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The 10 Best Influencer Marketing Strategies for Small Businesses, with Examples

influencer marketing strategies

Several influencer marketing strategies are available for bringing your SMB to the attention of hordes of social media users. However, experiencing such results requires picking the right influencer marketing strategy for your brand.

After researching multiple influencer campaigns, our digital marketing team identified the ten best influencer strategies. These strategies are super effective for boosting an SMB’s brand awareness, reputation, and sales. But before revealing the top influencer marketing strategies, let’s clarify what influencer marketing is.

What Is Influencer Marketing?

Influencer marketing involves partnering with social media influencers and asking them to promote your brand or product to their followers. These social media influencers have a large following that trusts them and engages with their online content. 

By collaborating with such personalities, you can bring your brand to the attention of the huge audience already following them.

influencer marketing

Image via Pexel

On the other hand, an influencer marketing strategy is your plan for finding and collaborating with influencers. Depending on your business goals, you can implement multiple influencer marketing strategies to reach more people and boost sales. 

For example, you can have a strategy for Instagram marketing and another for TikTok to spread brand awareness on both platforms.

The Best Influencer Marketing Strategies and Examples that Prove Their Effectiveness

Here are the most effective influencer marketing strategies your small business can use to differentiate itself and grow its customer base.

1. Share Stories with UGC

A 2023 EnTribe survey revealed that 82% of customers find brands more appealing if they post user-generated content (UGC). UGC is content posted by customers to showcase their real-life experiences with a brand or product. 

Consumers find such content more trustworthy, making it excellent for convincing prospects of your brand’s credibility and product’s value.

Influencer marketing strategies that leverage UGC require partnering with influencers who can create believable stories about your product improving their lives. Your influencers don’t need to be famous for this strategy to work.

For example, Apple’s Shot On iPhone campaign asked customers to post pictures taken with their iPhones. The pictures showcase the iPhone’s camera quality, turning regular iPhone users into mini influencers. 

The campaign generated over 30 million posts that made iPhones even more popular and desirable. Here’s a screenshot from Apple’s #shotoniphone Instagram page.

influencer marketing strategy

Image via Instagram

2. Host a Contest or Giveaway

Social media contests and giveaways are among the most effective influencer marketing strategies for generating immediate buzz for your brand. It involves collaborating with influencers to host contests and giveaways for your brand. 

Followers will come for the prizes and leave with your brand name stuck in their heads. 

For example, the screenshot below shows Smart Sweets partnering with The Fitish Brunette to run a giveaway. The campaign was successful, with each giveaway post attracting hundreds of comments and reposts.

influencer marketing strategy

Image via Instagram

3. Get Endorsements from Industry Experts

Respected professionals or celebrities endorsing your product will boost your brand’s reputation and attractiveness. Executing influencer marketing strategies like this requires finding reputable individuals within your industry to endorse your product’s quality and value. 

Such an endorsement will convince consumers to trust your brand because they already believe and trust the endorser. Just imagine the traffic a restaurant will get if Gordon Ramsey endorses it.

One study shows that celebrity endorsements can increase sales and brand trust by 20% to 40%. 

An example of this influencer marketing strategy in action is award-winning cook and author Jo Pratt, partnering with Cooks&Co. The celebrity’s endorsement of Cooks&Co’s ingredients helped boost the brand’s popularity and visibility.

influencer marketing strategies

Image via Instagram

4. Showcase Your Values

Does your brand have values it upholds? The values may be social justice, equality for all, or eco-friendliness. Sharing and showcasing your values can help humanize your brand and win over customers who feel the same way. Partnering with influencers with similar beliefs is one of the most effective influencer marketing strategies for winning over like-minded customers.

For example, Nike supported Colin Kaepernick’s stance on social injustice in 2018. The brand’s actions triggered a surge in company stocks and social media followers.

influencer marketing

Image via Instagram

5. Explore Affiliate Marketing with Influencers

Affiliate marketing with influencers is another excellent tactic for boosting brand visibility and sales. It involves asking influencers to showcase your product to their followers. Interested customers can then click the provided link to buy the product.

The influencer earns a commission on each purchase, making the arrangement a win-win for all involved parties. Since the influencer gets paid through commissions, this strategy is ideal if you can’t afford to pay influencer charges upfront. 

Reach more people by running multiple affiliate marketing campaigns at once with several influencers. For example, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube affiliate influencers can post videos of your product improving their lives. 

The outcomes shared by the influencers will convince followers to buy the product. You get a sales boost, and the influencers earn on every sale they generate.

6. Referral Programs with Influencers

Referral programs are among the best influencer marketing strategies for getting a quick return on investment. The influencer will promote your product to followers and share a unique code or link for accessing your product at a discount. 

Since the incentive is typically time-limited, it creates a sense of urgency, encouraging followers to snag the bargain before it expires. It’s an excellent tactic for quickly generating sales and expanding your customer base.

