Instagram has over 500,000 influencers on its platform.
Finding the right influencer for your brand is like a real obstacle course sometimes!
Fortunately, with the right techniques, you can easily find quality ambassadors. Take note of 9 tips to implement, followed by tips for avoiding fake influencers.
1. Do a Google Search
It sounds obvious, but a quick Google search can find the top Instagram influencers in your industry. For example, you can search for “top fashion influencers on Instagram” and you’ll come across articles listing what suits your needs:
While this technology will be effective in finding large and popular accounts, there are likely to be many partnerships with different brands. If you prefer micro or nano influencers, try other methods instead!
2. Post an ad on your site
If you’re looking for Instagram influencers to work with on a regular basis, post an ad on your website as well as your Instagram account. Provide detailed information about what you need and what they will get in return.
This will allow you to bring influencers directly to you.
3. Take advantage of the “Suggestions” option
Already thinking of a perfect Instagram influencer for your brand? You can search for similar influencers by using the “Suggestions” feature on their profiles.
Visit your ideal influencer’s Instagram account. Click the arrow icon next to “Subscribe” or “Unsubscribe”:
Instagram then displays an insert with the same profile as your ideal influencer:
4. Follow Hashtags Related to Your Industry
On Instagram, you can follow your products and services with hashtags related to your brand. The interest lies in seeing all the trending publications in your news feed that use it.
This way you can find and follow the publications of influencers or contact them for your next marketing campaigns.
5. Search among your customers and followers
Check the profiles of your new followers regularly! Among them, there may be relevant influencers you can work with. If they follow you, it means they appreciate your universe and your products. Working with them will provide authentic support… and sometimes less expensive! If they regularly consume your products, they will be more inclined to get them for free to tell their community about them.
Another option is to check the “Tag In” tab of your profile:
If users tagging you generate a significant number of comments and likes on the content, that’s a good indication of their “influence”. Click on their profile to check them out in detail.
Another tip: Also check other accounts mentioned in the publications consulted. Some influencers tag other influencers, which allows you to discover multiple potential collaborators at once.
6. Monitor Your Competitors
A great way to find influencers interested in promoting your products or services is to see what your competitors are doing.
Don’t focus on the most popular company in your industry, as they may be able to offer influencers better compensation. Look for direct competitors with a similar size and profile to your brand.
Go to the “Tagged” tab of your competitors to find influencers. You can also search on hashtags of competing brands.
7. Use Stories
Your followers definitely follow influencers. So they can recommend profiles that match your brand.
One of the best ways to ask them is to put a question sticker on your Instagram Stories. Invite them to share their favorite influencer’s nickname to get inspired! You will surely find tips that you would have never thought of.
It can also increase your community’s sense of belonging and increase engagement on future posts.
8. Use the Right Tools
All the techniques mentioned above take time. With a few tools, you can easily find influencers with the ideal profile.
A tool like Favicon allows you to find influencers based on city, engagement rate, and sponsored post value.
Instagram and its parent company Facebook have also launched Brands Collabs Manager. It allows you to quickly find influencers for your brand through a catalog including relevant details and statistics to make your choice.
Other tools like HypeAuditor or Social Blade reveal the quality of the audience of influencers in your niche. It allows you to make an informed decision.
9. Avoid Fake Influencers
To get all the benefits of an influencer partnership, you need to make sure you are collaborating with a real influencer!
To distinguish truth from false, analyze Methods used by influencers Chosen to get followers and engagement.
buy followers
The more followers an influencer has, the more popular they are in the Instagram community. At the same time, its prices also increase. So, before paying for a fake community, make sure the followers are not “dead accounts”!
Indeed, there are sites on which it is possible to buy a certain number of fans. The problem is that these followers do not engage with the influencer’s content. Sometimes they don’t even exist (they never log in to Instagram).
Take a look at the accounts of some of his influential followers:
- Is there minimal activity on their pages (no pictures, no posts)?
- Have their accounts been inactive for years?
If so, these accounts are likely to be fake, for which the affected person has paid.
theft or purchase of material
There is another method that fake Instagram influencers use to steal other people’s content or photos to make them their own.
In addition, there are image banks online where they can buy photos: recipes, lifestyle, travel, etc. They show that they are their creation and have a talent for photography that your brand can benefit from.
engagement rate
Typically, fake influencers have a higher number of followers, but they have a lower engagement rate. This is often because simple followers are cheaper to buy, but more expensive to pay for engagement.
You can easily spot an imbalanced follower-to-engagement ratio by calculating the engagement rates on the influencer’s last 10 posts.
Another clue: Comments. A truly engaged community will take the time to write constructive comments, add advice or ask questions. If the influencer doesn’t have any posts from their followers, you can doubt their influence.
Also, don’t be fooled by automated comments, which are often made up of vague expressions like “That’s great!”, “Great photo”, “I like your profile”… sometimes you just need one or the other. You will get two emoticons.
verification badge
This is one of the signs that can help you.
A verification badge is a blue symbol with a white checkmark next to the name of an influential person or celebrity. Badges confirm the authenticity of public figures and companies.
This checkmark comes in handy when you want to partner with macro influencers and celebrities.
account creation date
How long an account has been around is a big indicator of the authenticity of an influencer.
Niche themed accounts aside, an Instagrammer’s account needs to have consistent, quality content that is months old. A community that grows very quickly, so you should be alert to its authenticity.
conclusion
According to Instagram, 87% of users have purchased a product based on a recommendation from an influencer. It’s dreamy, isn’t it? If you want to boost your notoriety and your sales, follow these ways to find quality influencers with a responsive and passionate community.
If the influencer has an active community, an engagement rate of at least 4%, and quality content for several months, you can contact them!
To be supported in your influence marketing, don’t hesitate to call on an expert and post your ad on Codeur.com.