Between 3.2 and 37.8 million people throughout the world are considered “influencers” on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Finding the proper influencers for your company may feel like looking for a needle in a haystack, which is why a recent survey identified this as the most pressing issue for influencer marketers today.
There may be more influencers than ever before, but there are also more methods to locate them than ever before. You may use a wide variety of resources, including social media, Google, word-of-mouth, and specialised influencer marketing databases and platforms.
There has been a shift in how leaders are identified. Because of rapid technological development, today’s standard practises will no longer suffice by 2023. Sixty-three percent of influencer marketers aim to use AI or ML in 2023 to find influencers or develop successful Instagram campaigns, according to the Influencer Marketing Hub’s 2023 Benchmark Report.
Fortunately, at Storyclash, we do nothing but help brands uncover fantastic influencers that are a natural fit for their campaigns. In this article, we will discuss how to locate creators and make use of AI.
A methodical approach to identifying key opinion leaders
The effectiveness of influencer marketing can’t be denied. However, you’ll need the correct approach to identify the influencers that can most effectively aid in achieving your marketing and sales objectives. So, without further ado, let’s delve into our tried-and-true 5-step process for locating the ideal brand influencers.
- Find out who you’re writing for.
- Find the right people to influence.
- Examine your target market and content, and then make contact with potential partners in an effort to build a lasting partnership.
- Let’s check out these procedures one by one.
1. Zero focus on your ideal clientele
Just who is it that you want to persuade? Your campaign’s success on on reaching the right people. various social media platforms and various influencers will be used by businesses in the direct-to-consumer and business-to-business sectors to reach the respective target demographics of young women and men.
Consider your target market very carefully. What characteristics and characteristics do they share as a group? You may learn a lot about who to target by examining your company’s customer relationship management data and your social media following.
2. Look for influential people in your niche
After you have defined the demographics of your audience in terms of age, gender, and the topics in which they are most interested, it is important to identify the key opinion leaders in your field.
Finding the right influencers may be done in a number of different ways.
Use your platform’s built-in search functionality to look for certain accounts or categories, like Instagram’s or YouTube’s.
You may uncover lists of prospective influencers to collaborate with by searching Google. It’s safe to assume that some well-known brands in your field already exist. Check out some blog pieces, rankings, and case studies, and look for influencers who write on the subject.
The path to success is paved with influencer discovery tools. We have compiled a comprehensive collection of influencer marketing tools for you to peruse.
3. Make content discovery a top priority
Finding genuine brand-fit influencers requires a content-based discovery strategy. While statistics and demographics are useful, they aren’t sufficient for identifying influencers who can produce engaging content consistent with your brand’s values and that will appeal to your intended audience.
Find content creators that are influential in your target audience’s eyes by using a platform like Storyclash. Skip the empty statistics.
Eighty percent of Instagram’s brand mentions occur in stories. An influencer will typically share 11 stories every day. So, make sure you read the content your influencer has shared in the past. Since Instagram Stories evaporate after 24 hours, Storyclash provides a unique feature for preserving Stories even after they’ve expired.
4. Make contact with people who have authority in your niche
So, you’ve identified a potential influencer partner. Great! Now is the moment to make contact. There are a lot of pitches competing for the attention of popular influencers every day.
The most effective strategy is to write an email presenting your company and expressing your interest in working together. Keep it cordial and tell them why you’re interested in working with them in particular.
Below you’ll find two pre-written samples for reaching out to influencers, but we encourage you to put some extra effort into making each message unique for your target audience. A mass-mailed advertisement will not be read, but a letter from you will.
Definitely make the message more personable by referencing a prior article or a topic they are particularly interested in.
5. Encourage ongoing cooperation
Maintaining cordial relationships with influential people is crucial. Long-term partnerships between influential people and companies are beneficial for both parties, which is why many influential people only deal with specific brands.
Why? First, if an influencer consistently endorses your business, it establishes a sense of reliability and consistency for the user.
It’s more effective at generating sales since repeat exposure to your business increases the likelihood that an influencer’s followers will make a purchase.
Finding influential people, and how to do it?
In this article, we will explore many popular methods for locating influential people.
Hashtags
Explore Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok for hashtags associated with your field or specialty. This can be useful for finding accounts that have a high interaction rate and a significant following.
Digital networking sites
Find people who have power in your field by searching for them on social media. Keywords, phrases, and subjects may all be used in searches to zero in on influential people and organisations.
Simple but timeless. Conduct a Google search for “influencers” in your field or specialty. Searching for “top influencers in [industry/niche]” or “popular [industry/niche] influencers” will help you locate the right content.