How to Find TikTok Influencers for Your Brand

Social media is one of the cornerstones of digital marketing.

Over the years, we've experienced the rise of platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Each has had a significant impact on how we deliver content, advertisements, and news to our followers.

TikTok is on a rapid growth path that could see it overtaking every other platform above it.

Its focus on video content, powerful content delivery algorithm, and the digestible format make it ideal for any age group to use. The New York Times even posted a recent article explaining how TikTok usurps even Google as a search engine among Generation Z.

Adapting to the latest trends is key for marketers, which is why your agency should be utilizing TikTok influencers.

The Power of TikTok Advertising

TikTok is currently home to over one billion active users.

It ranks sixth globally beneath platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. However, its growth rate year-over-year has been explosive. Experts expect it to reach nearly two billion users by the end of this year. It also reached the record of having the most app downloads in 2021 and 2022.

It's easily the most popular among Gen Z, specifically 16-24-year-olds, but still sees consistent use among older demographics. It beats out Twitter and falls only short of several Meta-owned apps.

The massive success of the user-generated content platform is giving rise to TikTok influencers. These creators have achieved celebrity in their way, building audiences of hundreds to thousands of people that regularly visit to view their content.

The power of influencer marketing is no secret. You're unlikely to watch a YouTube channel or listen to your favorite podcast without hearing a few ads from popular brands. That's because 93% of marketers use influencers and the number of yearly influencer expenses is expected to increase.

Marketers have everything to gain by utilizing TikTok. The social platform shows no signs of slowing down, and its predominant focus on video content promises generally higher engagement rates and ROI than competing platforms.

In short, your agency cannot afford to ignore TikTok as a marketing tool any longer.

What Are TikTok Influencers?

TikTok influencers are professional or semi-professional content creators on the platform. They create followings by providing unique content that caters to a specific interest or niche.

Brands recognize that these influencers have this consistent power over their following. They then sell advertisements or product placements with these influencers, knowing that prospects are listening and that the engagement rate will be high.

The bigger the following a TikTok influencer has, the more valuable they are to companies and marketers. They have the power to guarantee you exposure among their reliable, daily audience.

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Why Brands Are Hiring TikTok Influencers?

The TikTok platform is famous for its scarily-accurate algorithm. That means that users have a significantly easier time finding content created by influencers that match their tastes. It takes very little time for users to start receiving the ideal videos, making them highly addictive and difficult to click away from.

Brands crave this kind of activity and retention when deploying marketing initiatives. Traditional paid marketing requires experts to experiment with different audiences, curate their content, and continuously spend to earn more clicks.

Hiring TikTok influencers save brands both time and money in this regard. You can discover TikTok influencers that share an audience with your company for mutual gain. Brands also leave the task of content creation to the influencer, saving the team time and resources.

The TikTok influencer benefits by earning income from partnerships like these. It's not uncommon to find influencers promoting a product as either a one-time gig or sporting longer promotions over multiple video uploads.

The cost always weighs heavily in favor of the brand. Employing an influencer temporarily generally costs far less than employing and tasking your team to find audiences, create content, conduct tests, and so on.

The larger the following an influencer has, the more they will charge per sponsorship deal. However, even small to mid-sized TikTok creators command loyal followings. Even with smaller follower numbers, studies have shown that as much as 80% of consumers make purchases based on social media content.

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Your audience is more likely to trust a down-to-earth content creator versus a for-profit company like yours. Consumers seem confident that influencers will only promote or use products that they actually believe are quality. That audience goodwill extends to every brand that partners with that consumer.

How to Find TikTok Influencers?

Now that you know how powerful TikTok influencers can be, it's time to determine how to ally ourselves with the right ones.

Some solutions are as simple as becoming a Tiktok user yourself. However, there are also other platforms you can use to expedite your search.

1. Start Browsing Related Categories on TikTok

This is the most intuitive way to start finding TikTok influencers. It's beneficial for agencies to familiarize themselves with the platform they will advertise on regardless.

