Any marketer who has tried to find influencer partners for a campaign can tell you there are lots of fake influencers out there. These accounts look like real influencer accounts at first glance, but they don’t have any influence over a real audience. Instead, their audiences are made up almost entirely of bots and fake accounts.
Working with fake influencers won’t do your brand any good. Partnering with these influencers could damage your brand reputation and will certainly be a waste of money. While searching for influencer partners, you must avoid these influencer frauds and stick to real influencers only.
So how do you find influencers for your brand who are authentic? Try these tips and strategies for finding real influencers:
How Do I Find Real Influencers?
Almost every influencer marketing campaign starts with a search for suitable influencer partners. Distinguishing between real and fake influencers is one of the most difficult parts of that search.
One option is to simply search the social media platform where you want to run your campaign. Head to the search function, type in relevant keywords or phrases, and look at the top results. Scan through these accounts until you find some promising options. Then, scroll through the accounts following each influencer to look for red flags. Influencers with many private accounts or one-digit accounts following them are likely fake influencers.
Another avenue for finding real influencers is using an influencer search tool. These tools should sort out fake influencers and help you find real influencers that meet your search criteria.
How Do I Find Influencers In My Local Area?
Some brands choose to only work with influencers in their area. In this case, you have to target your search to a specific region to find local influencers. Use an influencer search tool and filter by location to see some options.
How Do I Find Top Local Influencers?
Once you find some local influencers, browse related accounts to find similar influencers in your area. As you explore, you should be able to find the top influencers in your country or region.
How Do I Find Up And Coming Influencers?
Trendy, mainstream influencers with millions and millions of followers get the most media attention, but that doesn’t necessarily make them the best partners for your brand. Sometimes, working with up-and-coming influencers is the better option.
Try looking at accounts with 10,000 to 100,000 followers to find these influencers. These smaller influencers often have more dedicated, engaged followings and are generally more affordable.
How Do I Find A Specific Influencer?
If you’re looking for a specific influencer, the best way to locate them is by searching one of the social media platforms they use. For example, search for a specific Instagram influencer using Instagram’s built-in search function. For this strategy to work, you’ll need to know the influencer’s handle (at least partially) or some keywords related to their content.
Another option for locating a specific influencer is using a search engine like Google. Enter search terms related to this influencer, such as their niche and location. Then, scroll through the results to see if the influencer you’re considering shows up. The more information you have about the influencer you want to find, the easier it will be to find that specific influencer.
How Do I Find Instagram Influencers For My Product?
Instagram is the top social media platform for influencer marketing. Marketers often search for Instagram influencers to promote their products, and they have a few ways to do that.
The first option is searching manually on Instagram with relevant hashtags to your brand niche. Another option is to put similar search terms into a general search engine. Finally, you may consider using one of the best instagram influencer search tools to find influencer partners on Instagram.
How Do I Create An Influencer Database?
You may consider creating your own influencer database if you plan to run several substantial influencer marketing campaigns. Having your own database will help you stay organized and efficient during your campaigns.
Start by collecting all the information to include in your database. For each influencer, you should have the following details:
- Name
- Account username/ handle on each social media platform
- Location
- Email address
- Follower count (as of that date)
- Niche or Industry
- Status as a brand partner (active or inactive)
Add any additional information you think you might need later about your influencers. For example, it may be helpful to group these influencers into categories according to the stage of your relationship with them.
How Lionize Can Help
As an influencer marketing platform, Lionize makes finding and working with influencers easy. The Lionize platform is powered by AI, converting hours of work each week into mere minutes. Book a discovery call today to learn more.
