How to Search for Influencers to Promote Your E-commerce Product

Working with influencers can be a great way to promote your e-commerce product or brand. But that doesn’t mean that every influencer is capable of generating increased sales for your business. You need to work with the right influencer, share the right content, and target the right audience. With this in mind, today we are going to share a few tips and best practices to help you understand how to search for influencers effectively.

How to Search for Influencers: Tips

Before you start your next influencer marketing campaign, here are 3 valuable tips on how to search for influencers:

Identify the Right Types of Influencers

Before you start working with an influencer, you need to make sure that they are a good fit for your brand and your campaign. 

There are a few things to consider here.

The first aspect is audience size. Are you looking to work with a micro, nano, or macro-influencer? Much of this will depend on your budget but cost isn’t the only factor to consider. For example, if you are targeting a niche market then a nano-influencer working in the same industry is far more likely to generate the level of engagement you need to see results.

Another important aspect is reviewing an influencer’s brand values and the relevance of their audience. Do their values align with those of your brand? Do they use the right style and voice? Is their content creative and engaging? Does it resonate with their audience? Do they have experience promoting ecommerce products? All this can give you an idea of how successful your campaign might be if you work with a specific influencer. 

Determine the Best Social Media Platforms

During your search, you also need to determine which social media platforms would be best for your campaign. This will help you focus your search on the most effective channels and establish how to search for influencers in the best way. For example, you might use one strategy to find relevant influencers on Instagram, but you’ll probably need to take a different approach to find TikTok influencers who match your brand values.

There’s no such thing as “the best social media platform for influencer marketing”. The most effective channel for you will depend on a number of factors, including your brand, product, and content format. However, the most important aspect to consider is where your target audience spends their time. For example, if you are targeting Generation Z, then the most effective strategy might be launching a video campaign for your e-commerce product on TikTok. If you are targeting Millennials, Instagram is probably the best choice. 

Develop an Outreach Strategy

The final “how to search for influencers” tip relates to reaching out and building a relationship with an influencer. We can’t stress enough how important it is to develop a solid outreach strategy for this.

The first step is identifying the best way to contact them. Many influencers will mention the best contact channels on their profile so check there first. It’s also a good idea to establish a relationship before making contact. Follow their page and interact with their posts. Show them that you are interested in their content.

Once you’ve done that, you’ll be ready to reach out. Explain who you are and what your e-commerce product is. Tell them what you hope to achieve and how you think they can help. Be specific and include a clear CTA. Above all, remember you are trying to build a relationship, so make sure your message is personalized and positive.

Another great tool that you can include in your outreach strategy is product seeding, also known as product gifting. This is where you send free products to influencers in the hope that they give a shoutout to your brand on social media. For example, an influencer can do a live unboxing and testing of your product, explaining what they like about it. They could also share a discount code in the video to encourage their followers to purchase your product and try for themselves. This can be a great way to increase awareness and reach and encourage positive word of mouth on social media. 

Here’s a short video with a bit more information about what product seeding is, how it can benefit your brand, and what you need to consider before implementing a product seeding strategy:

Best Practices for Working With Influencers

Let’s finish by looking at a few best practices for working with influencers once you have reached out to someone.

• Provide clear instructions and guidelines. Make sure you communicate clear goals from the start. Tell your chosen influencer what you hope to achieve and which performance metrics you will be tracking to measure progress. Also, be clear about how much control you want over your campaigns. Ideally, you should strive to find the right balance between being informative and allowing for a degree of creative freedom. Remember, you know what you want, but they understand best how you can achieve it.
• Create engaging content. Make sure the content you create is attractive and engaging. Research the best formats, style, and voice so that your content resonates with your target audience. Also, make sure your content comes across as authentic and not too “salesy” as this can put people off.
• Focus on building a long-term relationship. Finally, don’t forget the importance of nurturing an ongoing relationship with your chosen influencer. This is important because the more you get to know each other, the easier it will be for them to understand your brand and promote your e-commerce product. 

And there you have it. We hope that this guide has provided some helpful tips on how to search for influencers and what best practices to follow to find the perfect influencer for your campaign.