Ever since the Covid 19 pandemic hit in 2020, many small businesses have sprung up across India. From home bakers to thrift stores to jewelry making, small businesses have gained popularity. Be it online or offline, growing a small business is no joke. It requires a lot of time, dedication, and funding. Not to mention, a foolproof marketing strategy that can take a small business from zero to hero in a short period of time. This is where influencer marketing comes into the picture – a way to get your brand awareness up and your business booming. In this blog we will be looking at the different ways in which influencer marketing for small businesses is useful and how they can be leveraged.
How to use influencer marketing for promoting a small business?
Influencer marketing for small businesses can be an effective way to increase brand awareness, reach new audiences, and build credibility. Here are some influencer marketing techniques that small businesses can adopt:
Sponsored content: This involves paying an influencer to create and share content on their social media channels, blog, or other platforms. As much as you believe you can create good brand content in-house, it may not fetch you the results that influencer content can. The majority of marketers, approximately 81%, incorporate influencer content into their strategies, and more than half of them, around 51%, acknowledge that it surpasses the content produced by their own brand. Influencers possess a strong influence over their followers, comprehending their preferences and creating engaging and entertaining content tailored to their audience. This kind of content can also help integrate your brand and the products or services you offer in an interactive and seamless manner. The content can be in the form of a product review, a sponsored post, or simply a social media story. You can provide influencers with a brief of your brand and products and communicate with them regarding the kind of messaging you want them to include. However, you must give them a degree of creative freedom as well so that their expertise in content creation will help your campaign become a success. Social media influencers will promote your brand wherever they share their content so that you can gain a wider reach across various platforms. This is how influencer marketing for small businesses gives the benefit of fresh content.
Affiliate marketing: Influencer marketing for small businesses can prove to be beneficial not only to the brand but also to the influencer. Affiliate marketing is essentially an influencer partnership where an influencer is given a unique referral link or discount code to share with their audience. When someone makes a purchase using that link or code, the influencer earns a commission. This brings in sales and website traffic to the brand and the custom code or link makes it easier to track the performance of the campaign.
Brand ambassadorship: One of the biggest marketing goals that influencer marketing for small businesses helps you achieve is brand awareness. One of the techniques to gain brand awareness is brand ambassadorship. This involves partnering with an influencer for a long-term collaboration, where they become the face of the brand and promote it consistently over a period of time. When people begin to recognize your brand by your product and the influencer promoting it, you get your brand awareness up. Statistics say that 71% of consumers believe it is important to be able to recognize a brand before they make a purchase. Such long term influencer partnerships help your brand gain a wider reach. While doing influencer marketing for small businesses, it is wise to invite the influencers to contribute to your brand’s blog as well. Since the influencers trust them and are influenced by them, they will begin to trust the brands promoted by them.
Product seeding: Product seeding is when your brand sends free products to an influencer which they can try and share a review of with their following. This will help generate buzz around the brand and increase brand awareness. Although product seeding requires an investment, it is a cost-effective strategy in influencer marketing for small businesses.
Instagram takeovers: This technique often used in influencer marketing for small businesses includes letting an influencer take over your brand’s Instagram page for a day or even a week. The influencer will have complete freedom to create content and share it on your page during this period. This will not only add to the content on the brand’s account but it will also bring in a bigger audience. Since the influencer will announce the takeover on their account, their followers will be led to your brand page as well. This can help increase engagement and reach new audiences.
Contests: Contests and giveaways are the most fun techniques that can be used as part of influencer marketing for small businesses. Everyone loves to win something, so contests can be a way to get people talking about your brands. Ensure that the influencer sets rules for the contest or giveaway such as sharing the giveaway post to their story, commenting and tagging friends, following the rand page, etc. This drives more engagement and awareness for your brand.
Why influencer marketing is so important for small businesses?
In today’s fiercely competitive business landscape, small businesses and startups face an uphill battle when it comes to capturing the attention of their target audience. Limited resources and brand recognition make it difficult for them to stand out amidst the noise. This is where influencer marketing emerges as a game-changer, providing a powerful boost to their growth trajectory.
Here are 5 reasons why your small business needs influencer marketing for the big break in the market:
. Ability to tap into the influencer reach and credibility:
These digital tastemakers have amassed dedicated followings who hang on to their every word and recommendation. By strategically partnering with influencers whose values align with their brand, small businesses can effectively harness this influence to amplify their message and connect with a highly engaged audience.