For example, here’s a screenshot of YouTube’s Guga Foods referring Better Help and sharing exclusive discounts with viewers.

Image via YouTube

7. Brand Ambassadorship

Making an influencer your brand ambassador turns them into your small business’ face and champion. Their job for the duration of the ambassadorship contract will be to promote your brand consistently offline and online. 

Ideally, your target market should recognize and like your brand ambassador. Otherwise, audiences may not engage with the ambassador’s content, which can negatively impact your brand reputation. 

Also, depending on your budget and other factors, the partnership may be for months or years. 

For example, popular TV chef and restaurateur Nisha Katona has been Haier’s brand ambassador and promoter since 2022. Her efforts over the years have boosted Haier’s brand visibility, attractiveness, and engagement.

 Image via Haier Europe

8. Lead the Conversation and Establish Your Niche

Becoming an influencer goes beyond mere advocacy; it’s about owning the narrative. Merely championing a cause or topic doesn’t automatically confer influence. You may champion content marketing fervently, but that doesn’t automatically make you a content marketing influencer.

To truly establish yourself as an influencer in your niche, you must shape and steer the discourse, not merely echo it. Are you posing questions that challenge the status quo or are you regurgitating what’s already been said? Does your perspective offer something genuinely fresh, or are you recycling ideas? Are your insights disrupting industry norms or getting lost in the noise?

To ascend to influencer status and engage with established industry leaders, you must drive the conversation, not just echo it.

9. Foster a Supportive Community

While sharing others’ content and crafting your own are essential components of influencer marketing, it’s crucial not to underestimate the significance of community building within your industry. Even seasoned experts occasionally overlook the pivotal role that a supportive community plays in establishing influence and sustaining success.

In today’s interconnected digital landscape, where social media platforms serve as hubs for collaboration and engagement, fostering a supportive community can be a game-changer. It’s not just about promoting your own content or agenda; it’s about actively engaging with others, offering support, and contributing meaningfully to discussions within your niche.

By actively participating in industry-related conversations, sharing valuable insights, and providing assistance to fellow professionals, you not only establish yourself as a knowledgeable and supportive figure but also attract like-minded individuals who resonate with your values and vision. This sense of camaraderie and mutual support fosters a positive environment where members feel valued, respected, and empowered.

Furthermore, a supportive community can serve as a valuable resource for collaboration, networking, and knowledge exchange. Whether it’s seeking advice, collaborating on projects, or seeking opportunities for professional growth, having a supportive network of peers can provide invaluable support and guidance along your influencer journey.

In essence, fostering a supportive community involves more than just building a following; it’s about cultivating meaningful relationships, nurturing a sense of belonging, and creating a collaborative ecosystem where everyone can thrive. By investing in community building efforts and prioritizing genuine connections, you not only enhance your own influence but also contribute to the collective growth and success of your industry as a whole.

10. Leverage the Power of Guest Posting and Account Takeovers

Few influencer marketing strategies rival the impact and versatility of guest contributions and account takeovers. Guest posting involves inviting influencers to contribute content to a brand’s blog, website, or other owned channels. This collaborative approach allows influencers to share their expertise, insights, and perspectives with the brand’s audience, providing valuable content that resonates with their interests and needs. It also lends credibility to your brand.

Account takeovers have the same effect. During an account takeover, an influencer will temporarily take control of your social media accounts. The influencer will share content, engage with your followers, and showcase your brand from their unique perspective. If properly executed, the influencer’s actions will inject authenticity and relatability into your online presence. The influencer’s activities on your social media will also heighten engagement and boost your followership by funneling the influencer’s fan base to your pages.

Benefits of Influencer Marketing for SMBs

The right influencer marketing strategy can boost your brand awareness, sales, engagement, and interaction without breaking the bank. Here are other benefits that make influencer marketing worthwhile for small businesses and startups:

  • Brand credibility: The endorsement of reputable influencers lends credibility to your brand, making your products more attractive. In fact, 81% of people consider purchasing a product after seeing an influencer post about it.
  • Content variety: Influencers post various types of engaging content. Working with such individuals will provide you with fresh content that lets customers view your brand and product from a different and more alluring perspective.
  • Search visibility: Working with influencers can get you backlinks that boost your website’s SEO. An improved SEO means more people can find your website during Google searches long after an influencer collaboration has ended.
  • Faster results: Influencer marketing fast tracks building your social media following. The followers will remain yours even after your influencer collaboration ends. Of course, retaining your followers requires posting content that keeps them interested. Once you’ve grown your following, you’ll have more eyes for subsequent product or brand-related content you post.
  • Brand authenticity: Most consumers consider traditional marketing and paid social ads to be salesy and off-putting. Influencers can present your brand and product in a more attractive manner, especially when they showcase themselves improving their lives with your product.

Which influencer marketing strategies should you try? Let’s talk about it in the comments.

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