Brainstorm a list of content categories that fit well with your brand. Start by searching for any content that relates to your industry. If you sell a marketing service, look for other marketers or business leaders. If you're a technology merchant, check out some of the tech and software enthusiasts online.

You can also turn to your company's buyer persona. Look for the common interests shared among your audience, and consider exploring content in those areas as well. It helps to know your audience so that you can reach them even when they're outside of your usual territory.

Start browsing content and make a list of any creators you like. You can also filter TikTok results to find the content with the highest engagement rates. Typically, those creators sport those high numbers thanks to an already existing following.

2. Check Out Trending Hashtags, Too

The purpose of a hashtag is to categorize content by topic or subject matter. People using a certain hashtag and browsing those threads share the same interests as everyone else involved.

You can use this to your advantage by looking for hashtags that pertain to your area of expertise.

Browsing hashtags also helps you gain an understanding of what's hot and trendy among the average user base. If you can make a connection with creators using certain hashtags, you may be able to boost your voice even further than under normal circumstances.

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Just like with category browsing, stick to topics that are in your brand's wheelhouse. Stick to working with creators that share your brand's passion and values.

3. Check Out Other Social Media Platforms

Sticking to just one platform isn't as lucrative as it can be for influencers. They're like active elsewhere online even if just for content promotion.

Don't limit your TikTok influencer search to just TikTok. Check out the social media platforms you use personally or professionally and visit content creators there. More often than not, their profiles will feature a list of the usernames and aliases they use on every platform.

Content creators that primarily use sites like Twitter, YouTube, or Twitch are also branching out into the TikTok space. Smart content marketing encourages us to repurpose existing content for extended results. Those creators take that advice and regularly cut and edit content to build their discoverability in new areas like TikTok.

In short, if an influencer has a following on one platform, chances are, they're on TikTok. Knowing that they have a presence on multiple platforms may also make working with them a better choice than someone restricted to one service.

4. Create a List from Search Results

A fairly routine way of finding TikTok influencers is to let others do the work for you.

You can type in “(any industry or category) TikTok influencers” into Google search and find reliable results. Many of these are business and marketing sites compiling useful lists for SEO purposes.

Check out as many of these lists as necessary and compile your list of who to research. You should never take a site's word for it, especially if the content is somewhat dated. You still need to get searching and learn more about these influencers for yourself.

Then, look up these names online and start exploring their content style. Also, be sure to check that the influencer is still active and showing worthwhile follower numbers.

5. Utilize Third-Party Influencer Platforms

Finally, you can take advantage of the various influencer marketing platforms available online.

These services track influencer activity across a variety of social media websites. All you need to do is build your brand profile, select some choice keywords, set your criteria, and automatically get results.

Some of these platforms like Upfluence can even identify influencers within your customer records. Upload your historical customer contact data and find out if any current or past customers already have a following online. If they're already shopping with you, it won't be a hard sell to strike up a partnership deal.

An added benefit of utilizing these services is the ability to manage your influencer campaigns directly within the same platform. It's a perfect way for both parties to monitor results 24/7 with full transparency. You'll know which influencers are making an impact and which ones you'll want to continue working with moving forward.

Examples of these platforms include:

• Mavrck
• Upfluence
• Traackr
• BuzzSumo

Things to Consider When Selecting TikTok Influencers

When researching TikTok influencers, know that there's more to consider than reach and engagement.

Even though influencer partnerships can be brief, some risks come with bringing someone outside into your brand. How the public perceives that person directly influences how they view your company.

As you check out some of the top preferred influencers in your field, keep these key points in mind:

1. Check the Person's Online History

What you see from a person's recent content may not tell their whole story. In our world of being always online, it seems almost inevitable that public figures and influencers find themselves in trouble at some point.