. Unparalleled authenticity:
Unlike traditional advertising, influencer marketing allows brands to communicate their message through trusted voices that consumers already admire and respect. This genuine endorsement builds trust and credibility, leading to increased brand awareness and customer loyalty.
. Effective targeting capabilities:
Small businesses can handpick influencers whose followers align with their ideal customer profile, ensuring their message reaches the right people at the right time. This precise targeting minimizes wasteful ad spend and maximizes the return on investment, making it an ideal marketing strategy for businesses with limited budgets.
. Drive meaningful conversions:
Consumers are more likely to make purchasing decisions based on recommendations from influencers they trust. A recent report on Influencer trust shows 7/10 of the people bought products endorsed by influencers they like. By tapping into this influential power, small businesses can significantly boost their sales and revenue.
Guidelines for creating a successful influencer marketing strategy for your small business
Creating a successful influencer marketing strategy for your small business requires careful planning and execution. By following these guidelines, you can maximize the impact of your influencer collaborations and achieve tangible results:
Define your goals: Start by clearly outlining your objectives. Having clear goals will allow you to measure the success of your influencer marketing efforts, whether it’s increasing brand awareness, driving website traffic, or generating sales.
Identify the right influencers: Research and identify influencers whose values, niche, and audience align with your brand. Look for influencers who have an engaged following and a track record of producing high-quality content.
Build genuine relationships: Approach influencers with a personalized and authentic message. Show genuine interest in their work and find ways to collaborate that benefit both parties. Building a strong rapport with influencers will lead to more meaningful and effective partnerships.
Craft a compelling campaign: Develop a well-defined campaign concept that aligns with your brand and resonates with the influencer’s audience. Provide clear guidelines and creative direction, while allowing room for the influencer’s creativity and personal touch.
Establish clear expectations: Clearly communicate your expectations regarding deliverables, timelines, and key performance indicators (KPIs). This will ensure both parties are on the same page and working towards shared goals.
Monitor and measure performance: Regularly track the performance of your influencer campaigns. Monitor key metrics such as reach, engagement, website traffic, and conversions. This data will help you assess the effectiveness of your strategy and make necessary adjustments.
Foster authentic content: Encourage influencers to create authentic content that seamlessly integrates your brand or product. Authenticity is key to maintaining the trust and interest of the influencer’s audience.
Leverage user-generated content: Capitalize on the content generated by influencers and their followers. Repurpose and share this content across your own channels to further amplify your brand’s reach and engagement.
Monitor legal and ethical considerations: Familiarize yourself with advertising regulations and disclosure requirements. Ensure that influencers disclose their partnerships with your brand to maintain transparency and comply with legal obligations.
What are the benefits of influencer marketing for small businesses?
Influencer marketing for small businesses brings with it a heap of benefits that you do not want to miss out on. Influencer marketing in general has been growing in popularity among marketers across the globe. About 90% of marketers consider influencer marketing to be an effective marketing method. Some of these benefits can help elevate your business so that you can achieve your marketing objectives.
Diversified content: Adopting influencer marketing for small businesses brings in a diversity of content. Getting creative with how your brand, product or service is presented will definitely appeal to your audience. Integrating your brand into content that your target audience consumes on a regular basis will get more people interested in your products. Especially since these influencers operate in a specific niche, they know exactly what works and what does not. What’s more is that these influencers produce content that is of good quality and is aesthetically pleasing, not to mention relatable to your target audience.
Increased brand awareness: this is one of the major benefits that come from influencer marketing for small businesses. Since small businesses or startups are relatively new, what they need the most is awareness. Influencer marketing helps brands spread their message on a number of different channels in a number of different ways. When influencers promote your brand in an authentic, entertaining manner, social media users will grow to know you more. And since influencers can be found in various niches and platforms, you can take advantage of the impact they have on their following.
Trust and Credibility: Another benefit that influencer marketing for small businesses can bring is building brand trust and credibility. Gaining the trust of the public is key to growing your business. When your target audience sees that the influencer they trust is promoting your products, they trust your brand too. This is because influencer content holds authenticity when compared to advertisements and some consumers are skeptical of social media ads. When a popular, relatable influencer promotes your brand, consumers consider it to be credible and clean. Influencers are just able to connect with your target audience better since they have worked for years to nurture and maintain their relationship with their influencers. This is why easily gaining the trust of the audience is a product of influencer marketing for small businesses.
