Most entrepreneurs make the mistake of focusing on the influencer’s number of followers, while completely ignoring engagement and relevance.
You’ll know that your influencer marketing strategy is faulty if the engagement rates are low and if it damages your brand’s reputation and wastes your time and money.
But don’t worry.
In this article, you will learn the best influencer marketing strategies that many small businesses have used to boost their sales and return on investments.
Let’s get started.
Learn more: 43 Mind-Blowing Digital Marketing Statistics to Supercharge Your Campaigns
Influencer Marketing Strategies that Work for Startups
The top eight influencer marketing strategies are;
1. Do thorough research
Helen Martinez bakes the most hyper-realistic cakes in Kenya.
Early this year, she sent us an email saying she’d paid influencers on three separate occasions, “but it just didn’t work.”
Upon evaluation, we realized that her strategy did not include research.
Helen worked with influencers who are popular in the tech and construction industries.
You can notice the problem, right?
The research phase is crucial for filtering influencers based on their relevance to your business, engagement, and audience demographics.
One incredible research tool for doing this is Upfluence. We’ll come back to it later.
2. Set clear influencer marketing goals
You must define what you want to achieve with your influencer marketing strategy.
Maybe you want to increase brand awareness, drive more foot traffic to your physical store, boost memberships, or promote specific offers.
It is important to stick to one.
Clear goals will help you allocate resources effectively, evaluate the effectiveness of your influencer marketing campaigns, and identify what works and what doesn’t.
The best way to set clear goals is to use the SMART framework.
For example, if you are into fitness, your goal may sound something like this;
Partner with 5 local fitness influencers to promote the new virtual yoga classes. Achieve 300 new sign-ups for the virtual yoga classes and generate 10,000 views on Instagram within the next 2 months.
3. Target smaller and localized groups
As a small business owner, you may opt for mega-influencers like Cristiano Ronaldo or Kim Kardashian because they have hundreds of millions of followers.
However, it is important to draw the line between ambition and reality.
Apart from being expensive, these celebrities may not align with your niche market. That means most of the engagements you will receive are superficial and irrelevant.
That’s why online marketing experts like Brendan Kane, the author of One Million Followers, recommend targeting smaller groups.
In other words, the best influencers that can market your startup effectively are micro-influencers with around 1,000 and 100,000 followers.
They are not only easier to reach, but their influencer charges are also cost-effective, making them essential for targeting specific demographics.
4. Build relationships and rapport
To supercharge your influencer marketing strategy, you need to build relationships with your preferred influencers in advance of your request.
For example, if Helen wants to promote her bakery through influencer marketing, she should have a solid history of engaging with her preferred influencer’s content.
Imagine your current followers. Those you know by name. What made you know them? You’ll realize they are the ones who engage with your brand more often.
Effective influencer marketing strategies work in a similar fashion.
Cultivating close relationships makes them feel like they already know you, which can help you negotiate better rates.
They’ll also create content that resonates with your followers and theirs.
5. Give your influencer creative freedom
The most frustrating thing to influencers is when a client dictates how to go about every nut and bolt in the content creation process.
That makes them say crazy things behind your back like, “If they know so much, why don’t they do it themselves?” We hear this all the time.
Please, stop it.
As a small business owner, it is important to remember that influencers became popular because of their authenticity. That’s what their followers resonate with.
There are two ways to give your influencer creative freedom.
First, trust their expertise. And second, allow flexibility by providing guidelines, not scripts.
That does not mean you don’t have to provide essential resources.
Give your influencer the key points you want to communicate and allow them to weave them into their content as naturally as they can.
6. Focus on evergreen content
The content created by influencers can be accessible to their audience for several years. That is where the concept of evergreen content comes in.
These are content that can stand the test of time. Whether it is consumed today or ten years from now, evergreen content should maintain its usefulness.
You see, trends fade. And so do news-based content. These short-term and seasonal campaigns generate leads temporarily despite the content’s lifespan.
Effective influencer marketing strategies should be long-term.
If you are in the fitness industry, some examples of evergreen content may include beginner workout guides, meal planning videos, and exercise tutorials.
7. Use influencer marketing tools
There are many tools you can use to boost the effectiveness of your influencer marketing strategy, from Aspire to Upfluence and Influencity.
These tools have different capabilities.
For example, in 2023, we helped more than ten fitness studios in Nairobi to reach and collaborate with top influencers through Upfluence.
The platform offers advanced search filters which you can use to get influencers in your industry using keywords, demographics, and engagement rates.
That brings us to the final strategy.
8. Always monitor your metrics
“What gets measured gets done”
John E. Jones
Remember the strategy we discussed about setting clear goals?
Assuming you already have one, how will you measure its performance?
The answer is obvious: Always monitor your metrics.
“But how am I supposed to do that?” is the question we get most often.
Here is how;
- Use an influencer marketing platform like Upfluence or Traackr
- Create regular reports to review key metrics like reach, conversions, and ROI
- Compare current metrics with past performance
This strategy will help you make informed decisions, optimize your goals, and achieve better results.
Transform your influencer marketing strategy today
So, there you have it.
Do thorough research, set clear goals, target localized groups, build rapport with the influencers, give them creative freedom, focus on evergreen content, use influencer marketing platforms, and monitor your metrics.
Do you need help with your influencer marketing strategy?
Use the form below to contact us now.
