Do you think, “Why do I even need influencer marketing when I have a strong brand of my own?” Well, guess what? 81% of people claim that an influencer influenced their choice to make a purchase. This is because influencers do not just promote a brand directly, as you would see in an advertisement or a product endorsement. Instead, they do so organically, providing some essential reasons why one should use the product and how it benefits the user. This approach, which gives your customers a perspective on how it feels using the product, helps gain higher conversions and even influences people’s purchasing decisions when they are in the market looking for a similar product.
Needless to say, influencer marketing can help a business reach new heights in this day and age. Since they have a large following on the platform, influencers can help businesses reach new audiences and promote their products or services. Influencers are seen as trustworthy and relatable by their followers, who often view them as role models or peers. So would naturally wonder how to search influencers on Instagram?
Influencer marketing is a win-win situation for both the influencer and the business. Why? Because the influencer can earn money or free products for promoting the business, the business can increase its brand awareness and potentially boost sales.
In addition, influencers can often provide high-quality content that showcases the business’s products in a unique and creative way. This can also help in increasing engagement and boosting conversions. This makes Instagram influencers a valuable asset for businesses looking to expand their reach and grow their online presence.
How do you find the perfect Instagram influencer for you?
Now you know how important an influencer’s presence can be for your business account feed. The next logical step is to find the right fit for your brand. Here’s how you do it!
1. Define your population
On social media, it’s very important to convey a clear message about your brand’s values and missions. You might be a brand that caters only to specific populations, like a tech company with specific products like durable and high-end action cameras catering only to professional photographers and videographers.
On the other hand, you might be a business, such as a beauty brand, providing your services to people of all age groups and locations. With the start of any new campaign, it’s important to understand your target audience and find an influencer with good engagement with your target audience.
2. Think about your ideal influencer while you look for them online
Since you know your brand best, you must also be aware of what impression it gives out to people. Commonly called the “brand voice,” the impression or persona of your brand will attract people with similar personalities.
When choosing an influencer, it is important to make sure that they match your brand’s personality and look like someone your followers will also be compatible with. The best way to do that is to create a checklist, a list of things you want in your ideal influencer.
3. Look into your own followers
A good way to find a potential influencer is to look through your own Instagram followers- your original satisfied customer base. If you find an influencer with a large follower count posting content related to your industry, then it’s worth looking into them. They might be following you because of their interest in your brand, the way you present it, or maybe they’re a regular customer or user of your product.
Whatever it may be, having an influencer as your follower can make it easier for you to recruit them.
You can also check through your engagement with your followers- who are the people that regularly comment? Who tags you in their stories, posts, or reels? These are the satisfied customers who will be perfect for your brand if they are also influencers.
4. Make use of Instagram locations and hashtags
One of the quickest ways to start looking for an influencer is to search for relevant hashtags and locations and browse through the posts that pop up. Say you’re a cosmetics business and need a US-based influencer for your marketing campaign. Start with hashtags related to famous cities, such as #newyorkinfluencer, then include keywords related to your industry, like #skincare, #organicproducts, #cosmetics. You can also search for hashtags related to collaborations.
If you’re not sure where to start, search for an influencer you already know, even if they’re from a competitor brand. Look through their hashtags and find the ones relevant to you. Click on them and start browsing!
Another thing to keep in mind is to check the engagement on any post you find relevant to you. A large number of comments and likes is a good sign to check their profile and other posts.
Use Predis.ai’s FREE Hashtag Generator to create relevant and engaging hashtags for your posts!
5. Keep an eye out for competition
By checking out your competition, you’re making sure you don’t miss out on any trends. There’s always room for improvement, so keep an open mind while you analyze your competitor’s feed.
Check out the influencers they work with and other influencers that show up in their suggestions. This way, if you find someone who is a perfect fit for your brand, you can try to interest them by giving away free samples or services, contacting them, or simply even following them and waiting for them to check you out
6. Make use of tools and platforms
A simple and professional way to find an influencer for your brand is to use dedicated tools and platforms. There are a number of tools that will help you find a list of Instagram influencers compatible with your brand values and image.
You can also use Shout to make an account and browse through different influencers’ profiles to find the best fit for you. If you want to find influencers using specific demographics, their engagement, and their activities, try using trendHERO.
What things to look into when you look into a potential influencer?
Once you have a narrowed-down list of potential Instagram influencers, you need a number of criteria to judge them on. Here are a few crucial ones that you must absolutely consider:
The scale of the influencer
Depending on the size of your brand and your budget, it might be good to have an idea about the scale of your ideal influencer. You can decide this according to the number of followers the influencer has. According to InfluencerMarketingHub, you can find either nano-influencers or micro-influencer.
A nano-influencer will usually have less than 10,000 followers, with a feed that occasionally features their personal life, making them more relatable for the audience. Micro-influencers will usually have anywhere between 10,000 to 50,000 followers and a very specific niche interest.
In addition, macro-influencers have followers from 100,000 to 1 million, while mega-influencers are social celebrities with more than 1 million followers.
Quality of the influencer’s audience
Simply checking the number of followers is not enough. It is good to make sure that the influencer does not have fake followers. Some signs of having fake followers could be that the content quality may be mediocre, but the following is large. In other cases, the follower count may not justify the large number of likes and comments their posts may have. The comments may also look generic and repetitive.
Also, at a glance, you can check if the followers have no profile photos, strange usernames with number combinations, and no content on their feed.
Prioritize niche over the total number of followers
When searching for the perfect Instagram influencer, it’s easy to be seduced by impressive follower counts. However, a large following doesn’t necessarily equate to influence or engagement.
For example, if you are a finance company looking to market your brand on social media, a partnership with a generic influencer may not yield strong results. However, the same partnership with a niche finance expert will help you gain valuable traction.
Niche influencers are those who have cultivated a dedicated audience deeply interested in their specific area of expertise. This targeted following is more likely to trust their recommendations and take action based on their endorsements. Niche influencers can help you with:
- Higher engagement rates: Niche influencers often have more engaged followers who actively interact with their content. This means your brand message is more likely to be seen and considered.
- Stronger relationships: Building relationships with niche influencers is often easier, as they are more accessible and responsive.
- Improved ROI: By targeting a specific audience, you can optimize your marketing spend and achieve a higher return on investment.
- Authenticity: Niche influencers are typically seen as more authentic and relatable by their followers, which can positively impact your brand perception.
So, focus on quality over quantity when it comes to influencer marketing.
Engagement rate, direction, and quality of content
It’s important to thoroughly check your potential influencer’s account, their shared posts, the quality of the content, the captions used, and their style of communication with their followers. Also, check how the followers engage with their content, if the comments are positive or negative, and how the influencer reacts to them.
Wrapping up
With that, you can start your influencer marketing journey on Instagram. Finding the right influencer can feel daunting, thanks to the vast pool of influencers now present on the platform. However, by following the steps outlined in our guide, you can find the perfect Instagram influencer—a partner who becomes an extension of your brand voice and values.
But discovering the right fit is just the first step. Once you have identified the right influencer, you need to provide them with the right communication and messaging that they can use in their videos. The more detailed and clear your expectations, the better the influencer can work with you. You should also allow the influencer the creative freedom to incorporate their unique style into the video so that it resonates authentically with the viewers.
With AI-generated content creators like Predis.ai, you can not just create the perfect campaign for your Instagram influencer marketing. You can even use it to analyze important metrics, measure reach, and assess overall campaign effectiveness. With data-driven insights, you can refine your influencer marketing strategy and optimize future collaborations.
Ready to delve deeper? Try Predis.ai now and unlock the transformative potential of influencer partnerships and propel your brand to new heights!
