Influencer marketing is a 6.5 billion dollar industry and the best marketing tool for businesses today. As this online marketing strategy evolves, businesses are foregoing celebrity endorsements. Instead, they are choosing to collaborate with local influencers in their community. Here’s why.

Increases brand awareness

First and foremost, local influencers bring the names of businesses to the attention of people who were previously unaware of their existence.

Obviously, all types of influencers do this. Local influencers are simply more effective and successful for businesses in specific geographic areas.

Plus local businesses can turn their favorite customers into their own personal influencers for fairly low cost. This is accomplished through offering small incentives, like food & drink or merchandise.

Increased Engagement

Local influencers tend to have a deeper, more genuine connection with their followers than macro and celebrity influencers. They are more likely to know and connect with their followers on a more personal level.

Influencers with 100k or fewer followers tend to make time for thoughtful responses and engagement.

According to research, influencers with 1,000 followers have the highest engagement ratio. Don’t count them out! The ratio of engagement to followers is more important than the number of followers.

Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri is considering removing 'likes' from the social media platform entirely. “We want people to worry a little bit less about how many likes they’re getting on Instagram and spend a bit more time connecting with the people that they care about.”

This potential evolution will make engagement an even more potent tool in the world of influencers.

Local Influencers Are Less Expensive

Contrary to what you may think, local influencers do not need to be paid thousands of dollars to endorse your business. Many people are willing to be influencers in exchange for smaller incentives.

“When I post a photo for taco Tuesday, I get free queso? Please sign me up!” Give people the opportunity to try your product and share it with their friends and family. This is a great way to generate repeat business. It's a win-win situation!

Influencers gain credibility for their recommendation, businesses gain new customers, and both gain exposure.

Local Influencers Increase New Followers

Local influencers are ideal for small businesses because the majority of their followers will live in the same area who have never heard of your brand. This means an influencer collaboration will allow you to reach a larger market of people who are close to your business!

No matter how fantastic a local pizza joint is, it's unlikely that someone will fly across the country to try it. More likely, they’ll try it while they’re already in town. Unless they really love pizza, have a lot of spare cash, and are dying to go on a world's best pizza tour. I mean, never say never, right?

But, if someone is scrolling through Instagram and sees a friend’s rave review, they may decide to head there on their next night out. Visitors from out of town will also see great reviews about your pizza while searching for food locally. They would be more likely to want to try it themselves!

Enhances Authenticity

Marketing professionals have long recognized that word-of-mouth is the most effective form of marketing. Local influencers do this without making it appear as if the company is bragging about itself.

It's not salesy or gimmicky; it's just a person sharing something they enjoy with the people in their network. People are much more likely to respond a sponsored to this than to a post from a business page or influencer with a million followers.

At HowTo.agency, Jay Vics uses TikTok to authentically engage with his audience.

Generates Fresh Content

Giving up some control and allowing an influencer to create their own content promoting your business accomplishes two important things.

#1: It reduces the workload on marketing campaigns. The business can provide guidelines (such as their unique hashtag) or suggestions, but the influencer knows how to best communicate with their audience. After all, they are the ones who are most familiar with them.

#2: Allowing local influencers to create their own content provides the business with new insight into the voice of the target audience. Pay attention to what influencers say and how their followers respond. It’s an excellent way to learn about your target audience!

Followers Can Trust You

When it comes to influencer marketing, savvy consumers are wary of celebrity endorsements.

Have you ever seen a celebrity in a skincare commercial claim that their secret to looking young is some miraculous anti-aging eye cream? Most people might laugh at these commercials and dismiss them. But, if a friend recommends a new restaurant that just opened up in town, they may be much more likely to try it!

Local influencers' human aspect is the future of internet marketing. Consider the importance of quality above quantity. Even if they don't have a large number of followers, they have a significantly better chance of reaching your target demographic.

Where Can I find Local Influencers?

Some of the most effective methods include:

1. Look at your current social media following

Whether or not your business has a strong social presence, you may be shocked to find that some local influencers are already following you on social media. Check if they match your brand and are relevant to your product or service. They may be someone with whom you should explore forming a connection!

2. Research local hashtags for your area

A local hashtag search on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media platforms is a wonderful approach to locate relevant local or micro-influencers. Of course, you can use Google to perform a local hashtag search and see what results it returns. You may also utilize the hashtag to see popular posts that include it. This may lead you to trending material generated by the local influencers you're looking for.

3. Find out who’s talking about your business – the good and the bad

It's far easier to locate and work with influencers if they already know about your business – and are likely delighted with your product or service since they're already talking about it. The rationale is simple: they're more inclined to promote your brand with enthusiasm.

4. Or use online tools like: Local Influence or Insense

What does it cost?

Prices and fees vary widely, from the micro-est of micro local influencers who are happy to trade a post for products & merchandise from more established influencers depending on their followers you can expect to pay $.01 to $.025 per follower or more. If you use tools or an agency that cost can go up even more.

Wrapping Up

No matter how many followers they have, local influencers can help you. Use them to grow your business's social reach, improve your brand image, engage your audience, and attract new consumers. So, what do you have to lose? Now you’re armed with the information you need to pick the right local influencer for your business!

Now, you’re using the power of local influencers to target your audience. Look into other ways you can uniquely and effectively promote your business! We want to help. Reach out today to book your time on the Meet the Experts podcast. No one knows your business better than you, so get your name out there!