As more and more people realise being an influencer is a career path they can take seriously, the niches are really starting to define themselves. While it’s easy to get starry-eyed, small businesses really shouldn’t be wondering if they can stretch the budget for the bigger names. Influencer marketing is an approach that needs more precision than ever. After all, a bigger audience doesn’t necessarily mean bigger spenders. You may even be surprised by who is even really engaging your demographic in the first place!
Zooming in with micro-influencers
There are so many smaller influencers out there whose audience will be the exact fit. With these you don’t have to waste time worrying if you’re shouting into cyberspace as everything is a lot more specific. It’s the bigger names who will be paid big bucks to try and flog everything under the sun.
Whether you are an ornate masked ball planner, knitted cat toy craftsman or have invented a new drill bit, there will be an influencer that will fit your brand to a tee. With a smaller (though still sizeable enough to earn the title of ‘influencer’) audience, the conversation will often be more intimate, more personalised, so you can feel more confident that your brand is getting special attention. And since you’re not blowing the budget, you have some more room to trial different approaches! Get to know what actually works for you.
We’re not sure how we feel about the term ‘micro-influencer’. But that it’s gained a moniker at all suggests this is a trend set to stay for a while.
Finding your perfect match
40% of Twitter users report purchasing something as a direct result of a Tweet from an influencer, although this is reported from Twitter itself, so is best to be taken with a pinch of salt. Either way, influencer marketing success stories are high – the task now if just to find the perfect fit. Who will give you the ideal ROI? Chorus Comms think we’ve got it sussed, but some advice we can share is to look at your own followers, and then see who they are following. There will be a connection of genuine shared interest there, so a good place to start when looking for leads.
Digital influencer marketing isn’t the only way
For many, influencer marketing will be primarily digital, but that may not suit all brands. If your product is nothing to do with the online world, or has an audience who are less likely to be checking Instagram, don’t push for the unlikely. An influencer offline can be just as powerful in the right market. Not to mention that one influencer to influencer recommendation can be worth hundreds of influencers to follower interactions. At Chorus we try to experiment a little so we can really quantify the results of word of mouth in its various iterations. As 84% of consumers trust this method the most, it is always worth our time.
Small business, looking for influence? Let Chorus Comms do our match-making magic and help your digital profile reach new heights!