Marketing a brand on social media is incomplete without influencers. The presence of influencers on social media has changed the way people perceive a brand. Influencer marketing on Instagram is the best way to reach your target audience.

The impact of marketing on Instagram can be massive but it all depends on the influencers you choose.

The question that still takes the centre stage in influencer marketing is – How To Find Instagram Influencers?

The success of your influencer campaign depends on the selection of influencers. If your chosen influencers cannot deliver the message effectively the campaign can fall flat!

Be it a brand that has just entered the industry or an established brand that already has a following on social media, the influencer search process remains the most crucial step in starting a campaign.

In this blog, we will tell you how to find influencers on Instagram along with the overall process of carrying out an influencer search.

For the ones who are still new to influencer marketing, let’s brush up on what is an influencer and what is influencer marketing.

What is an influencer?

An influencer is a person whose presence on social media impacts the buying decisions of his/her followers. An influencer is someone who has knowledge about a particular niche and puts out digital content for the same. 

What is influencer marketing?

Influencer marketing is a marketing strategy that uses influencers for marketing products and services. This social media marketing technique is widely used by brands because it helps them reach their target audience on social media. Apart from marketing products and services, influencer marketing is also used for increasing brand awareness.

We’re sure you are aware of how Instagram influencers form the crux of marketing strategies these days. But what makes them so effective? 

• Instagram influencers have the potential to reach a larger audience
• Instagram influencers give the much-needed authenticity to your brand
• Users on social media trust influencers and hence they are apt advocates for your products and services
• Instagram influencers can scale up the content strategy of your brand 
• Instagram influencers help increase brand awareness

These days influencer marketing platforms have changed the way brands look for influencers. Instagram influencer search is deeper than just looking at the number of followers an influencer has!

So, without further ado, let’s understand how to find influencers on Instagram.

Steps to Find Instagram Influencers for Your Brand 

1. Understand the purpose of your influencer campaign

Every campaign has goals and objectives and that decides how the overall strategy is planned. This factor also impacts the influencer search process. The scale of the campaign will tell you what type of Instagram influencers you need for your brand. Some brands opt for influencer campaigns because they want to tap into the passive audience base while some simply want to promote their products and services. The aim of your campaign should be clearly defined before you begin with the next steps.

2. Make sure your brand niche is properly defined

Every influencer is an expert in a particular niche. Once you define your brand niche you will have to filter influencers that belong to that particular niche. See which influencers are active in your niche and check the kind of brands they are working with. This is important because it also defines the audience you are trying to reach through these influencers.

3. Check your target audience

Before selecting an influencer, it is necessary to see their audience base. Apart from the number of followers, influencer search also has to be about the quality of followers. See whether their audience matches with your target audience. Check if this is the audience you want to convey your message to! Moreover, this step will also help you decide if you want to go formicro-influencers, nano influencers, macro-influencers or celebrity influencers!

4. See the kind of content your shortlisted influencers are curating

The kind of content an influencer creates has to resonate with your brand. Check if this is the kind of content you want for your brand. Suppose, you are more inclined towards video content but the influencers you shortlisted are better with images then maybe you need to rethink!

Content analysis is crucial for influencer search because this will decide how your message will be presented to your target audience. Some common content formats that influencers opt for are-

• Guest blogs
• Product unboxing videos
• Photo series 
• Live streams
• Videos
• Hosting giveaways
• Account takeovers

5. Check the audience reaction on the influencer’s content

An influencer search is incomplete without analysing the impact the influencer has on his/her audience. Go through the comments and gauge the authenticity of the influencer. Check what kind of comments they have received and if they are involved in anything controversial!

It is necessary to keep a watch on the reaction because if the followers are not engaging with the influencer then the campaign may fall flat. An effective campaign should be able to generate a response from the intended audience and that’s why you must analyze the audience reaction.

6. Finally, take action and approach the influencers

Your influencer search process should end with approaching the influencers. But the work is not yet done! You need to now approach the influencers to be a part of your brand campaign. There are many ways to approach influencers on Instagram. Some influencers have their work emails on their accounts while some can be contacted through a DM too!

