How to Find Micro Influencers to Tap New Market Segments

With the continuous growth of partner marketing, more and more companies are looking to engage with influencers to boost their brand’s visibility, strengthen brand identity, and, ultimately, raise profits.

Teaming up with the right influencers, though, is easier said than done — particularly if you’re thinking of joining forces with big names and celebrities. But what if we told you that you don’t need to work with someone who has millions of followers to reap great results?

Cue micro-influencers. They’re much more affordable, approachable, and — when managed properly — profitable. These individuals can truly take your brand to the next level. 

Want to know more about micro-influencers, their benefits, and how to find micro-influencers for your company? Keep reading.

What Is a Micro-Influencer, Exactly?

First, let’s briefly define what a micro-influencer is. As the adjective “micro” suggests, these are influencers who don’t boast hundreds of thousands — or more — followers but generally have a community of between 10,000 and 100,000 people.

Usually, micro-influencers specialize in one topic or niche, which allows them to become real experts on their chosen subject — whether it be skincare, fitness, food, travel, or tech. Precisely because of the high level of specialization of their content, micro-influencers can gain huge engagement within their following.

In turn, this enables them to build a solid, dedicated, and loyal community that shares similar values, interests, and goals. Within this community, they’re seen as trustworthy and authentic voices who discuss topics of mutual interest and whose opinion is greatly valued.

Why Work With Micro Influencers? Five Top Benefits

Now that the definition of micro-influencers is clear, you might still be wondering, “Why should I work with a micro-influencer in the first place? What, exactly, can I expect to gain from this kind of partnership?”. Keep reading, and you’ll find out.

They Boast Super-Engaged Audiences

One of the main reasons many brands like to team up with micro-influencers is that they generally have high engagement rates. Despite not boasting the millions of followers that celebrity influencers have, they produce hyper-focused and specialized content that resonates more authentically with their following.

Let’s imagine that you’re an outdoor gear brand working with a micro-influencer whose specialty is travel. In this case, you can rest assured that their community will already be much more interested in your products compared to the — possibly higher — following of a macro influencer who posts about more generic topics.

Their Content Is Seen As More Authentic and Relatable

The previous benefit leads us to this one: the greater authenticity and relatability of a micro-influencer’s content. Think about it; yes, teaming up with a huge celebrity will likely get you a lot of exposure, but how much will their content truly resonate with your target audience?

In all likelihood, you’ll end up with content that feels a bit too generic and lacks a personal touch. Working with a micro-influencer, on the other hand, enables you to achieve the opposite effect. 

As micro-influencers specialize in one particular niche – that they’re genuinely passionate and knowledgeable about – if their followers see them shouting from the rooftops about how great your brand is, then they’re much more likely to feel compelled to check out your offering.

Plus, micro-influencers are also more likely to engage in conversations with their community compared to A-list celebs, which makes them — and their content — even more “human” and approachable.

Micro influencers Are More Affordable Than Celebs

If you think that working with influencers is too expensive for your small brand, you might need to think again. Of course, if you’re a startup selling high-performing protein powder and are dreaming of landing a partnership with Jennifer Aniston, then it might be totally unfeasible.

What about, though, that super-successful micro-influencer who has just shy of 50,000 followers but boasts sky-high engagement rates? Working with them might cost you as little as $100 per post, which could result in a fab ROI for you.

They Can Help You Build a Stronger Brand Image

Let’s say you’ve started working with a micro-influencer, and things are going really well. What was supposed to be a one-off campaign turned into a regular and successful collaboration that’s poised to last for a lot longer than you were anticipating.

Not only is this great news, as it implies that what you’re doing is working and lifting your profits, but it can also be seen as a way to further strengthen your brand image. 

With your trusty influencer by your side, you gradually and steadily cement your vision of becoming the go-to brand for consumers interested in your offering.

They Can Stick with You for the Long Haul

We’ve already hinted at this in the previous point, but it’s worth expanding on it a little. Let’s be realistic here: unless you have a multi-million-dollar budget, the chances are that you won’t be able to keep working with a mega influencer or celebrity for that long.

On the other hand, if the partnership you have in place with a micro-influencer is bringing in great results, there’s no reason why it shouldn’t last for months or even years. Ultimately, it’s all about finding a strategy that works for both parties and from which both parties benefit.

How to Find Micro-Influencers on Social Media Platforms: Five Top Tips 

With the definition and benefits of micro-influencers now clear, it’s time to get to work; here are five great ways in which you can spot the best micro-influencers for your brand, regardless of which specific social network(s) you want to focus on.