This generally happens due to some past action, behavior, or statement that the public discovers. Murky details sometimes come up after a person achieves notoriety as they did not have an online presence prior.

Many creators can sufficiently navigate these scenarios and maintain an active following. However, it's a judgment call for your brand to determine who to avoid when considering its history. Some of your audience may be quick to judge a brand that associates with an influencer that does not share their values.

2. Language, Tone, and Delivery

The reason for avoiding an influencer partnership doesn't have to be wrapped up in their closet's skeletons. Content creators may utilize certain language or deliver their messages in a way that differs from your brand.

They don't have to match your voice one for one. However, it's important to aim for consistency to not alienate your existing audience or undermine your values.

As an example, family-friendly companies have an expected way of speaking. The tone can range from professional to conversational, but the verbiage is clean and acceptable for all ages.

That company might choose to avoid working with influencers that use colorful language, harsh delivery, or produce explicit content. They may have a passion for your brand and industry expertise, but associating with certain traits might have the opposite effect as desired.

There isn't a strict rule on this as exceptions can always be made. There's a line to walk when allowing influencers to appear human versus following a pre-written and branded script. You may even need to take risks, experiment, and measure the audience response for future campaigns.

3. High Follower Count Isn't Always the Answer

It's sensible for brands to filter influencers by follower count. The bigger their audience, the more bang you'll get for your buck. However, engagement rates generally matter more than overall reach, especially if your goal is to drive sales.

Thanks to this social media age, there are more communities of all sizes. As long as there is a passion for it, you'll find groups ranging from one hundred members to one hundred thousand. The secret is that smaller communities can also provide excellent returns when utilized correctly.

Data shows that engagement rates are higher when an influencer's audience is smaller. A study of Instagram showed a 5% engagement rate when the audience was no more than 5K. The engagement rate drops to under 2% when the community grows larger.

TikTok, of course, throws us a bit of a loop as engagement rates tend to stay consistent no matter the follower count. Influencers with 5K followers or less saw just over 12% engagement, while those with higher counts saw 13-14%.

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The takeaway here is that even smaller influencers drive action on social media. There's a psychological effect individuals feel in smaller communities allowing them to feel seen and heard.

These micro TikTok influencers also charge cheaper rates. This allows your agency to branch out into multiple communities and expand your brand recognition further throughout the platform.

4. There Are Always Risks

No matter what you do, there is always an inherent risk in hiring a third party.

Anything an influencer says or does has a rippling impact on their community. When your brand forms that association, those thoughts and impressions are now extended to you. When the influencer is in good standing, that favor passes to your brand. But, the same is also true when an influencer damages their reputation.

The risk extends both ways. Trouble on your brand's side can potentially harm the image of an influencer. For this reason, there's always motivation for both parties to clearly define terms, understand the assignment, and deliver results accordingly.

Take the time to follow the tips in this article and do your research. You can mitigate the risk as much as possible by carefully vetting who you interact with ahead of time.

Recruit TikTok Influencers to Boost Your Online Presence

The future of social media marketing is already here. Billions of consumers worldwide spend significant portions of their week checking out content from their favorite creators.

Those creators have the benefit of selling themselves as the product. They garner more favor and trust with audiences than most brands ever can. That's why more agencies and businesses are investing in influencer marketing as a viable strategy for reaching goals.

Start developing smart research strategies to find the ideal TikTok influencers. Make sure that their audience has a shared interest and can connect with your brand's offerings. Try to work with influencers that share your values to keep your messaging consistent across all channels.

Finally, don't limit yourself to the platform's biggest followers. Though the reach is attractive if you can afford it, smaller creators often show the same if not higher engagement rates than major celebrities. You benefit from spending less and earning more transactions than you might with a traditional marketing campaign.

If you want to learn more about TikTok, DashClicks can help you get started with our state-of-the-art platform and white label TikTok ads service. Sign up today to create your free account and start tracking your TikTok campaigns with our intuitive integration features.