Finding the right influencer to work with is key and, on the flip side, working with the wrong one can have a damaging effect on your brand. This is why researching potential influencers is one of the most important parts of any influencer strategy. There are two ways to do this:
1. Subscribing to influencer databases, which can be costly but ultimately a lot of the hard work will have been done for you.
2. Desk research. It might sound old school but it’s a fail-safe way to find the right people; it just takes time.
With the latter option, there are various tricks to use to find influencers who’ve previously tagged or mentioned your brand, rather than just starting with a blank search.
Whichever option you choose, the more targeted you can be the better. If you’re looking for ‘national lifestyle influencers’ you’re going to have a bigger task on your hands than searching for niche micro-influencers. And micro-influencers should be considered just as much as macro-influencers. You could argue their audience is more likely to be more engaged because their content is more tailored… but often the micro vs. macro decision may be decided for you, depending on available budgets.
Remember you don’t have to stick to obvious influencer genres either. For example, if you’re a health and wellbeing brand, you might think working with a wellness influencer is the best route. But you could similarly look for parenting influencers (especially new parents) who are bound to have followers who would engage with (and appreciate) health and wellbeing content during night feeds or in their sleep deprived state. Sometimes the less obvious trajectory can be more cost-effective and impactful.
Doing your due diligence is key too. You need to understand which other brands influencers have worked with in the past, whether there’s been any negative media coverage around them etc. This should form a crucial part of this research stage.