How to Find Relevant Influencers in 2023

Key Takeaways

• With so many influencers on social platforms, it’s becoming difficult for brands to find relevant creators for a successful partnership.
• You can manually search for relevant influencers: Researching hashtags, searching among their own followers, using employee advocacy, and attending events.
• The best way to find relevant influencers in 2023 is through influencer marketing platforms like Kolsquare.

In 2023, influencer marketing will be more popular and effective than ever. Brands and companies have long recognized that working with KOL (Key Opinion Leaders) can reach new audiences and successfully promote products and services. But with all these promises of success, marketers need to be careful: Collaboration with influencers can and will only be successful if the right partners are found.

In the meantime, there are countless creators on social media platforms, such as Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and others. Hence, how can you filter through this mass in a targeted manner and  find the right influencers for your campaign? This article provides tips and strategies on how companies can find relevant influencers in 2023.

The First Step is Strategic Planning

Before you even get in touch with anyone, you need to do some planning in advance. This includes defining your goals, which will help you determine beforehand  who the right influencers are for your campaign.

Of course, all considerations can be adjusted in the process, but still, without clear and specific goals, it can be difficult to determine who really fits you and your brand.

Before you begin your search for influencers, ask yourself the following questions:

• What do you hope to achieve from influencer marketing?
• Are you looking to increase brand awareness, boost sales, or promote a specific product or service?
• Who is your target audience? Tip: This is important to find influencers who fit your brand and can effectively reach your desired target audience.
• What is your budget for influencer marketing? If you know your budget, you can determine which influencers are in your price range and you can negotiate prices with potential influencers.

→ Also read: the Kolsquare Quick Guide to Negotiating Prices with Influencers.

Once you have defined your goals and target audience, you can start searching for the best influencer for your brand. Keep the following factors in mind:

1. Brand values:  Look for influencers who share similar values and beliefs as your brand. This will ensure that the influencer’s message is consistent with your own, thus promoting your products or services authentically. In the language of marketing, you could also speak of the so-called “brand voice” because just like influencers, your brand also has its own personality, which must be compatible.

2. Target audience: Take into account the demographic data, interests and behavior of the influencer’s target group, so that you naturally reach the right people.

3. Beware of fake followers: Influencer marketing is promising, but it also holds some dangers for brands. So, check engagement rates, follower growth over time, and other engagement data, and read Kolsquare on how to spot fake influencers and followers.

4. Profitability:  Consider whether the influencer is profitable for your brand and whether their reach and engagement will lead to a positive return on investment.

Tip: Remember that finding the right influencer is a process that can take a lot of research, testing, failure, and success.

How to Find Relevant Influencers Manually

There are a number of ways to find influencers manually, including researching hashtags, searching among your own followers, using employee advocacy, and attending events. While these methods can be exceedingly effective, they are also time-consuming and not as precise as others.

But let’s go over the different methods again, step by step. First of all, you can search for hashtags related to your industry or products. Consequently, you can find influencers who are actively posting and engaging with their followers on topics that resonate with your brand. However, this method can be time-consuming as you have to manually search through a large number of posts and profiles.

Also, you can search for KOLs among your own followers. This can be a good starting point, as these accounts are obviously already interested in your brand. Of course, you should check the data carefully, as a large following is no longer the only factor you need to consider.

Word-of-mouth has always worked – why should it be any different when it comes to finding cooperation partners? Using your employees’ personal networks and their social media reach is also a good idea. However, this approach is only an option if they have engaged and are influential colleagues themselves.

Attending events can also be a good way to find relevant influencers in your industry. You can meet with KOL in person and get to know them better, but again, it’s a time-consuming process and may not be the best option if you’re not able to attend events.

In summary, while these manual methods can be effective, they are  time consuming and not as accurate as other methods. It can take a lot of effort and research, and can be a waste of resources. Weigh the pros and cons of each way. Alternatively, influencer marketing platforms are also an option:

Use Platforms Like Kolsquare to Find Relevant Influencers

As the influencer marketing industry continues to professionalize, the best way to find relevant influencers in 2023 is to use the platforms that specialize in them. Influencer marketing platforms allow brands to collaborate with influencers from A to Z. In concrete terms, this means that you can easily find relevant KOLs, get in touch with them, measure their performance and ultimately analyze their success. Using an influencer marketing platform like Kolsquare offers a number of advantages over manually searching for influencers.

One of the most important advantages of an influencer marketing platform is the ability to filter influencers by categories, demographics, target groups, and influencer activities. This way, companies can narrow down their search and find the KOLs that fit their specific goals and target audience. You can also filter by keywords for a more precise search.

Influencer marketing platforms also provide detailed information about each influencer’s audience, including demographics and location, audience growth, and engagement. In addition, influencer marketing platforms manage campaigns and provide you with influencer marketing platform statistics, meaning you can see previous campaigns, the brands they’ve worked with, the type of content they’ve produced, and the results of their campaigns.