You’ve likely heard that influencer marketing can help you expand your reach, build trust, and make sales. It’s one of the most effective forms of marketing out there, but there’s one catch. You have to find influencers to promote your brand and products. There are lots of options for finding influencers. Let’s go over five of the top ways to find influencers for Instagram campaigns.
1. Use the Brand Collabs Manager
Photo from Instagram's blog.
Instagram recently unveiled its Brand Collabs Manager tool to help brands and influencers connect. However, you have to qualify for an account to use this tool.
It’s only open to brands that have built a following and have high engagement levels on the site. Before you can get an account, you need to have a minimum of 10,000 followers. You also need to have high levels of engagement in the 60 days prior to applying for the account. First, you need to get a minimum of 100 hours of watch time on the videos that you share on the app. Then, you need a combined 1,000 comments and likes on your posts.
At first glance, these requirements might make you think that getting approval is impossible. However, buying real Instagram likes can help you grow your account. Buying likes will help you reach the engagement metric and attract followers. Instagram analyzes engagement when deciding what posts to display. If you have lots of engagement, you’ll reach more people. Then, you can get more followers.
If you qualify for an account, the Brand Collabs Manager will provide everything you need for a successful influencer marketing campaign. You can review influencers, see their engagement levels, and get audience insights. You can also reach out to them with ideas for the campaign. Then, you can manage the campaign within the tool. This is the best way to run an influencer marketing campaign since you can handle everything in one place.
While it might be the best, it’s far from the only option. If you don’t qualify for an account yet, use one of the other options first. Then, you can go back to this tool to find influencers and manage your campaigns once you qualify.
2. Use an Influencer Marketing Management Platform
Various companies have set up influencer marketing management platforms to pair influencers with brands. Grin is currently one of the top platforms due to its robust management system. You can integrate Shopify, Magneto, and other platforms to track sales for the campaign. You can also use the tools to ship products to influencers if needed.
Of course, first, you need to find an influencer to partner with, and this tool makes that easy. You can find influencers that reach your target market and then conduct your outreach inside the platform. Once you find an influencer you want to partner with, you can use a template to send a message. However, the message will come from your email address, so it will look personal.
This is just one of many tools. You can also use tools like Upfluence, SocialBlade, and CreatorIQ.
Keep in mind that most platforms charge a fee. Some places charge a flat fee, while others determine the fee by the size of your business and the cost of the influencer marketing campaign. However, paying a nominal fee is worth it if it makes your campaign easier to begin and manage.
3. Identify Brand Advocates
It’s possible that your brand has already attracted influencers. They might be talking about it on social media and sending you DMs. Partnering with influencers who already love your brand is ideal. That way, you can create an authentic campaign.
Check your Instagram tags, comments, and DMs. If you don’t find any influencers, expand your search and check other social media networks. It’s possible that an Instagram influencer has found you on Facebook or Twitter but hasn’t noticed your account on Instagram yet.
If you have a massive following, a manual search can be time-consuming. Instead, you can use a social listening tool such as Awario to monitor mentions. It goes beyond social media and monitors blogs, forums, and other parts of the internet. It even checks YouTube.
4. Find Influencers Your Target Audience Loves
Your followers likely already follow and engage with influencers. When you partner with these influencers, the campaign is likely to be a success. After all, your audience already likes, trusts, and listens to the influencer. Thus, if the influencer recommends your products or brand, they will take notice.
Begin by analyzing your list of followers. Next, select 10 followers that represent your target market. These are the people who match your customer avatar.
Then, go to the profiles and click on “Following.” Pour over the names of the people they’re following, looking for influencers. If you notice influencers in your niche, write the names down and repeat the process. After you finish, go through the list and reach out to potential influencers.
5. Use Google to Find Influencers
Google can also be useful when searching for influencers for an Instagram campaign. For instance, let’s say you’re in the travel niche. You could search for “top Instagram travel influencers.” Then, you’ll find names of the best influencers in your niche.
If you want a more affordable partnership, add “micro” or “nano” to your search. Then, you’ll identify influencers with smaller followings. These influencers are much more affordable than people with millions of followers. They can be more effective, too. Micro and nano influencers typically have higher engagement levels. Also, their audiences tend to trust them quite a bit. They’re viewed as real, authentic leaders and experts. When you partner with such an influencer, you can reach your campaign goals.
Use Several Methods to Find Influencers
It’s a good idea to use several of these methods when looking for influencers. Then, you can compare your results and choose an influencer that makes the most sense for your campaign. Once you find the influencer, take the next step and send an outreach message. If the influencer doesn’t respond, go down your list and choose the next one. Continue until you find someone ready to partner with your brand. Then, you can kick off the campaign and watch the results roll in.
