How to find influencers

Why do brands work with influencers?

Advertisers have been harnessing the power of influencers as we know them today since the rise of Instagram and while there is some argument over who the very first influencer was, there’s been no shortage of competition for the number one spot. So, why is influencer marketing a vital tool for your business? For one, traditional advertising no longer does it for the modern audience. In fact, when it comes to paid display ads on sites, only 10% of viewers end up clicking through to the main advertiser. There are plenty of reasons for this, the most vital being the audience that brands need to capture has changed. 

Marketing to millennials and Gen Z is very different than to the generations that came before and they also vary from each other. Gen Z represents around 20% of the American population and millennials account for 92 million American consumers — a bigger cohort than both Generation X and Baby Boomers.  

Millennials and Gen Z aren’t about the unfeeling, distant nature of advertising. Putting value on brand recommendations from real people, it’s no wonder these generations are turning to influencers for a real-life experience of a brand rather taking direction from a brand-made ad. So it’s also not surprising that 72% of Gen Z and millennials follow an influencer online and 54% would like to become influencers themselves if given the opportunity. The result is that social media is a perfect marketing ecosystem, shaped by and for the very consumers brands need to reach. 

How many followers does someone need to be an influencer? 

There is no precise figure for how many followers you need to be an influencer but generally a follower count of 1,000 to 5,000 is considered an established audience. Within this scale you have the trustworthy micro-influencers and the more experienced mid-tier influencers, both of which offer a lot of strengths to your business while avoiding the huge fees that can be commanded by larger influencers with 500k+ followers.  

How can influencers help a business’ affiliate campaigns? 

You may find influencers aren’t entirely aligned with your brand, but there is an influencer for everything. Big, small, in between; influencers aren’t just the personalities you see on Instagram, they can also cultivate a following on a blog, Twitter account or by sharing video content. So, if you think it’s impossible to find an influencer who fits your brand, you may have simply been looking in the wrong place.  

And the search will be worth it — here’s what influencers can do for your campaigns:

• Help earn trust for your brand by being a real-life customer sharing a genuine experience  
• Help you reach new audiences especially if your influencer operates within a niche 
• Give better results than traditional advertising which have no promise of engagement, whereas an influencer, by nature of being an influencer, will almost always gain some level of engagement from their followers   
• Provide valuable insight your business would otherwise have to spend a lot of time and money creating i.e. 360 views of your product, swatches of makeup on skin or the precise method of how to use a certain item 
• Give a human face to your brand so you seem more legitimate and reliable  

What metrics should I keep an eye on? 

There are a few KPIs you’ll want to keep an eye on to see how any influencer campaign is running. It’s important to check these not only to see if your collaboration was a success, but also so you can pinpoint why underperforming campaigns aren’t doing as well as you thought they would.  

Mentions and hashtags 

Are things being shared? Are you being mentioned? Did you create a hashtag so you can keep a clear eye on the traffic your campaign is generating? This is vital to see if your campaign made a splash on social media.  

Engagement and likes 

Once a campaign is underway, you’ll want to know if it’s hitting its targets. Comments, likes and shares let you know what your chosen audience has made of it all. There’s no secret formula to this, but it’s worth comparing your influencer with the influencers who have worked with competing brands to see if your collaboration has been as successful. If not, you can work backwards to see where it fell flat — maybe you were driven by follower count more than genuine shared passion and your influencer’s audience wasn’t the best bet for your brand in particular.  

Conversions 

Arguably, this is the metric that matters most for your brand, which is why Awin makes it easy to track. Sure, every bit of extra brand awareness helps, but conversions are what prove your influencer has really influenced their audience. Affiliate links will make this easier than ever. With Awin’s advertising tools, you can see exactly where your customers are coming from and how many of them are likely to be a result of your influencer marketing efforts.  

How to find influencers that match your brand 

With so many accounts out there, it can be hard to find an influencer that matches your brand. Here’s some things to look out for: 

Look at their content 

It goes without saying you need to know your influencer is creating authentic content. Make sure you think your influencer will create content that matches your standards —Gen Z in particular is turning away from the perfect influencer image, so if that’s what you’re striving for, ensure you have the right influencer in mind. 

Check their knowledge  

If you want someone who can give expert insight into your area, then make sure they are an expert. For example, sending vegan products to an influencer who isn’t vegan may be an excellent step in the future when your brand can aim for wider uptake, but in the early stages you want someone who understands and is passionate about your products. 

Understand their audience demographics 

You should be checking demographic metrics out long before you agree to collaborate with anyone, but they are still vital to keep an eye on, especially if you plan to work with influencers long term. As their followings grow, the specific audience your influencer once reached might change. Never take for granted the fact that influencers are on a journey of growing their personal brands, just as you are with your business, so it may naturally come to a point where your values or interests are no longer aligned. 

Inspect their online persona 

It can seem like an influencer is ‘canceled’ every day or dropped from a brand because of a bad tweet or post. Have a look through your influencer’s posts to see how they present themselves to their audience and how you think they will professionally represent your brand. Yes, influencer marketing is about having a real, human opinion, but that doesn’t mean you want to be associated with someone that doesn’t align with your own brand values.  

How to find micro-influencers 

Knowing how to find influencers with hundreds of thousands or even millions of followers is significantly easier than knowing how to find micro-influencers. These online personalities may have follower counts in the mere hundreds, but that’s what makes them so special. Having a small and close-knit follower community means there is more genuine, direct engagement. In fact, these small influencers were found to enjoy 60% higher engagement rates.  

With such a passionate, loyal community around them, when micro-influencers do work with a brand their audience is more likely to be convinced and therefore convert. But how do you find these marketing unicorns? 

1. Follow the hashtags 

When follower counts are no longer a metric you can use to locate the best names in your chosen influencer field, it’s time to go back to basics. Look at hashtags relevant to your brand and see who is grabbing attention. Hashtags are a great way to find influencers who genuinely uphold the same values as your business, whether that’s clean beauty, vegan fashion or being passionate about cutting-edge tech. 

2. Check your own followers 

There’s no better place to find a suitable advocate for your brand than on your own follower count. See who is already promoting your brand in their posts and if any of them seem a good ambassador for your brand. And if you do find a micro-influencer this way, make sure to check their followers, too. Like attracts like and you might soon find yourself in a niche community of perfect potential influencers. 

3. Use an influencer finder 

Influencer finders, whether that’s an online tool or dedicated agency, make it easy to find an online personality who can perfectly gel with your brand and help spread awareness. Whether you’re aiming for large or small influencers, influencer finders are one of the easiest ways to get a shortlist of ideal candidates. Awin can help here, too. Our partnerships with platforms CreatorIQ, Socialix and Sideqik easily enable brands of all sizes and varying budgets to discover new influencers and manage relationships.  

How to approach influencers 

There’s really no secret to approaching influencers, an email will suffice for first contact. Remember, as much as you want them to be a spokesperson for your brand, you are one already — be friendly and open, all the traits you want them to associate with your brand. Presumably you have approached them because you know you have shared values, so make this clear in your correspondence. Make sure they know you care about their interests, and you know this is a two-way street. You aren’t just helping influencers grow by working with a brand, you are gaining from them and their audience as well. This isn’t a sales pitch, it’s the start of a meaningful relationship. And remember, a campaign ending doesn’t have to mean the same for this relationship. As you both grow, you may be able to turn to each other again in the future for more fruitful collaborations. 

Awin gives businesses and influencers everything they need to form relationships based on shared values and goals. Our team can help support promising new marketing collaborations – complete this form today to launch an Awin affiliate program and start an influencer marketing campaign.