According to Influencer Marketing Hub (IMH), Instagram is the most popular platform used for influencer marketing. Not only that, marketers were able to yield the biggest ROI through Instagram in the past year.

So, it’s only natural that marketers like you and agencies are turning to Instagram influencers for marketing campaigns.

But why go for local influencers?

Local Influencers usually have a strong online presence and credibility within a specific geographic area or community on Instagram. Their followers would be comparatively lower, but what they lack in followers, they make up for in engagement rate.

And it’s because of this engagement rate that it’s important to consider local Instagram influencers.

So, how to find local influencers on Instagram?

Well, that’s exactly what we are here for. This blog helps you understand the basic things to consider before reaching out and relevant tools to help you find local influencers on Instagram for your agency.

Benefits of Partnering with Local Instagram Influencers    

Partnering with local Instagram influencers offers a myriad of benefits. Here are some of the primary advantages:  

• Local Instagram influencers often foster genuine interactions, creating a deeper bond with their audience.

• They are seen as community peers, and their endorsements carry a personal, trusted touch.

• Partnering locally can often yield strong results without the premium price tag of mega influencers.

• Their follower base aligns with specific local demographics, ensuring precise targeting.

• Local influencers can offer specialized knowledge in regional trends, tastes, and events.

• With a keen pulse on local preferences, their promotions often lead to better conversion outcomes.

• Content is tailored to local cultural nuances, ensuring relatability and resonance.

• Promotions with local influencers often emphasize and support community growth and local business.

These benefits demonstrate the effectiveness of leveraging local Instagram influencers for your campaigns. But before we jump into finding them, let’s understand some basics first.

Consider this before Connecting with Local Instagram Influencers

Approaching a local Instagram influencer requires a thoughtful and strategic approach. We have already talked about their engagement rate, but there are other factors that need to be considered.  

Here are eight key considerations to ensure a successful collaboration.

1. Brand Alignment

Start by analyzing the content on the influencer's Instagram page. Check if the influencer's content, aesthetic, and values align with your brand. A natural fit is essential to ensure authenticity in the collaboration.  

2. Audience Demographics

Ensure the influencer's audience matches your target demographic. Only then can you expect to improve ROI. 

Consider factors like age, gender, location, interests, and purchasing habits. Use an influencer search tool like impulze.ai to get insights into the audience demographics.   

3. Content Quality

Evaluate the quality, originality, and consistency of the influencer's content. High-quality visuals and well-written captions can enhance the credibility of your campaign.

Check if the content resonates well with their local followers. It is essential for the influencers to generate meaningful content in your niche.  

4. Authenticity: 

Does the influencer have genuine interactions with their followers? Beware of influencers with a history of indiscriminately promoting products or those who might have purchased followers.

Some ‘fake influencers’ have purchased their followers, making them look popular on Instagram. However, these followers don’t engage with their posts. Therefore, partnering with them can have a negative impact on your campaign. 

5. Past Collaborations: 

Review their previous partnerships. Were they successful? How did the influencer integrate the brand into their content? This gives insights into their professionalism and effectiveness.  

It is better to always partner with an influencer who has previously collaborated with brands. Also, make sure that their experience is relevant to your product or service.

6. Terms and Compensation 

Have a clear idea of what you're willing to offer. Fix whether it's monetary compensation, products, services, or other perks. Also, be prepared to negotiate. 

Your influencer briefing should be clear and detailed. Make sure to include an overview of your company products, campaign, objectives, and deliverables.   

7. Exclusivity Clauses

One of the common concerns with influencer marketing is that influencers promote very similar brands at the same time. Be open if you want the influencer to avoid promoting similar or competitors' products.  

8. Content Rights: 

Decide if you want rights to the content created during the collaboration. This can be useful for repurposing in other marketing channels. 

Approaching a local Instagram influencer with these considerations in mind ensures a more strategic and beneficial collaboration. Remember, the goal is a partnership that benefits both parties and resonates genuinely with the target audience.    

Now that's settled, let's see how you can find your local Instagram influencers.

Suggested Read: 10 Influencer Marketing Best Practices for 2024 

Best Ways to Find Local Instagram Influencers

Are you looking for a completely free way to find local social media influencers? Then, here are eight wallet-friendly ways to find local influencers on Instagram.

1. Using An Influencer Marketing Platform

Now, before we start, let’s consider an example. This way, it will be easier for you to grasp each step.

Example - A new boutique coffee shop in Seattle named "Emerald Brews" wants to find a local Instagram influencer to promote their unique coffee blends and cozy ambiance.  

Objective: Increase brand awareness and foot traffic to "Emerald Brews" through an authentic and localized Instagram campaign.

The target audience will be -

• Age: 20-35 years

• Interests: Coffee, cafes, local Seattle events, sustainable living

• Behavior: Regularly visits cafes, values artisanal products, enjoys trying new local places

There are many influencer marketing tools out there, but we are going to use impulze.ai. Why? Because the tools offer a free version and it is easy to find influencers through it!

If you already have an account, log in to it. If you don’t - then sign up here for free. Once you have signed in, carefully follow the steps explained below.

Step 1 - Generic Filters

Once logged in, you will be redirected to the dashboard where you can filter out your influencer. The platform, by default, will be Instagram, but you should check it anyway.

Considering our example, we have added the following filters.

• Target location - Seattle

• Interest [niche] - Coffee, Tea & Beverages

You may have noticed that we skipped both the engagement rate and followers. We purposefully did that. We can use those filters at the end.

An important thing to note here is to click on these three metrics.

Doing so provides a list of influencers who are verified, have contact details, and have a history of past collaborations.

