How can Small Businesses Utilize Influencer Marketing Effectively?
Large brands and corporations have been utilizing influencer marketing strategies for decades with A‑list celebrities. Influencer marketing has historically been more difficult for small businesses to break into but with the rise of social media and Micro/Nano-influencers, now is the perfect time for small businesses to experiment with influencers and add this to their marketing strategy.
What kind of business should utilize influencer marketing and why? Find out now!
What is an influencer? What type of influencer would work best for my business?
An influencer is someone with the ability to influence your potential customers into recommending a product or service. 61% of social media users trust an influencer they follow for product recommendations.
(take note of not only their follower count but their engagement rates too)
What are the benefits of using Nano and Micro-influencers over Macro and Celebrity influencers? Nano & Micro-influencers are more affordable and accessible. Some will even collaborate in return for free products.
Mainers love helping other Mainers… as we know! Our local, Maine, small business clients have been successful in utilizing influencers. Our Maine influencer pool is smaller than large cities, but they reach a very specific demographic and highly engaged, intimate audience. Once an influencer has reached that “Macro” status, many lose the relatability that their audience craves. The more the audience can relate, the more likely they are to listen.
Build a Following:
Influencer marketing is often best used when you are trying to build your social media followers and brand awareness. This form of marketing exposes your brand to other users’ followings. In 2023, when it is much harder to grow a following from the ground up, influencers are here to help.
Build trust with your customers and followers:
Influencers already have the trust of their online community. Most social media users will listen to and follow someone they relate to rather than a brand’s page.
Content content content!
In a world where content is so important, user-generated content is even more important. When working with influencers, there is potential to own the content they have created in addition to the post on their account. Work with the influencer to ensure the content will remain evergreen and can fit on your accounts as ads or organic social content.
Stand out against your competition:
You may think that if you don’t see your competition utilizing influencers why should you? Be the first! Own the influencer space for your product or service. This content will stand out against the other content on that user’s page because they haven’t done anything like it before!
How can small businesses measure the success of their influencer marketing campaigns?
- Promo Codes: give each influencer a unique code to see how many sales were made after they shared the code.
- Link Clicks: create unique links for each influencer to use & have them shared on their Stories.
- Follower Growth: did you notice a huge bump in your followers after they posted?
- Comments & Engagement: Check their post for any comments regarding your business — this is a huge win!
At iBec Creative, we offer full Influencer Strategy & Influencer Management for our clients. When we work with influencers we have a clear budget, and goals and start small. We research & find the right influencers for your brand, taking note of their aesthetic and their other content. We cover all the communication & negotiations with the influencers and manage the posting.
Interested in receiving monthly iBec Creative updates right in your inbox?
Sign up below and we’ll send you updates once a month. Our newsletters are known to contain: exclusive pictures of the iBec crew having fun, TikTok trends to get your creativity flowing, information on B Corp Certification, and so much more! There’s no limit to what you’ll find in an iBec newsletter.
