Where To Find Influencers For Your Brand: 5 Hidden gems

Nov 26

Find Your Brand’s Lobster 🦞

With the right strategies in place, you'll be on your way to influencer marketing success.

Don’t lie, you’ve thought about it—who would your celebrity soul mate be?

Not your “we-met-on-Love-Island” soulmate, but more like the Rachel to your Monica soul mate. Small businesses, for you, your celebrity soul mate is the influencer that would be your brand’s BFF.

Leveraging the right influencers can help you reach new audiences, boost brand awareness, and drive conversions. But how do you find the perfect influencers for your brand? I’m walking you through where to find influencers for your brand—it’s basically The Bachelor, but for influencers. Let’s go! ⬇️

But First: How Did Influencer Marketing Even Start? 🤔

Where To Find Influencers For Your Brand

#1: Influencer Management Platforms

If you want to see all your influencer options in one place without having to do the hardcore hunt, an influencer marketing platform is going to be the best place for your to start your search.

Platforms like Sprout Social's Influencer Marketing, Upfluence, and Grin provide robust databases of vetted influencers across a variety of industries. These tools allow you to search for influencers based on criteria such as audience demographics, engagement rates, content style, and more. This can be an efficient way to build an initial influencer outreach list.

BUT: Keep in mind that you’re most likely going to have to pay for a subscription on these platforms to make the most of their best features.

Study your competitors' influencer partnerships to identify potential collaborators, then build genuine connections before reaching out.

#2: Social Media…Duh

If you’re more old-school and want to know where to find influencers, look no further than your favorite social media platform. Don't underestimate the power of good old-fashioned social media stalking!

Spend time scrolling through your target audience's feeds to identify accounts that align with your brand. Pay attention to the types of content that resonate, the influencers they follow, and the hashtags they use. This can uncover gems you may have missed on influencer platforms.

The “suggested accounts” section on Instagram is a hidden little goldmine. When you find influencers you like who feel totally aligned with your brand, tap that button to unveil a whole list of other accounts that are similar to theirs!

Use your favorite social platforms to find influencers by exploring your audience’s feeds, hashtags, and Instagram's “suggested accounts” for aligned creators.

#3: Hashtags and Keyword Searches

Hashtags may be becoming obsolete in content strategies, but they can be a goldmine for influencer discovery. And I mean everyone and their mother is using social media as a search engine these days, so searching for relevant keywords is another way to find standout accounts in adjacent industries.

Search for keywords and hashtags relevant to your industry, then take a deep dive into the accounts using them. You may uncover smaller, highly-engaged micro-influencers that are a perfect fit.

Search relevant hashtags and keywords to uncover engaged micro-influencers in your industry.

#4: Conduct Competitive Analysis

The answer to the big “where to find influencers” question might be right on your competitor’s feed. 👀Take a look at what brands in your industry are doing in the influencer space. Who are they partnering with? What types of influencers seem to be moving the needle for them? This can provide valuable insights to kickstart your own influencer strategy.

Use this tip wisely! Don’t go immediately offering influencers who have just worked with similar brands a partnership, but rather take the time to become an engaged presence on their feed. Once enough time has passed and you’ve built the connection, then shoot your shot in their DM’s.

These platforms, like Upfluence and Grin, simplify finding and vetting influencers but often require a subscription.

#5: Leverage Social Listening

Tools like Brandwatch and Talkwalker allow you to monitor brand mentions, industry conversations, and trending topics. Use these to identify influencers who are already talking about products or services similar to yours. They may be primed and ready to collaborate.

Aside from that, pay attention to the talk on your own brand’s pages. Check your mentions and tags often, because your brand’s biggest fan might already be creating content for you! If someone already loves your brand and is an authentic user or customer, you may be able to facilitate a seamless collaboration with them!

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Your Lobster Is Out There!

Finding your influencer lobster is only step one in the “where to find influencers” process. Once you've built your list, you'll need to thoughtfully vet each prospect, negotiate partnerships, and track performance. But with the right strategies in place, you'll be on your way to influencer marketing success.

Love the sound of ALL of that but have no ideas where to start? Reach out to our team and we’ll make some influencer magic happen for your brand. We’ll research, reach out, and help you reach your goals on social. Let’s get social!!