SEO boost: An added advantage that is offered by influencer marketing for small businesses is that it will help in boosting your brand’s SEO. When you use affiliate marketing and put out custom links, increased visits to these links can drive traffic to the pages. This traffic will help you rise higher in the search rankings. And if you have well-known influencers who are experts in their industry contributing to your blog, it increases the quality of your site aiding in SEO.
Why small creator categories are better suited for small businesses?
When it comes to influencer marketing for small businesses, smaller creator categories are the most suitable ones. Most brands make the mistake of assuming that the higher the follower count an influencer has, the higher the engagement and results they will bring in. However, this is not always the case. If you are a small business then avoid putting all your eggs in one basket by hiring a celebrity influencer alone to promote your products. Instead, the wiser option would be to opt for micro and nano influencers.
Micro influencers are those with a follower count of 10,000 to 100,000 whereas nano influencers are those with a follower count of 1,000 to 10,000. These smaller influencers are those that actually bring in the most engagement. They operate in specific niches and have built communities that trust as well as value their opinion. Not only is the content more authentic but the audience is involved. This means that the chances of your target audience moving down the campaign funnel are higher with these smaller creators. The following that these influencers have created pose as the perfect influencer marketing platform for small businesses to introduce their products.
Do small businesses need an influencer marketing platform?
Influencer marketing for small businesses can be done manually. However, it is quite challenging. Finding the right influencers is usually done through basic searches and cold calling which can be taxing. There is also the risk of influencer fraud which is when influencers purchase fake influencers or bots. If your small business is caught in such influencer fraud it could cause you a lot of loss and screening for authentic influencers is a pretty time consuming process. However, with an influencer marketing platform for small businesses, you can solve this problem. An influencer marketing platform poses as a two-way marketplace between brands and content creators. It offers platform-based influencer selection, negotiation, and content review which makes your job easier.
Why is Kofluence the right choice for small businesses to explore Influencer Marketing?
By integrating Kofluence into your influencer marketing efforts, you can streamline the process and maximize your results. Here’s how Kofluence can empower your small business:
Simplified influencer discovery: Kofluence utilizes advanced AI algorithms to identify the right influencers for your brand. By analyzing vast 500K creator liquidity, Kofluence platform quickly pinpoints influencers whose values, niche, and audience align with your business, saving you valuable time and effort.
Data-driven insights: With Kofluence, you gain access to comprehensive data and analytics that help you make informed decisions. The platform provides valuable insights into an influencer’s audience demographics, engagement rates, and past performance. These insights enable you to shortlist influencers who have a higher potential for success.
Enhanced campaign management: Kofluence offers intuitive features for managing your influencer campaigns. From campaign briefs and content review to tracking deliverables and deadlines, the platform simplifies the collaboration process, ensuring clear communication and streamlined workflow.
Performance monitoring and optimization: Kofluence’s analytics dashboard allows you to monitor key metrics in real time. You can track the reach, engagement, and conversions generated by each influencer, enabling you to assess the effectiveness of your campaigns. This data-driven approach empowers you to optimize your strategy for maximum results.
Content creation and approvals: Collaborating with influencers on content creation becomes seamless with Kofluence. The platform provides a centralized space for sharing ideas, reviewing and approving content, and providing feedback. This ensures consistent messaging and high-quality content that aligns with your brand’s image.
Compliance and transparency: Kofluence assists you in navigating legal and ethical considerations. W are official ASCI partners and strictly incorporate features that facilitate proper disclosure of partnerships between your brand and influencers, ensuring compliance with advertising regulations and maintaining transparency with the audience.
Long-term relationship building: Kofluence helps foster long-term partnerships with influencers who consistently deliver positive outcomes. By analyzing historical campaign data and performance metrics, the platform can help you identify influencers who are most effective for your brand, enabling you to nurture ongoing collaborations.
Closing Thoughts
At the end of the day, if you are a small business you need all the brand awareness you can get. Brand visibility is the first step to becoming a successful business and influencer marketing helps you take that first step. If you are still wondering if influencer marketing for small businesses actually works, we welcome you to try it out for yourself. Join Kofluence and begin your journey of exploring influencer marketing and all the benefits it offers.
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