How to Find Micro Influencers for Your Online Brand

You’ve probably heard the term “micro influencer” being used, but what does it actually mean?

Well, the clue is in the name. First and foremost, a micro influencer is an influencer. This means they’ll typically have built a strong following on social media by creating and posting relevant content in their area of interest or expertise. The use of ‘micro’ refers to their follower size, which is usually around 10,000 to 50,000 followers.

Influencers with smaller follower counts than this are usually referred to as nano influencers, whilst those with bigger follower counts are referred to as macro, mega or celebrity influencers. Learn about the different types of influencers here.

Although the micro influencer bracket is defined by a rough numerical ‘range’ of followers, the actual follower count can vary. In the end, it also depends on their niche, the social media platforms they use, and the type of content they create.

There are considerable benefits to working with micro influencers compared to other influencer tiers:

• More affordable to work with
• Develop higher rates of follower engagement
• Easier to convince to work with you compared to larger influencers
• Excited for brand partnerships

So, they come with plenty of advantages, but how do you actually find micro influencers? Below, we’ll show you where to begin.

It’s easy to get excited when you decide to work with influencers, and you’ll want to dive headfirst into contacting some of your favorite content creators on your favorite platforms. But before you do this, you need to answer one very important question:

What am I actually trying to achieve?

Knowing what your goals are will drive every aspect of your influencer marketing campaigns from the influencers you decide to work with to the type of content you decide to create.

Your influencer marketing goals should help support your overarching marketing goals, which in turn should support your wider business goals. Here’s a simplified version of how this may look:

Business Goal: Increase sales of product X

Marketing Goal: Boost awareness of product X

Influencer Marketing Goal: Work with micro influencers to communicate the benefits of product X to their audiences

To make sure your goals can be measured effectively, we recommend using the SMART format. This stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-Bound. This will make your goals clearer and allow you to identify how you’ll know when you’ve achieved them. It’ll also allow you to see if you need help to get there, and who’s best placed to give you an extra hand.

Learn more about how to drive sales using influencers in our dedicated article.

Once you’ve developed clear influencer marketing goals, these can be used to help create an influencer profile.

Your influencer profile outlines your ideal influencer. This will help you quickly cross reference certain aspects of any influencer you find to judge their suitability. Your influencer profile should include:

• Desired influencer demographics
• Desired influencer audience demographics
• Social platforms the influencer will be active on
• Number of followers the influencer should have
• The cost of working with that influencer
• The content type and style

Not only will a detailed influencer profile make it easier to qualify influencers, but it will also provide you with keywords and key phrases that can be used to search for relevant influencers.

With specific goals and a clearly defined profile of the type of influencers you are looking for, you’re well on your way to finding the very best micro influencers for your brand. But where do you actually go to find them?

There are several options open to you for conducting an influencer search. Using a mix will get you the best results.

Influencer Search Tools

Influencer search tools are much as they sound – databases which let you search for influencers based on specific criteria. Sometimes, influencers opt into these databases, meaning they are more likely to be open to collaboration. Other times, these databases can simply provide an insight into which influencer meets your search terms.

A few examples of influencer search tools include:

• Upfluence
• Scrunch
• Julius

Influencer Marketplaces

Influencer marketplaces work in a similar way to search tools, letting you search for influencers based on a number of requirements. However, rather than just showing you who fits your criteria, they also work as a middle man, letting you contact and collaborate with influencers.

Marketplaces can also work in reverse, allowing you to post your requirements and then inviting influencers to submit their interest in your campaign.

Popular influencer marketplaces include:

• TRIBE
• ACTIVATE
• Fanbytes

An influencer marketplace is a great way to quickly find influencers interested in your brand. However, it can attract influencers looking to make a quick profit, meaning you’ll have to spend longer assessing the suitability of each one.

Hashtags

Hashtags can be a good way to find micro influencers that are relevant to your niche and brand.

Not sure how to find small influencers using hashtags? This is simple on platforms like Instagram, where influencers use hashtags to get discovered. All you need to do is type in a relevant phrase or term and scroll through the content you find.

For example, a sportswear brand may search for the following hashtags:

#fitness

#gymwear

#[their brand name]

#fitnessinfluencer

This approach can be a smart way to find influencers who are relevant to them. It can be very labor intensive, though, because you’ll need to scroll through countless pieces of content to finally find an influencer that fits your brand.

Your Own Audience

This method for finding micro influencers is often overlooked. After all, your ideal influencer would already be a big fan of your brand – so why wouldn’t you filter through your own audience to see if there are suitable influencers following you?

Although this approach is great for finding high-value influencers, it, too, can take a lot of time and might not even produce any results.

Brand Mentions

Similar to hunting for micro influencers in your audience, searching for brand mentions can be a good approach to finding content creators who are already engaged with your brand or product.

How you do this will depend on the social media platform you use. For example, on Instagram, you can either see who has recently tagged you in posts or who has mentioned you with an @ in their caption.

Again, this approach won’t always produce good results but it can be a quick way to find highly relevant influencers.

Competitors

One final place you can look for micro influencers is your competitors’ social media feeds. For example, you could see which influencers your competitors are reposting content from or search for those who tag them in their own posts.

Although this can be a quick way to find influencers who are relevant to your niche, it should also be done with caution. This is because working with influencers who have already promoted or endorsed a competitor’s brand or product can look disingenuous when promoting yours.

Could you add an example in here? What kind of platforms do influencers use hashtags to get discovered on? Instagram? Twitter?

Influencer Search Techniques

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Upfluence not only helps you find influencers, it also offers campaign management, and payment solutions.

Activate has a huge talent marketplace, and can also give you casting advice and tips so that you choose the right influencer for your brand.

Instagram's search function is another way to find influencers in your niche, and unlike databases or marketplaces, it's completely free to use.

So, you’ve found some great influencers using the methods and tools outlined above, and you’ve also checked them against your influencer profile to make sure they’re a great fit for your brand.

You’re ready to go, right?

Well, not exactly! Here’s a quick checklist of final questions to consider when assessing an influencers viability:

• Do they have fake followers? You can check using a tool such as HypeAuditor.
• What is their engagement rate? Low rates with high follower counts can be a warning sign.
• What is the sentiment of their comments? For example, are people generally being positive in their comments?
• Is their content high quality?
• What other brands (if any) are they working with?

Micro influencers can be powerful partners for any brand. However, finding the best micro influencers isn’t always simple. By following the tips we’ve outlined in this guide, you’ll not only be able to find them more easily, but you’ll also be able to assess how good of a fit each influencer is for your online brand.

Learn more about using influencer marketing by checking out our articles on influencer whitelisting, and working with TikTok micro-influencers.