HOW TO EFFECTIVELY WORK WITH INFLUENCERS FOR YOUR SMALL BUSINESS
This is an image from a collaboration I did with a local coffee shop-Tipsy Bean Café.
iNFLUENCER MARKETING
Working with influencers can be a really great way to boost brand awareness and get sales for your small business! That being said, there are definitely right ways and wrong ways to go about this. I’ve spent time on both sides of collaborations as a manager and an influencer so here are some of the things I’ve learned.
You may need to pay them depending on size
Offering an influencer with over 3,000 followers free products in exchange for a post can seem insulting to the creator. You can either target smaller creators who are not quite at the point of requiring payment yet, or work with fewer influencers and offer compensation. Either option is still a strong way of growing your brand awareness!
Require a mix of video and photo content
Video content drives more conversions and sales. It is also something that is difficult for a brand to do for themselves, which makes it really valuable. Try asking influencers to post your product on reels, TikTok, or stories in addition to or instead of a static post. Keep in mind, the more demands you make the higher compensation you will need to provide but most influencers are familiar with video campaigns.
Don’t overdo it
When it comes to working with influencers, quality over quantity definitely applies. It may be best to work with a handful of quality influencers who genuinely love your products than hundreds of random people. The biggest benefit to this is you can leverage those influencers time and time again. Once they already have your product, you can continue to offer more collaborations!
If you don’t have a budget to pay them, offer PR rather than a collaboration
Gifting products to influencer without any requirements can be a challenge, but it can also have strong benefits! Offer to include influencers on your PR list rather than a collaboration. By including them on your PR list, you will send them some products periodically or when you launch a new line. They will post this on their own with no requirements and also no payment. You run the risk of them not posting about your product, but by working with smaller creators and offering them really great products - more times than not they will post. People don’t love being told what to do, but they do love free stuff!
Ready to get started working with influencers? Contact Alex to get a strategy!
