in their blog posts. You might be able to find more influencers this way. Remember, the deeper you dig, the more valuable information you’ll find.
To Wrap it Up
Social media influencers can take a business from nowhere to everywhere. That’s why new startups acquire their services to get the word out about their business. Even actively running businesses have used influencer services to further promote their brands or launch new products to reach a wider audience.
The initial search for the best influencers for your business can take some effort, but it’s worth it for the way they quickly help promote your brand.
