Are you active on social media? If you answer yes, you’ve probably seen #sponsored and #gifted posts in your feeds today. Most of the posts with those hashtags are done by influencers. Influencers help brands reach a broad audience of target customers. Partnerships with influencers can also build credibility.
The global influencer marketing market value is 21.1 billion US dollars as of 2023, which is three times higher than the 2019 data. As data continues to register an upward trend, the value of influencer marketing platforms will also continue to expand annually. This makes collaborations between brands and creators more profitable. Use this guide to find influencers for your brand and learn from a brand that is successful in influencer marketing.
Types of Influencers
An influencer with a dedicated social media following who has the power to convince an audience in a specific niche or industry. Their specialized knowledge and authority make them a helpful launching pad for brands in building their reputation.
Let’s explore the four main types of influencers based on follower count, plus the advantages and disadvantages of partnering with them for your brand. Here is a summary of influencer types we’ve got from CMSWire.
Mega-Influencers
Sometimes called celebrity influencers, these are well-known names in an industry with 1 million or more followers. Famous actors, athletes, musicians, and other public figures often fall under this category. However, many social media personalities have achieved mega-status.
Mega-influencers boast massive audiences and offer incredible brand exposure. However, securing their partnership comes at a premium price. Consider this approach if your brand caters to a broad audience and you have a significant marketing budget to match.
Macro-Influencers
Macro-influencers and social media stars with 100,000 to 1 million followers are established authorities within specific niches like food, beauty, or lifestyle. They offer significant reach but at a substantial cost. However, unlike mega-influencers, their targeted audience makes them ideal for brands wanting to connect with a specific yet sizable demographic.
Micro-Influencers
Micro-influencers, with follower counts between 10,000 and 100,000, might not boast the massive reach of more prominent influencers. While they lack scale, they make up for it in engagement. Their followers are likely to interact with their content actively, leading to higher engagement rates.
The cherry on top? Partnering with micro-influencers is typically more budget-friendly compared to their high-follower counterparts.
Nano-Influencers
Don't let their follower count fool you! Nano-influencers, with audiences under 10,000, are engagement powerhouses. They've cultivated tight-knit communities around specific interests, like vegan baking or indie video games. This laser focus on a niche makes them perfect for reaching highly targeted demographics at a cost-effective rate.
How to Find Influencers for Your Brand
Ready to find your perfect influencer squad? Below are some ways to discover and connect with influencers.
1. Use an influencer marketing platform.
Influencer marketing platforms like Hootsuite and Upfluence help companies run influencer campaigns more efficiently. Imagine you're looking for the right person to discuss your product online. These platforms have tools to search for influencers who are a good fit, like finding the perfect puzzle piece.
2. Leverage social media.
Trending posts are also a great way to find influencers for your brand. If you notice a viral post, see who published it and whether they have a significant following. In addition, read the comments of a popular post to identify if any influencers are engaging with the post.
If you're looking for influencers on LinkedIn, search for a keyword and set the filter to "Posts." Check the results and look for posts with a high level of engagement (likes, views, shares, comments). A high level of engagement is a good indicator that someone has a large audience.
3. Use Hashtags
Imagine searching for people who already talk about things related to your business. Social media platforms let you do this by searching for keywords and hashtags.
For instance, if you're a clothing brand that cares about the environment, you could search for the hashtag #sustainablefashion on TikTok to find influencers who create content about eco-friendly clothing.
On Instagram, you can use hashtags to find influencers in your area. Look for hashtags that combine your niche and location. For example, use #fitnessinstructorLA to find a fitness instructor in Los Angeles.
4. Look for Influencers in Your Network.
An easy way to find influencers for your brand is to ask the people you already know! Reach out to your colleagues, friends, industry contacts, and business partners. They might know hidden gems who would be perfect for your campaign.
Social media can also help. Post about your search for influencers and ask your followers to recommend or tag potential partners in the comments. Then, encourage them to share or like your post to spread the word.
5. Join conferences and events.
Even though influencers are online stars, you can still meet them in person at industry events and conferences. There are special events for creators where you can find new partners and get ideas for your influencer campaigns.
If attending these events is too expensive, check out conferences in your field and see who's speaking. Big influencers often get invited to speak because they attract a crowd.
Success Story: Love, Bonito’s Partnership with Local Influencers Worldwide
Love, Bonito targets their ideal customer on social media. This fast-fashion brand uses different approaches for each platform they're on, including Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn. Their biggest success story is Instagram, where they have the most followers and get the most interaction from their audience.
Here’s what you can learn from Love, Bonito’s influencer marketing campaign:
- Focus on the right platforms: Love, Bonito found that Instagram, with its younger audience, is the best platform for them. They stopped using Twitter, where they didn't see results.
- Build a community: Love, Bonito created a hashtag (#LBCommunity) to encourage customers to share photos of themselves wearing Love, Bonito clothes. This creates a sense of community among Love and Bonito worldwide influencers and shows real people wearing their styles.
- Use videos strategically: Love, Bonito uses social media content to connect with their audience. They don't just advertise clothes, they create inspiring and helpful videos that young women can relate to.
Finding Real Influencers
Knowing where to find influencers isn't enough—some cheat by buying followers to appear more popular.
Here's how to spot a fake: Look at how many followers they have compared to how many likes and comments they typically get on their posts. If they have many followers but little real engagement (likes, comments), or the comments are generic and not about the post itself, they might be fake.
