Introduction

Influencer marketing has become a globally significant industry because of how accessible it is. While there are some costs associated with influencer marketing, it is a way of reaching social media users that is affordable and highly impactful. It is a great way to reach potential customers and is a marketing tactic that brands of all kinds should employ. Businesses of all sizes have found success with an influencer marketing strategy, and even for small businesses just starting, it is a great option.

If you are currently running a small business and searching for a cost-effective way to reach your target audience, influencer marketing is the way to do it. This social media strategy allows enterprises to leverage the platform and curated audience of influencers they partner with and receive quality content, all in exchange for either money or product.

If you want your influencer marketing efforts to have the best outcomes, there are certain tips and decisions to make that will yield better results. Let’s look at five tips for influencer marketing for small businesses.

Find a Niche

One of the critical decisions influencer marketers will have to make is deciding what niches to attach to. Finding a niche is crucial whether you are Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok influencer marketing. Many influencers cultivate followings within a particular niche area, like health and wellness, home décor, vegan lifestyle, and more.

If brands can find a niche that works with their product, the influencer content will likely resonate more. Even if there isn’t a specific niche fit with your product or service, finding a non-specialized niche can still improve your audience targeting impact.

Start a Contest

One social media marketing tip that will lead to better marketing campaigns is to focus on driving excitement. One great way to do this that is affordable enough for small businesses is to start a social media contest. Many brands have found significant online success by using influencer marketing to launch a contest through social media posts.

This can be done by getting an influencer to share a post that calls attention to a contest your brand is having. These contests are typically things like product giveaways, where users that follow the brand and share a story of the post could win free prizes. Getting the influencer to share that post attracts eyes to the contest.

Focus on Influencer Gifting

With influencer marketing, brands will typically have two primary options. They’ll either have to pay an influencer for social media posts or send product to an influencer for social media posts. The choice is obvious for brands with smaller influencer marketing budgets, as a small business will typically have. Trading products for posts is known as influencer gifting.

Influencer gifting works best in digital marketing when brands have a product that a select group of people is likely to want. If your product is pencils, it isn’t likely that you will find many influencers willing to post in exchange for product. But if you have something more niche and high-value, like an exercise tool or a new kind of pillow, finding influencer posts for product won’t be hard.

Collaborate with Micro-Influencers

This goes hand-in-hand with a focus on influencer gifting. While celebrity endorsements are great, these are incredibly costly. The average social media celebrity post will be far out of a typical small business’ budget. But with a micro-influencer, brands can rely on influencer gifting or smaller fees.

Micro-influencers are considered social media influencers with anywhere from 1,000 to 100,000 followers. If you are using a micro-influencer, they’ll have a smaller audience size but a heightened willingness to post for product or lower fees. They also have higher engagement rates than more prominent influencers.

Tell Your Story

Many smaller businesses that utilize influencer marketing are unlikely to have a pre-established brand. They should then look at influencer marketing as a chance to introduce themselves with the help of social media content creators. Influencer marketing is an excellent opportunity for businesses to dictate their first impression, and it comes from telling a story.

Use your influencer outreach to share insights into your business. Tell consumers your “why,” how your business was started, and what it hopes to accomplish. This type of purpose-driven marketing resonates incredibly well right now, and for small businesses, this can serve as a great opportunity to establish a brand.

Are you looking to launch your social strategy to the next level? Partnering with an influencer marketing firm is a great way to reach new heights. Influence Hunter is a top influencer marketing agency with years of experience working alongside brands ranging from international corporations to up-and-coming small businesses to deliver incredible results. Contact Us Today to find out how we can help grow your business.