In the world of social media marketing, “identifying influential users on platforms like Twitter has become extremely important”. Brands want to connect with users who have large, engaged followings in their niche so they can spread brand awareness and drive engagement. But with millions of users on Twitter, how do you identify who the true influencers are?
Luckily, some great tools are available to help identify influencers on Twitter. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover the top tools for influencer identification and how to use them effectively.
Table of Contents
What is an Influencer?
Before diving into looks, let’s define what makes someone an influencer.
An influencer is an individual who has built a reputation and audience around a specific niche or industry. They have the power to affect the purchasing decisions of others based on their authority, knowledge, position, or relationship with their audience.
On Twitter specifically, here are some typical traits of an influencer:
- Large following in a specific niche
- High engagement rate on tweets
- Thought leadership and subject matter expertise
- Respected and trusted by their followers
- Active contributor within their community
Identifying these users allows brands to connect with evangelists who can organically spread brand messaging to a highly targeted audience.
Also read: Top Influencers on Twitter
Why Identify Influencers on Twitter?
Here are some of the key reasons brands want to connect with influencers on Twitter:
Broad Reach
Influencers have spent time building large, targeted followings around specific topics and industries. A single influencer can reach an audience in the tens or hundreds of thousands. Partnering with them provides instant access to these targeted followers.
Engagement
Not only do influencers have large followings, but they also tend to generate high engagement rates. Their audiences are invested and interested in their content. Influencer tweets receive higher-than-average likes, retweets, and clicks.
Thought Leadership
Influencers are trusted subject matter experts on their topics of choice. When they share messages or content, their followers pay attention. Their thought leadership lends credibility to any brand they partner with.
Cost Effective
Compared to other forms of marketing, identifying and partnering with influencers provides strong ROI. Influencers are cost-effective, given the reach and resonance they provide.
Organic Messaging
When influencers share brand content or messaging, it comes across as organic and natural. Followers are more receptive to recommendations from influencers they know and trust vs. traditional ads.
Generate Awareness
Influencers can help raise brand awareness and buzz. They can take a brand or product from unknown to viral within their circles.
Top Tools for Identifying Twitter Influencers
Now that we’ve covered the importance of influencer marketing let’s explore some of the best tools for identifying influencers on Twitter. Each provides capabilities to search for, filter, and allow users based on different influence factors.
BuzzSumo
BuzzSumo is a leading content research tool providing robust influencer identification capabilities for Twitter and other social networks.
To get started identifying influencers with BuzzSumo:
- Enter your primary keyword or topic of interest into the search bar. For example, “yoga”.
- Select “Influencers” below the search bar.
- You can filter influencers based on location, number of followers, engagement” etc.
- Click on any in”influencer to view their full profile and engagement stats.
- Use the “Compare” feature to evaluate multiple influencers side-by-side.
- Export a list of relevant influencers and their contact information.”
BuzzS” mo is excellent for quickly discovering and comparing influencers within any niche or location. Their database contains hundreds of millions of social profiles.
Followerwonk
Followerwonk is a Twitter-specific tool for analyzing followers, connections, and influence. It allows users to search bios, locations, keywords, and more to identify influential users.
Here are some key features of Followerwonk for influencer identification:
- Compare Twitter profiles side-by-side
- Filter Twitter searches by location, bio keywords, follower count, etc.
- Analyze follower overlap between users
- Export lists of followers and influential users
- Create social graphs to map connections
Followerwonk excels at drilling into Twitter profile details to uncover niche influencers that meet your specific criteria.
NinjaOutreach
NinjaOutreach is an all-in-one influencer marketing platform with tools for identifying, managing, contacting, and tracking influencer partnerships.
For identification, NinjaOutreach provides:
- Influencer discovery based on location, interests, audience, and engagement
- Twitter influencer identification by handle or keywords
- Curated database of over 1 million influencer profiles
- Filtering by followers, engagement rate, topics, location
- Save influencers to customizable lists and folders
NinjaOutreach goes beyond just identification with features to manage campaigns and partnerships from start to finish.
Klear
Klear is an influencer marketing platform focused on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. It provides robust influencer identification specifically for Twitter.
Features include:
- Identify influencers by keyword, location, interests
- Custom scoring system ranks influencers
- Filter by engagement rate, audience interests, gender, language
- Save influencers to lists for future campaigns
- Follower analysis tools
Klear offers paid plans for more advanced influencer management features. But its free plan is sufficient for influencer identification.
TweetDeck
TweetDeck is Twitter’s free tool for managing multiple accounts and tracking keywords/hashtags. It can also help identify Twitter in specific niches.
Here are some ways to leverage TweetDeck:
- Search keywords related to your niche
- Save searches to identify influential users within those topics
- Filter by engagement, lists, recency, links, etc.
- Group similar influencers into Twitter lists
- Monitor tweets/engagement of identified influencers
While less robust than dedicated influencer tools, TweetDeck provides an easy way to identify and organize influencers directly within the Twitter platform.
Twitter Advanced Search
Twitter Advanced Search provides another free option for uncovering influencers from the main Twitter platform.
Using Twitter Advanced Search, you can identify influencers by:
- Industry keywords, hashtags, or handles
- Location
- Number of followers
- Account creation date
- Language
While the search functionality is more limited than the previous tools, it can be effective for simple influencer searches directly within Twitter.
Best Practices for Identifying the Right Influencers
The tools covered make it easy to identify hundreds or even thousands of potential influencers around a niche or keyword. But how do you narrow the list to find the best brand fit? Use these tips:
Identify Topics and Keywords
First, clarify your niche, industry, product/service keywords, and hashtags. This focuses your search and ensures you identify influencers directly in your wheelhouse.
