Influencer marketing for SMEs: does it work for your business too?

Influencer marketing sounds like something for big brands with big budgets. Yet it can work for a local SME too, if you approach it smartly. In this article you’ll read what influencer marketing is, when it makes sense and how to get started.

What is influencer marketing?

With influencer marketing you work with someone who has a loyal audience on social media. That person shows or talks about your product or service in their own style. Because their followers trust them, your message comes across as more credible than a classic ad.

Why it works: trust

The power of influencers lies in trust. Followers see them daily and feel a connection. When someone like that recommends a product, it feels like advice from someone they know. That principle is also the basis of how we work: people choose a business more quickly when they know the people and character behind it.

Big names or local creators?

For an SME, big influencers with hundreds of thousands of followers are rarely the best choice. They’re expensive and their audience often doesn’t live in your region. Smaller, local creators are often more interesting:

• Their audience lives near you and can actually become customers.
• Their followers are often more engaged.
• A collaboration is more affordable and more personal.

How to approach it

1. Set your goal. Do you want brand awareness, more visitors or to launch a new product?
2. Find the right person. Don’t just look at follower count, but above all at who those followers are and how they respond.
3. Give the creator freedom. An influencer knows their audience best. Give guidelines, not a rigid script.
4. Be transparent. Clearly state that it’s a collaboration or an ad. That’s fair to viewers and also a legal requirement.
5. Measure the result. Use a discount code or a separate link, for example, to see what the collaboration delivers.

You as the influencer of your own business

The best news: you don’t always need to hire an external influencer. You and your team can become the face of your business yourselves. Anyone who sees every week how you work and what you know will trust you just as much as an influencer. Read more in why showing your own face in your content builds more trust.

Combine it with your own content

Influencer marketing works best when people who get curious also find something on your channels. So make sure your own social media are active, with regular videos that show who you are. That way a viewer of an influencer also becomes a follower, and later a customer.