Social media has the power to influence change and bring awareness to just about any brand, topic, or trending theme going on in the world today. Scrolling through social media, posting photos or sharing articles, and sending messages to others is arguably one of the most popular pastimes on the internet today.
Social media has given rise to another phenomenon that has been seen in society before, but never in the form that it exists today – the influencer. Being a social media influencer is a lucrative lifestyle and career, affording influencers wealth, fame, and the adoration of thousands (or millions, in some cases). An influencer isn’t just your typical celebrity. An influencer has built a reputation for themselves online on social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat, Twitter, or Facebook. Instagram and YouTube, however, have been the most popular domain of the influencer because of the highly-visual nature of both platforms.
So, you’ve realized and witnessed the importance of the social media influencer in terms of brand power and you’re looking for the right influencer for your own brand? We’re going to show you how to find a social media influencer in minutes so that you can easily get maximum brand exposure to grow your business!
How Can a Social Media Influencer Help My Business?
Look at it this way. Social media influencers have become kings and queens of their niche or industry in the social media world. They’ve gained a significant following due to the fact that they have extensive knowledge in a particular topic, whether it’s fashion, sports, music, art, or even comedy.
Simply put, you’re going to get the help of an expert in their field, with a social media following, to advertise your product. It’s advertising. An influencer will show off your brand’s products in their social media posts to those who follow him or her. Of course, as with traditional advertising, you pay them a fee to do so or choose to sponsor them.
Look for a Big Following
How powerful an influencer depends on their number of followers and levels of engagement. If an influencer has a following of 100 000 people, your products have been seen by 100 000, potentially. This is a considerable reach, so you’d usually expect to pay a higher fee to an influencer with a higher number of followers.
Check for Engagement
Be aware that fake followers exist. You’re able to purchase fake followers from certain vendors, although platforms like Instagram make a point of updating their algorithms to prevent this kind of thing from happening, penalizing accounts that make use of these services. This is why it’s important to look out for engagement. If you notice that an “influencer” has tens of thousands of followers but doesn’t get many comments and likes, that’s a big red flag. It’s also a red flag if they receive likes but no (or few) comments, this is also something to be wary of.
Who Is Your Target?
You’re looking for social media influencers, but who do you want to buy your products or services? Known as your target demographic, you’ve got to be sure of this in order to pick the right influencer for your business.
If you sell angling equipment or fishing tackle, it would be very ambitious of you to hire a beauty blogger to promote your products on their page. Their audience is there for makeup tutorials and fashion tips, for the most part, and are probably not the most avid of fishermen.
However, sometimes a social media influencer may be a sportsperson and, depending on the sport, may have a large following who also love the outdoors and enjoy doing a bit of fishing on the weekend. This would work out for you. See what we’re saying?
Choosing the Right Platform
Another factor to think about, in terms of your target, is the platform that you want to find your influencer on. Some influences only really use one platform and, while they may have accounts on other platforms, their audiences don’t engage with them on those channels.
Here’s an example. You’ve found a beauty blogger with a moderately-high number of followers and you’re launching a new makeup line. This influencer is most active on Instagram and receives 99% of engagement on that platform, but she also has an active LinkedIn account. Her LinkedIn audience would be somewhat different from her Instagram account, so you wouldn’t pay her to promote your product on LinkedIn. Use Nuwber to find out more about the influencers that you’re interested in, including which social media profile they use most. Look for where the buying power is found.
Research Is Key
Check out similar products to yours and how they’re being promoted on social media platforms. Find the hashtags that are associated with the industry your product, or service, fits into, and use that to find out who else uses those hashtags. When searching a hashtag, you can choose to filter the top users of that hashtag and find out who they are. These are your influencers – the ones you want to use for social media marketing in your industry.
Real People, Not Resources
Social media influencers may look like they just exist online, but they’re real people, just like you are. Make a point of being real with them, keeping it authentic, when showing interest to collaborate.
You can always look for events in or around your city where industry-specific influencers might attend. This would help to show that you’re interested in building a real relationship with them, helping both parties to understand the goals of the other. If they’re unavailable, they’ll most likely be willing to suggest other influencers to you and help you to connect with them.
Track Your Results
After getting in contact with the right influencer for you and your brand, you’re ready to get your campaign going. Make sure your goals are clear from the beginning, so that you know whether your collaboration is going well and producing the results that you want. Track your results to keep yourself informed and always make the best decisions for your brand.