How Small Businesses Can Make Influencer Marketing Work With No Budget

One way SMEs can be at an edge over competitors and big brands is by embracing influencer marketing. But as a small business, funds are limited, so you most definitely want to get the best return on your investment. We already discussed that in our article on How to Achieve the Best ROI When Working With Influencers.

The good side of the story is that influencer marketing doesn’t have to cost you a whole lot of money. it’s possible to start from very little and invest more with time as your business grows.

The Benefits of Influencer marketing can’t be overemphasized, if done right, you get to reach and engage your target audience effectively. Influencers have audiences who trust them and so they can get people to trust your business.

Startup influencer marketing has exposed many new businesses to an established network and has given them the opportunity to expand their reach. 

Remember that most consumers prefer to make their purchasing decisions based on either recommendation from friends and family, or from online influencers they admire and trust. 

This article will show you how you can use influencer marketing to grow your small business.

1. Find the Right Influencers

Embracing influencer marketing as a small business can help boost your business’ visibility, reach, engagement, and overall growth. The first and most important step towards this is to find influencers that are ideal for your type of industry, you can do this by making research.

As a small business, it is best to work with micro-influencers who have a niche and loyal fan base, rather than using big celebrities.

Focusing only on the number of followers of an influencer, will get your message to an audience that may or may not be interested in your services, you should rather try to reach a small but engaged and relevant audience.

2. Offer Free Products and Services

It is true that influencer marketing doesn’t have to cost you so much, I know you already have a tight budget. There are influencers who accept free products and discounts from businesses who approach them in exchange for their services.

Here’s how you can go about it:

•  You need to start by building a relationship with them, follow them on their social platforms and interact with them so they can get to know about your business. Once you believe they know who you are, then you can take a more formal approach.
• you can email them about something that will benefit them For instance, you can write an article and mention them with regards to something they’re passionate about, then send an email to them to let them know they got a mention. 
•  Offer them a free trial of your services or send them samples of your product.
• Find out what the influencer likes and send them a gift. Their social platforms will give you an idea on their hobbies and what interests them. Remember, you need to be polite and don’t put pressure on them to promote your brand because of your gift.

ALSO READ: 5 TIPS TO BEGIN AND MANAGE YOUR OWN AFFILIATE MARKETING PROGRAM

3. Conduct Interviews/Host Events

To promote your small business,  you can invite influencers to take part in a group interview where they discuss their opinions, or an expert round-up post on your platform, where they comment on your post and share to their audience.

You can also invite them to your company’s events and product launches, 

The goal is to get the influencers to share their experiences with your brand to their followers. This will boost your brand credibility.

Just In case you’re thinking of how you can persuade them, this is not just a win situation for your brand, the influencer also benefits, as he/she is exposed to a wider audience. 

So it depends on how you go about it, but you should always remember to offer them some real value in return for their time.

4. Engage Influencers With Affiliate Marketing 

Some influencers are cool with affiliate marketing.

All you need do is to make some research to find influencers who are affiliates for similar products/services to you.

Approach them, tell them about your product or service, and offer a percentage of affiliate revenue. This is a simple but effective tactic that doesn’t require an investment.

Yes, you’ll have to invest your time or give free samples or free services from time to time but in the end, you’ll reap long term benefits.

Are you using influencers to promote your small business?

ALSO READ: 4 SMART WAYS TO GROW YOUR REFERRAL LIST