The arrival of new technologies, virtual platforms, and communication 2.0 have taken a 180º turn to the concept of opinion leaders. This is for small businesses as well as Fortune 500 companies. Influencer marketing then is used for small businesses too.
An opinion leader is a person who, due to their social relevance, influences public behavior. It is a concept that has been part of the world of communication since the beginning of advertising. The influence of the current digital leaders, known as Influencers, is being considered more and more within the world enterprise. The promotion of both products and services is known as Influencer Marketing.
These influencers have great credibility among followers on social networks within their community, which can generate opinions and reactions favorable to the brand or the company.
Now, is it necessary to have a large budget to make use of Influencer Marketing?
No, there are more and more SMEs and startups that use this instead of opting for traditional advertising. Influencer marketing works for small businesses.
It is a very profitable, flexible, and suitable option for all types of pockets. If you know how to “play cards well,” you can achieve very successful campaigns.
The jewelry brand María Pascual is a perfect example that shows how social networks and in particular, influencers, are key to growing a startup.
After 6 years working in the world of jewelry, Instagram-mers such as Dulceida or Collage Vintage have been the key to achieving their success. In their case, it was in the most natural way.
Without a planned communication strategy and managing the brand’s social networks herself, María Pascual arrived at the moment when the first bloggers and Instagrammers began to flourish. She launched and began to attract attention and sent her jewelry to people like Dulceida or Collage Vintage, now becoming top influencers worldwide.
The contact created with them from the beginning was the seed that made her brand known. Many other influencers got in touch to collaborate with her: the product in exchange for publications. Currently, her Instagram profile has more than 200,000 followers.
Daniel Wellington and how they boost sales as a small company
You probably have heard about this brand. Daniel Wellington is a watch company founded in 2011. Instagram and influencer marketing was still in the early stages of development.
The founder, invested a very low portion of his own money in the company. He didn’t have enough budget to use it in a large-scale marketing campaign. What he did, was starting a micro-influencer marketing campaign to spread the word about his products.
Around this time, it wasn’t regulated how influencer marketing should work but he sent discount codes and free products to them. Now, this brand has more than 4 million followers on Instagram and the hashtag #Danielwellington has been mentioned in 2,100,000 posts. Furthermore, by 2015 the brand generated $220 million in revenue.
Today, Daniel Wellington keeps on reposting content from their influencers, as well as creating campaigns with top influencers. The brand is mostly known by all millennials that have an Instagram account.
The case of Tipi Tent
Another startup that is on the rise is the clothing brand Tipi Tent. Two of its partners, María and Marta Pombo, are famous Instagram influencers. Tipi Tent says that 98% of their sales come from social networks.
This brand have managed the marketing of influence very well. They use first their own influencers, and then working with a large number of other influencers. They helped grow the brand by posting images with clothes, attending events, and even taking trips sponsored by Tipi Tent. Right now, they have 107,000 followers on Instagram, a large audience to communicate without the need for advertising investment.
These are some of the examples of how Influencer Marketing has become one of the most effective strategies at the moment. However, these are more isolated cases since not everyone is fortunate enough to have an influencer in their company or the resources to afford a top influencer. As mentioned before, this type of marketing can adapt to any type of pocket and there is a niche of influencers perfect for low budgets: micro-influencers.
These are profiles that have between 5,000 and 30,000 followers. They have a much closer relationship with their followers. The volume is much smaller than that of a top influencer and therefore it is easier for them to refer their audience. Additionally, in most cases, these influencers publish in exchange for the product.
Conclusion
More brands take time to analyze and see which influencers are the best choice for them. It has been confirmed that influencer marketing works for small businesses. This is because they will be representing that brand on social networks. Currently, there are influencer marketing platforms, like ours where, with more than 11 million influencers worldwide and a wide variety of filters, you can succeed in choosing the right influencer. In the 2.0 society in which we live, update and prepare for constant change. ” Have you tried influencer marketing for small companies? Let us know!