Consider Both Generalists and Specialists
Look for a mix of influencers with both broad industry appeal and niche topic appeal. For example, identify some yoga instructors with large general followings and instructors specialized in areas like yoga for seniors or prenatal yoga.
Evaluate Reach and Engagement
Filter potential influencers based on number of followers and engagement rates. More followers and likes/comments signal a higher influence. But make sure engagement looks authentic, not bot-driven.
Check for Real Expertise
Evaluate the depth of content influencers share. Do they demonstrate real subject matter expertise? Are they recognized as thought leaders?
Consider Audience Match
Look for influencer audiences that match your target demographics and buyer personas as closely as possible.
Refine with Competitor Analysis
See what influencers your competitors are partnering with already, and consider both unique opportunities and overlap.
Look Beyond the Numbers
While stats are helpful, look beyond just reach and engagement. Also, consider compatibility, work ethic, professionalism, and audience feedback.
Organize into Campaign Lists
Organize your identified influencers into appropriate lists and categories for current and future campaigns. Group by factors like audience fit, topics, campaign goals, geography, etc.
Influencer Identification in Action
Let’s walk through a real example using the tools and strategies outlined to identify top yoga influencers on Twitter.
Set Target KLet’sds and Topics
We want to identify influencers relevant to the topics of:
- Yoga
- Yoga poses
- Yoga sequences
- Meditation
- Mindfulness
- Yoga philosophy
Use Multiple Tools for Discovery
We use BuzzSumo and Followerwonk to search our target keywords, filtering by high followers and engagement. We compile a large list of potential influencers in a spreadsheet.
Evaluate and Refine
Next, we dig deeper into each potential influencer to evaluate expertise, audience match, content quality, professionalism, and authentic engagement. We eliminate influencers who seem like bad brand fits or don’t spark genuine interest and engagement.
Organize into Campaign Lists
We refine the list further and organize the best fits in don’tsts by campaign goals and target personas:
- Yoga Teachers – General
- Yoga Teachers – Specialized
- Yoga Studio Owners
- Yoga App Founders
- Yoga Bloggers / Content Creators
Manage and Engage
Using a tool like NinjaOutreach, we can manage our influencer lists and start engaging. We pitch partnership opportunities, send free products to try, and build relationships.
This process allowed us to identify 50+ high-quality yoga influencers on Twitter who are ready to partner with our brand!
Maximizing Influencer Marketing Success on Twitter
Identifying great influencers is just the starting point for influencer marketing. Here are some additional tips to ensure your Twitter influencer campaigns succeed:
Set Clear Expectations
Document campaign goals, influencer deliverables, content guidelines, legal terms, and compensation upfront.
Build Relationships
Take time to get to know identified influencers before formal partnerships. Relationship building is key.
Personalize Outreach
Avoid mass email outreach. Personalize pitches to show the brand has done its homework on each influencer.
Provide Value
Make sure the partnership is a win for the influencer, too. Give early access to products, events access, etc., that provide real value.
Give Creative Freedom
While you can provide content guidelines, give influencers creative license to put their own spin on messaging. Authenticity is key.
Track Performance
Use UTM links and hashtags to track engagement and conversions driven by influencers. Report back on what content resonates.
Offer Exclusivity
Negotiate exclusivity windows for influencers creating unique content like videos or blog posts featuring your brand.
Have Patience
It takes time to build influencer relationships and see program success. Stick with it and continually refine and optimize efforts.
Also read: Twitter Ads for Influencer Marketing
The Future of Influencer Marketing on Twitter
Influencer marketing on Twitter continues to provide strong ROI compared to traditional tactics. Brands are expected to keep growing their investments into partnerships with relevant social influencers.
Here are some predictions for the future of Twitter influencer marketing:
Micro and Nano Will Grow
Mega influencers with millions of followers need more engagement. Micro and nano influences under 100k will become more popular.
Authenticity Over Reach
Genuine connections and engagement will matter more than just big follower counts. Expect a focus on quality over quantity.
Rising Awareness
As influencer marketing matures, all parties will become smarter and more selective. Influencers will increase their rates as brands increase their understanding of program value.
Tighter Integration
We’ll see tighter platform integration that simplifies influencer identification and campaign management instead of piecing multiple together.
Measurement Advances
Better attribution and tracking will emerge to measure true campaign ROI and which influencer content delivers the highest engagement and conversion.
More Specialization
General mega-influencers will decline. Brands will seek micro-influencers with highly targeted, specialized audiences in their niche.
Increased Focus On Video
Video content from influencers will grow as focus increases on platforms like YouTube and TikTok. Short-form video will thrive.
The influencer marketing space will continue evolving. Brands staying on top of the latest trends and tools for identifying and partnering with relevant influencers on Twitter will have an edge.
Conclusion
Gaining exposure and engagement on Twitter requires identifying and connecting with influential users with an engaged following. The tools and strategies covered in this guide provide a blueprint for brands to successfully identify relevant Twitter influencers, hire them for partnerships, and maximize campaign success.
Expect the importance of partnering with the right influencers on social platforms like Twitter and others to continue rising. Brands failing to identify influencers in their niche and build sincere partnerships will find themselves at a competitive disadvantage to those leveraging the influencer opportunity.
Hopefully, this guide has provided a strong foundation for identifying influencers and seeing success. Use the tools outlined, follow the best practices, track performance, and keep working to refine your approach over time. Spending the time to do influencer marketing right can drive impressive ROI and growth.