Hit “Search” and curate the influencers.

Step 2 - Creator Filters

This is where we filter the influencers with respect to their age, content, gender, and more.

I have added the following -

• Last posted - a month ago [to ensure the influencers are active]

• Account type - Creator

• Create age - 20 [Minimum]

Since I’m not sure about the average content count and likes an influencer should have for this niche, we have left them untouched.

The creators can be either male or female - therefore, we didn’t add any gender. And the creator language - since the USA has people from diverse cultures and ethnicities, we didn’t add any particular language as well.

Hit “Search”.

Result -

Step 3 - Audience Filter

You do need an influencer with followers who are interested in the same, right? So, let’s curate the influencers with respect to their followers.

Considering our example, we have added the following.

• Audience age - we added the minimum age as 20.

• Gender - Left it as such. No point in adding gender - everyone loves coffee.

• Audience  Location - Seattle [ we added 15% - you can increase this as you prefer]

• Audience interest - Coffee, Tea & Beverages.

Again, we have left the audience language empty because of the same reason we discussed earlier.

Hit “Search”, and the result will look something like this -

Step 4 - Do a Deeper Influencer Analysis

Inspect the number of followers and Instagram engagement rate of each influencer and save them for your campaign.

Just keep in mind that, just because an influencer has bigger followers or engagement rates, they are the right fit for you. Carefully read their description and understand what they are focusing on.

Once you have saved the influencer, go to “Home” and view the influencer profile. You will notice some missing details, but don’t worry, you can everything you need there.

You can use our Chrome extension - SocialiQ - to get first-party data from the influencer’s Instagram profile. And you can generate a report to learn more about the influencer’s profile.

In the generated report, you can understand the credibility of the influencer’s followers. Notable followers of the influencer, the gender and age split among the followers, the sponsored content they have created, and more.

Followers Details -

Notable followers of the influencer we selected -

Sponsored content created by the influencer (we selected) -

By assessing all these data, we are more than sure that this is the perfect influencer we can partner with for the influencer marketing campaigns.

Using an influencer marketing tool like Impulze.ai can outstand any other manual influencer search methods. When you try to find influencers in your area manually, it comes with its limitations. 

For instance, you might not have insights into their followers and engagement rates. On the flip side, impulze.ai is a treasure trove of influencer data. Moreover, it is a user-friendly tool that comes with effective filters to bring out the best influencers.

So, you are not just finding Instagram influencers with impulze.ai. You are on the way to hiring influencers who can drive results to your campaigns.

We hope you were able to find your local influencers on Instagram as well.  If you are interested in getting a personalized demo, feel free to contact us!

2. Local Hashtags

The best way to manually find local influencers on Instagram is through a hashtag analysis. Start by exploring hashtags specific to your location. For example, if you're based in New York, you might search for hashtags like #NYCInfluencers, #NewYorkFashion, or #NYCFoodies.

Use hashtags in your niche. The search will narrow down niche-specific influencers engaging with local content and audiences. Pay attention to the posts that consistently appear in these hashtag searches. They are likely from influencers who have a strong presence in that location.

3. Your Followers Who Are Local Influencers

Don't overlook the potential influencers who are already following your brand. Engaging with them can be particularly effective since they already have an interest in your brand. Also, User-generated content (UGC) has an incredible impact on your consumers' purchase decisions.

Browse through your followers and find local influencers on Instagram with significant followings. Check if they post high-quality content and are in your specific location.

4. Local Community Networks

Join local community networks on social media platforms like Facebook or LinkedIn. These groups often feature discussions, events, and promotions related to your area.

Actively take part in these local communities. It will help you find reputed Instagram influencers by location.

5. A Simple Google Search

Sometimes, a straightforward Google search can yield valuable results. It will help you find influencers in your area.

Try searching any of these to find influencers.

Top influencers in [any location]

Or

[Your niche] influencers in [your location]

Or

[Your niche] influencers near me

The search will draw out blog posts, articles, or influencer directories about local influencers.

6. Create A Brand Ambassador Program

A Brand Ambassador program is a strategic initiative to endorse products through existing users. To make it work, encourage your loyal customers or fans to become brand ambassadors.

It can be an effective way to tap into any local influencer who already loves your brand. Make sure to offer incentives, such as discounts, free products, or exclusive access to events. The incentives will motivate them to promote your brand within their networks.

7. Competitor Campaign Analysis

Keep an eye on your competitors' social media campaigns to see which local influencers they are collaborating with. It can provide insights into influencers who are open to partnerships.

You can find local influencers on Instagram who have experience working with brands in your industry. Then, you can reach out to these influencers for potential collaborations.

If you wish to find more lookalike local influencers on Instagram. Use an efficient tool like impulze.ai. It will list influencers who are similar to your competitor's collaborations. This will help you make meaningful partnerships with unique influencers.

8. Search Local Communities

Explore local online communities, forums, or websites that cater to your niche. For example, if you're in the fitness industry, look for local fitness groups or forums. On these forums, people discuss workouts, nutrition, and local fitness events.

These communities can be a goldmine for finding influencers in the local community with a dedicated following.

Takeaway

If you are wondering how to find local influencers on Instagram, you can use any of the above eight methods. However, digging through your current customer profiles can lead to meaningful influencer collaborations.

It is easy to find a local Instagram influencer. But, it is essential to scrutinize their accounts before partnering up. Take advantage of an influencer marketing tool like Impulze.ai. It gives detailed insights into the influencer's audience demographics and engagement.

Collaborations fueled by impulze.ai are the most impactful. Impulze.ai is designed to drive actual results. And here's the real deal. You can try Impulze.ai for free!