Identify Your Goals and Budget

As with all influencer marketing campaigns, your quest for the best micro-influencer can’t neglect this first essential step: setting up your goals and looking at your available budget. Let’s talk money. 

Be realistic here, and try to work out not only how much budget you have, but how much you think it’s worth spending on this endeavor.

Then, once you’ve come up with a rough figure, go ahead and write up a list of some of the main goals you’d like to achieve through this collaboration. Here are a few common ones:

• Boosting brand visibility and awareness
• Increasing follower count
• Strengthening brand image and credibility
• Maximizing website traffic
• Improving conversion rates
  

Figure Out Your Ideal Creator’s Profile

Not all micro-influencers were created equal, and that’s a fundamental point to bear in mind when you’re on the lookout for the right person to work with. 

Regardless of how popular or successful a particular micro-influencer might be, if they’re not a good fit for your brand, the partnership simply won’t work.

So, before you start narrowing down your search to a handful of good candidates, consider:

• Their niche: Fitness influencers would work great if you’re a brand selling workout gear, though maybe not so much if your focus is on customized jewelry.

• Their content type and style: Check out their most popular posts and what kind of language and tone they use. 

• Their personal brand: Both potential collaborations and long-term relationships with micro-influencers rely on them having a personal brand that truly fits yours in terms of values, ethics, and more. 

Now, you should have a much clearer idea of who, exactly, you should be looking for.

Leverage Hashtag Searches

On platforms like Instagram and TikTok, you can discover social media influencers and content creators through ad-hoc hashtag searches. First, you’ll want to work out which hashtags are relevant and popular for brands within your industry. 

For example, let’s say you’re a tech startup working on a new AI language tool. In this case, you might be interested in searching for keywords and phrases, such as “word embedding,” “generative AI,” and “large language models.”

Once you’ve found these hashtags, take a look at the influencers and creators who seem more active on the topic. 

Then start analyzing their accounts by looking at how many followers they have (making sure they don’t have a huge amount of fake followers!), how active they are, how they present themselves to their target audience, what kind of content they post, and whether they might be a good match for your brand.

Assess Your Candidates and Select the Best One

It’s now time to get down to business; you’ll need to set aside a few days to thoroughly go through all your shortlisted candidates and assess how they’re performing on social media in order to work out which one is the right fit for your brand.

Think about it; you wouldn’t hurry the recruitment stage for a new member of your team, right? So, the same should apply to your collaboration with a micro-influencer who, essentially, will become part of your team — albeit with some obvious differences.

These are the aspects you’ll need to check when analyzing each influencer’s page that you’re interested in:

• Niche and interests: This is quite an obvious one, but it’s worth mentioning nonetheless. The influencer you’ll work with must be someone who not only knows a lot about your industry but who has demonstrated a genuine interest and passion for it. Bonus points if they also love your brand, of course!

• Content quality: So, the niche is the right one for your brand — but what about the content? Is it a) relevant and b) high-quality? Both elements are vital, so take a close look at some of the most recent posts and make a note of what you think.

• Follower count and audience demographics: Sure, having a follower base of 100,000 people is awesome on paper, but what if they’re all younger Gen Zs when you’re actually targeting mostly older Millennials? Make sure you dig deep into the audience before making your final choice.

• Engagement rate: This is, of course, a super-important one. Check the influencers’ current (and past) engagement rate, and maybe consider even looking at how it has fluctuated over time and why.
  

Get in Touch With Them and Propose a Deal

Now that you’ve done all this hard work, it’s time to finally connect with the influencer you’ve chosen to (hopefully) work with. One word of caution, though, just because you’re so close to the finish line, it doesn’t mean you can, or should, rush through this step.

In fact, the opposite is true. Make sure that you’ve created — and rehearsed — an irresistible pitch before you approach them and that you’re offering them a really compelling deal that they’ll find almost impossible to turn down.

While the first contact can certainly be made via social media DM, it’s crucial that you also suggest speaking over the phone or via video call. You can use your business phone number for that or set up a meeting through a video conferencing platform like Zoom.

Wrapping Up: How to Find Micro Influencers and Win New Markets

When done right, tapping influencers can be an absolute boon for small and medium companies looking to make the most of the huge potential of social media for business.

Working with micro-influencers, in particular, can be a fantastic choice for these brands. It’s more affordable than working with celebs, boasts higher engagement rates, and allows your brand to build a loyal and authentic community.

In this guide, we discussed the top benefits of micro-influencers as well as five ways to identify the right ones for your brand. What are you waiting for? Get out there and start searching for your next micro-influencer!