There is no shortage of Social Media Influencers nowadays, and there are more than enough of them to go around, even for Small Businesses! This is why Influencer Marketing has become an effective Marketing Strategy for so many Small Businesses. With their established loyal followings, Influencers can be powerful allies for Small Businesses looking to achieve their marketing goals.
If your business exists in an incredibly saturated market, then you need a competitive edge over other businesses in your industry. Partnering with Influencers differentiates yourself by providing a fresh perspective and a new voice that helps you stand out in the minds of your target audience.
However, we know that Social Media isn’t for everyone, so you might not understand what benefits these collaborations will bring, that’s why we’re here to explain just how powerful these Influencer collaborations can be for your business!
Plan Ahead and Develop a Content Strategy
As a Small Business you need to get your name out there! Collaborating with Influencers relevant to your industry will provide you with an opportunity to significantly increase your brand visibility and awareness, introducing you to a wider audience within your target market.
And it's not just awareness that Influencer Marketing will bring your brand, but also trust! And as we know, Customer trust is worth more than gold! Influencers have built trust with their followers through authentic and consistent content, so when they promote a product or service their audience perceives it as a more genuine recommendation than they would though traditional advertising. If the influencer says that your business is reputable then their audience will think that it is trustworthy, which will significantly influence their decisions when purchasing from your business.
Consistency is Key
There’s no point in reaching an audience if they are not the kind of people who will ever engage with your business or use your services and products, that kind of defeats the purpose of a business! One of the key advantages of Influencer Marketing is that it has the ability to reach a highly targeted audience made up of people who actually have the potential to become your Customers.
Influencers have often cultivated a specific niche following, meaning that if you partner with someone whose content is related to your industry and have a following that matches your business’s ideal Customer profile, then you have a direct line to your business's target market. This marketing approach increases the chances of your business gaining meaningful engagement Online that will lead to real world business and sales.
Promote Your Blog
As a Small Business Owner you probably don’t have a lot of time on your hands, so the less work for you the better! Getting your Customers to create content for you is a massive time saver, that’s why user-generated content (UGC) is a powerful tool that all Small Businesses should strive to harness, and collaborating with Influencers can make this task so much easier.
For example, when an Influencer promotes a product, service or business on Social Media, their followers often follow suit and share their experiences and opinions on their own Social Media platforms. This UGC serves as social proof, demonstrating to other potential Customers the positives of your business’s offerings, helping to build trust and attract new business.
Create a Community
While being a part of the overall blogging community is great, you also need to build a community around your specific blog to ensure its success.
People love it when they are listened to, and your readers will be no different, so make sure to respond promptly to comments and encourage discussions among readers. Also make sure to ask your readers for feedback, suggestions and blog ideas, this will make them feel as if they are just as involved in the blog as you are. Creating this community not only builds a sense of loyalty with your readers but also encourages them to advocate for your brand, which means one less job for you!
Optimise for Search Engines
Yes we know, you're probably thinking that we’ll never stop going on about Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), but there is a reason for that, SEO is crucial to increase your blog’s visibility and organic traffic!
To get the most out of SEO you need to conduct keyword research, yes we know this may seem like a bit much, but you want people to read your blog, don’t you? Once you have identified the most relevant keywords for your industry, incorporate them naturally into your blog posts, don’t just shove them in anywhere, your audience is not going to want to read incoherent nonsense. Don’t just use these keywords in the body text of your blog, get the most out of them by incorporating them into your titles, subheadings and descriptions!
So now that we have explained how SEO will benefit your blog, maybe you can forgive us for going on about it again…
Maintaining a successful blog requires more than just creating content! It requires strategic planning and promotion, but by putting in consistent effort you can establish a thriving blog that strengthens your brand and attracts Customers all while giving you a creative outlet. So make sure to follow our tips and in no time your blog can be just like ours!