Tips to finding the best influencer for your brand: a complete guide

Social media and the rise of social media influencers have revolutionized the way brands interact with people. Businesses can now use highly influential individuals to promote their brand to better reach and relate to their target audience. However, not all influencers are created equal, and choosing the right one for your brand is essential. In this blog, we will discuss some tips to find the best influencer for your brand.

Define your goals

Before you start your search for an influencer, you need to define your goals.

• What do you want to achieve with your influencer campaign?
• Do you want to increase brand awareness or drive sales?
• Do you want to target a specific audience?

Knowing your goals will help you identify the right influencers who can help you achieve them.

Identify your target audience

It is crucial to identify your target audience before you start searching for influencers. Knowing who your audience is will help you find someone who has a following that matches their interests and social usage behaviours. For instance, if your audience isn’t active on TikTok, don’t waste your budget on an influencer who only has a solid following on this channel.

Look for relevant influencers

One good way to find influencers is to search for hashtags that are relevant to your brand or industry. Who’s already trending?

You can also use influencer marketing platforms such as Influencer.co, Upfluence, or HypeAuditor, which help you find influencers based on your requirements.

Screenshot of TikTok Creator Marketplace searching for a Beauty & Fashion creator in England

Some social platforms even have their own resources to help you find and manage influencers, such as TikTok Creator Marketplace (TTCM). TTCM helps discover creators big or small. So, whether you’re seeking someone to help you create content at a low cost, or to reach a mega influencer’s large audience, it’s a handy tool to check out.

Check their engagement

An influencer’s engagement rate is an essential factor to consider before partnering with them. An influencer with a high number of followers but low engagement may not be the best fit for your brand. You want to partner with an influencer who has a high engagement rate, which means their followers are actively engaging with their content. An active community is more likely to trust the influencer’s recommendation, and as a result, will drive higher conversions for your influencer campaign.

Check their content quality

The quality of an influencer’s content is crucial. You want to partner with an influencer who creates high-quality content that aligns with your brand’s values and messaging. Look for influencers who have a unique and authentic voice that resonates with your target audience.

Analyse their past partnerships

It is essential to analyse an influencer’s past partnerships before partnering with them. Look at the type of brands they have worked with in the past and the content they created for those brands. This will help you determine if the influencer is a good fit for your brand.

You may even spot that they’ve recently partnered with a competitor of yours. Partnering soon after this could look false as the influencer is seen to partner for money rather than genuine support and admiration for the brands they work with.

Negotiate the partnership

Once you have identified the right influencer, you need to negotiate the partnership. Be clear about your expectations and the deliverables you want from the influencer. Also, discuss the compensation and any other terms and conditions before finalising the partnership. For instance, do you expect them to post content on their own profiles within a given timeframe? Do you need their permission to use the content within a paid social campaign? All of this should be considered and written into a contract to save you trouble later down the line.

Track the campaign

After finalising the partnership, you need to track the campaign’s performance. Use tracking tools to measure the success of the campaign and see if it is meeting your goals. This will help you make any necessary adjustments and optimise the campaign for better results.

In conclusion, finding the right influencer for your brand can be challenging, but it is essential for the success of your influencer marketing campaign. You need to define your goals, identify your target audience, look for relevant influencers, check their engagement and content quality, analyse their past partnerships, negotiate the partnership, and track the campaign’s performance. By following these tips, you can find the best influencer for your brand and reach out to your target audience effectively.

For more tips, check out our advice on how to run an effective influencer marketing strategy. And if you want any support with your social media management, get in touch.