If you are running a small business and somebody tells you that you should not spend your money on influencer marketing, you should know they are not giving you the right advice. Today, most businesses across the world, of all sizes, reach out to influencers to promote themselves. Many businesses, that started small, went on to become big brands because of the kind of push they got from marketing activities, including investing in influencer marketing.
When you speak to somebody who has been running a small business for a while, they will tell you how well they have benefitted from influencer marketing. Small businesses need the support of influencers more than big businesses do. When you have launched a company, you would want to create more awareness around it. Collaborating with influencers will help you reach out to a large consumer base or at least connect with them on some level in very little time.
If you have been operating a small business for a while, you might want it to grow. Influencers can help you in that regard as well. By collaborating with the right influencers and using good strategies, you can ensure steady growth for your business. Sometimes, the influencers themselves come up with marketing ideas that prove to be beneficial for your business.
While influencers would charge a certain amount of money to promote your brand, the amount of money you will be spending on getting influencers on board would still be less than the kind of money that would go into putting together an elaborate advertising campaign. If you are wondering how much to pay micro influencers, you should know that it would be much less than what you would pay an actor or a sportsperson to promote your brand.
Here are some ways in which small businesses can use influencers to market themselves:
Opt For the Right Influencers
When you have a small business and are looking for influencers to collaborate with, make sure you join hands with the right ones. A lot of times, small businesses invest heavily in influencer marketing but do not get the desired result. This primarily happens because the company did not engage with the right influencers.
You have to first figure out which type of influencers can help you. If you are a company manufacturing snack items, you should collaborate with food influencers who can help expand the consumer base of your products. If you claim your products to be aimed at health-conscious consumers, you can also seek the help of health and fitness influencers to promote them.
Invest in Focused Marketing
When you spend a lot of money on marketing but your efforts are scattered in different directions, you will not get the desired result. When you invest in influencer marketing, you have to ensure your plans and activities are focused or channeled in a particular direction. To get what you want, you should be sure about the path you walk on.
If your business manufactures products for teenagers, you should try to collaborate with influencers who are popular among teenagers. When they endorse your products or endorse them, it will encourage their followers to try them out. A company, specializing in making products for teenagers, will not benefit by collaborating with influencers who are more popular among older adults.
Be Sure About Your Objective
Simply collaborating with an influencer will not do the trick for you. You should have a clear idea in your mind as to why you want to collaborate with an influencer and what you expect them to do for you. Once you have defined your objectives or goals, it becomes easier for you to achieve something with the help of influencer marketing.
Whatever plans or objectives you have in mind, you must share them with the influencer you are collaborating with. Since they have worked with multiple brands in the past, they will be able to give you tips and suggestions that will help you design campaigns that prove to be effective. By collaborating with the right influencers, you can achieve your marketing goals quickly.
Use The Influencer’s Strengths
Every influencer has some strength. There is some attribute or characteristic every influencer is known for. While a particular influencer could be known for their dancing skills, another influencer might be known for being a good communicator. You must try and use their intrinsic strengths to create more awareness around your products or services.
Often, brands impose their ideas or opinions on the influencers they collaborate with. Apart from being the wrong thing to do, it also affects your working equation with the influencer. You collaborate with an influencer for a reason. You should have a clear idea about what an influencer could bring to the table and use their strengths and capabilities in a way that proves to be beneficial to your brand.
Use The Money Judiciously
Before you start wondering how much to pay to micro-influencers or mega-influencers, you should have some clarity on the amount of money you will be spending on the marketing process and the way you will be spending it. Paying the influencer is just one of the many components of influencer marketing.
These days, a lot of brands shoot proper commercials with influencers. Once the video is ready, the influencer shares or uploads it on their social media platforms and promotes it. Sometimes, brands simply get a picture of their product clicked with the influencer and also share the text that they need to post along with it. Once you are sure about the kind of content you want to create, you will be able to spend your resources correctly.
Try Different Things
When you are running a small business, you might have limited resources at your disposal to spend on marketing activities. When you decide to go for influencer marketing, you should attempt to try different methods and techniques and see which one works the best for you. Putting a little bit of money towards doing different activities could prove to be a good idea.
Instead of opting for a long-term association with an influencer, you could collaborate with an influencer on one or two posts and check how well they are tracking. If a particular strategy does not produce the desired results, try something else. Even with limited resources, you can execute several innovative influencer marketing ideas that work well for your business.
