Yes!
I could stop here…but that would not be nice.
First thing first, what is a social media influencer?
But Angélique… I can’t hire Beyoncé to talk about my products or services. Ahahah! Of course, but there is a way.
Just to get you started
Here are the 5 tips I share more often with my students:
- Pick your most loyal customer and check his presence on social media: do they have a blog, or any online community where they could be profiling products and services of yours? If so, you could offer them their favorite products in exchange of online buzz.
- If you have a boutique, get a local blogger with a small but strong community online and invite them to pick all the products they’d like to try and ask them if they could profile the ones they prefer on their online platforms.
- If you are a conference organizer, invite a blogger, a personality or an advocate in the field of your conference’s topic to attend the conference. Prior to the conference, they will let the world know that they will be attending your event, then during the conference, they will post live content on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat etc.
- Try to figure out which social media platforms you want to target and make sure that your local influencer will be active on these networks
- Paying or not paying? Based on my experience, both ways work very well. If you’re at low tides right now in your budget, you can give products and services in exchange of social media content on your influencer’s online platforms.
How to approach small influencers?
The thing is that they’re probably looking for content to write about. Reach out to them and explain to them the mutual value of the partnership. Make sure you show them you know their platforms and that you would love to work with them. If you have no budget, they might be open to an exchange: a meal in your restaurant, a free membership at your gym, a free entrance ticket to your event etc.
How to find your local influencers?
- For this, I like to read newspapers or local magazines. Journalists interview experts in so many fields of expertise.
- Talk to your customers, they probably know some friends who would love to share stories about what you sell.
- You can also use social listening tools such as BuzzSumo that lists influencers for you.
- Or use the Search section of Instagram, Facebook etc. They’re probably closer than you think.
And please make sure to learn more about this topic.
If you’re a small business owner, and you’ve been using influencers, can you share with us your formula to make these partnerships happen.
By the way, if you want more tips about influencer marketing for beginners, message me: m.me/socialmedialoveab
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Cheers,
-Angélique