In 30 seconds:
- TikTok influencer marketing unlocks benefits you just don’t get elsewhere.
- With their dedicated audiences and reputation for capturing Gen Z markets, the right TikTok influencer is your gateway to improved campaign performance and brand awareness.
- We have the best insider tips to teach you how to find the best influencers for your brand!
Here’s a fact that won’t surprise you: during the pandemic, TikTok usage surged.
Stuck inside, young people turned to the social media platform for entertainment and distraction – and now its active monthly users number more than a billion. And they’re not just watching short-form videos on TikTok, they’re creating the content too.
In fact, 83% of users have posted their own videos on the TikTok app.
Some of them, however, are more prolific. TikTok influencers have amassed a huge number of followers. They’re experts in what’s trending, and their keen understanding of what their Gen Z audience wants to see makes them valuable assets to any marketing strategy.
But with so many content creators available, how can you find TikTok influencers who are best suited to your brand? We have 5 insider tips to help you narrow down the field and nail your influencer marketing strategy.
What is a TikTok influencer?
For a successful TikTok influencer search, you have to understand what’s important about these content creators.
Influencer marketing is growing in popularity. 51% of marketers say that influencer marketing helps them acquire better customers – and over 70% are planning to increase their influencer budget in the next 12 months.
These are big investments, but they’re worth it: 82% of people trust social networks to guide their purchasing decisions.
In fact, TikTok influencers are much more trusted amongst younger audiences; 70% of teens have said they trust influencers more than celebs.
Another exciting fact: TikTok influencers have a higher engagement rate than those on Instagram and YouTube combined.
You can thank the TikTok algorithm for that. It personalises the user experience through the “For You” page. Users frequently joke about the hyper-specificity of the content that gets directed at them – and that content comes from TikTok influencers catering to their interests.
The big ones – think beauty, food, fashion – can have followings in the millions. Then there are the TikTok micro-influencers. They have smaller audiences, but their followers are usually more specifically targeted, and therefore even more engaged.
It makes sense, therefore, that finding TikTok influencers to partner with begins with determining your target audience.
How to find TikTok influencers by topics
You can always begin the process of finding influencers with a good Google search.
Search engine results for “Top Fitness Influencers” or “Beauty TikTok Influencers” will bring up some of the most recognisable accounts – and they’re undoubtedly good starting points for you to understand the influencer landscape in your niche.
Many of these lists feature the big names, and big names often come with big price tags. How much should you pay TikTok influencers? That depends on the size of their following, and the quality of their content. It’s something to think about if you’re just starting out in your influencer marketing journey.
Insider tip #1: check your dates
On a platform like TikTok where videos can go viral overnight, the influencer landscape can turn on a dime. Before blindly trusting an old list – do your own research, or check in with the experts (hi there!).
Check TikTok user profiles, be involved in TikTok communities, and make sure that the TikTok influencers are still producing the kind of content you’d want to have your branded content sit alongside.
How to find TikTok influencers by hashtags
TikTok influencers differ from those who populate other social platforms (such as Instagram) mainly because they’re often directly responding to trends taking place on the app. From dances to audios, TikTok users embrace the timely challenges and trends that make TikTok so unique.
Explore a trending hashtag, or one that is relevant to your brand identity, as part of your TikTok influencers research. This will help you to quickly draw up a list of the most prolific influencers in that niche. Most TikTok users use hashtags to increase the reach of their videos, so it’s a great tool for finding the users who already have your target audience’s attention.
Insider tip #2: get specific
On TikTok, it’s always a good idea to get specific. Searching industry-relevant hashtags will net you influencers whose audiences are already interested in seeing content like yours. The more you can target your search to a specific niche, the more likely you’ll be able to launch your campaign to sympathetic ears.
How to find TikTok influencers by location
Physical location will either *really* matter for your brand – or not matter at all.
For most, actual location is secondary to the online communities that TikTok is building. 59% of users say that they feel a sense of community when using the app. Gen Z’s identity is inextricably linked to being online.
That said, Gen Z cares about supporting small businesses, and after lockdowns spent inside, physical experiences with friends are important to them. Going local can help you market your business to Gen Zers keen to venture out and support their local community.
Insider tip #3: assess your strategy
Think about whether location necessarily needs to play an important role in your advertising strategy. If you’re hoping to use influencers to signpost your newest restaurant opening, it’s a great fit. But if your brand has an eCommerce presence, widening your net on possible Influencer locations will give you a bigger range of possible profiles to work with.
It’s expected that eCommerce will make up almost a quarter of global retail sales by 2023, so optimising your TikTok account to get sales directly from TikTok is vital. We talk you through how to do just that here.
How to find TikTok influencers by engagement rate
Engagement – it’s the key metric to watch. How engaged an audience is, how much they interact with videos, the time they spend watching them… it all ultimately leads to better sales for your brand.
When putting together a TikTok influencer list, knowing individuals’ engagement rates means knowing how likely it is that they’ll be an impactful feature of your campaign.
Plus, a strong engagement rate means more likelihood of the TikTok algorithm promoting the content to an even wider audience.
Without getting a look at a user’s individual analytics, it’s hard to know their engagement rate for sure. There are a few ways around this. A scroll through their profile will give you an idea of their average views, and the number of likes and comments they tend to receive.
Insider tip #4: determine your KPIs
A high follower count isn’t make-or-break on TikTok. Engagement is a far more useful statistic. Remember that the size of the account is therefore much less useful a guide than the quality of their audience interaction, which means the above tips about strategizing via location, niche, etc. are all equally important.
It’s a lot to keep track of, we know. Luckily, there are tools available that will break down a user’s analytics and give you a clear vision of their impact.
Even better – we have the perfect one…
The ultimate insider tool
A manual search through TikTok’s active communities is certainly possible, but there’s no denying that it takes time to build an influencer database. And that’s before you’ve even begun outreach. This is time that marketers often just don’t have to spare.
That’s why we developed Bytesights. Our industry-leading discovery tool uses a variety of data metrics to quickly and simply pull the top TikTok accounts in any one sector, and delivers a breakdown of audience gender split, location, engagement rate and past branded content, so we can always find the right influencers for any campaign.
Pretty good, right?
We are experts in influencer discovery and selection, and every influencer we recommend is chosen for a reason. They’ll be reliable, responsive, and cost effective – achieving the best possible results for your campaign.
The best bit: you can also leave outreach, campaign management and campaign reporting down to us.
Insider tip #5: enlist the experts
Given the extent of the benefits you stand to gain from a properly executed TikTok influencer campaign, enlisting the experts to make sure your strategy lands puts your brand at a huge advantage.
By handing over your influencer search, you can be certain that your campaign is going to be properly managed, advertised, and hit your target demographic – all without having to navigate the complex influencer landscape yourself.
Here at Fanbytes, we have a track record of helping global brands and new startups launch successful influencer marketing campaigns that capture Gen Z. We will always aim to select the perfect influencers for your campaign that fit your brand’s identity and target market. We’d love to talk to you about how we can help take your TikTok marketing to the next level.
Contact us below to find out about Bitesights, or how we can find the best influencer for your brand. Alternatively, you can hear more from us here:
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