7. Keep the campaign brief ready

While you are approaching your chosen influencers make sure your campaign brief is ready. The campaign brief should contain all the details about the campaign. Right from the kind of content you want them to create to the dates of the campaign, the brief should be detailed and clear to the influencer.

Now that we have told you all about the Instagram influencer search process, it’s time to see how we can ease it out.

Brands Who Are Successfully Using Instagram Influencers

1. GoPro

GoPro’s Instagram feed is filled with user-generated content. The brand ropes in micro-influencers for every new launch and promotional campaign.

2. Bobbi Brown India

The luxury makeup brand attracts a lot of fan following on Instagram. The brand often ropes in celebrity influencers for its campaigns.

3. Skechers India

Right from micro-influencers to celebrity influencers, Skechers India often collaborates with influencers on Instagram for their products.

4. Only 

The clothing brand Only is quite popular on Instagram for its amazing feed. The brand regularly ropes in influencers for its campaigns.

5. Tripoto

The travel brand is active on Instagram and also hosts several sessions related to travel for its followers. The brand encourages both user-generated content and influencer collaborations.

Now that you know how to carry out a systematic influencer search for your brand, start with your campaign plans already with Unbox Social. See to it that your campaigns are creative and engaging to get the most out of them!

Before we move on to the frequently asked questions on Influencers and influencer marketing, let’s know about the common mistakes to avoid in influencer marketing.

1. Considering only mega influencers

The biggest mistake most brand managers make when choosing Instagram influencers is that they only focus on mega influencers. To find influencers that can actually impact your campaign, one has to look beyond the number of followers. See to it that you simply don’t choose Instagram influencers who have a high number of followers. They should be good with their content too. Make sure you check their followers’ quality

2. Not paying attention to video content on Instagram

Instagram is going high on video content especially now with the introduction of Instagram Reels. Make sure your Instagram influencers’ list also includes video content creators. Video content is more important than ever because it is something the audience majorly consumes. Hence, it is necessary to check how many of your influencers are good with video content. 

3. Choosing Instagram influencers without keeping your campaign goal in mind

When you want to find influencers keep your campaign goal in mind. Check whether the influencer you choose has the potential to take you near to your brand goals and objectives. Suppose, your brand objective is to increase follower engagement, then the influencers must be able to put out content that encourages user participation.

4. Not focusing on the timeline of the campaign

Instagram has a lot of content coming up every minute so make sure you schedule your campaign right. Instagram influencers you select should know about the timeline of your campaign. Discuss about the post schedule with them in advance. See when most of your audience is active and convey the insights to them. (Even influencers can study their audience activity) This analysis will help you get the intended response.

5. Expecting quick results from Instagram influencers

Influencer marketing has surely benefitted brands at a faster pace than traditional marketing campaigns. But it is not wise to expect immediate results. Implement your campaign as you planned and wait for the users to consume your content. Also, it is best to analyse the campaign to know how it is faring on the platform.

FAQs on Influencers and Influencer Marketing

• How do you measure the success of an influencer campaign?

The success of an influencer campaign depends on several metrics such as number of likes, comments, shares, impressions, and post reach. These metrics will tell you whether your brand content has received a good response from the audience. Further, it is important to take note of the follower growth to see if you gained more audience base. 

Another way to measure the effectiveness of your campaign is to simply see if your campaign goal has been achieved! 

• Are social media influencers effective?

Influencer marketing is the most preferred marketing technique amongst brands. Social media influencers are effective because they are known to bridge the gap between the brands and audience. Influencers are experts in their niche which can help brands tap into a quality audience base. Majority of brand marketers opine that influencer marketing gives them the highest ROI as compared to other marketing techniques. 

• What are the different types of social media influencers?

Primarily, social media influencers are divided on the basis of their follower count with no rigid bifurcation. Here are the basic follower ranges that can help you distinguish between different types of influencers. 

Mega influencers/Celebrity influencers- 1 million or more followers

Macro-influencers- 1,00,000 to 10,00,000

Micro-influencers- 10,000 to 1,00,000 followers

Nano influencers – 1000 to 10,000 followers