Influencer Marketing with a Small Budget
Posted: Mon Feb 17, 2025 9:48 am
Contrary to what we usually see on social media, influencer marketing doesn’t have to look like extravagant launches, red carpets, and billboard advertisements. It can also look like inviting some influencers to your office or showroom to give demos while engaging in conversations over snacks and drinks. So no matter how small your budget is, you can make influencer marketing work in your favor. Here’s how:
1. Work with micro-influencers
While the A-listers with many followers may seem more beneficial to you, the right micro-influencers can get you real results because of how engaged their audience is and how personally connected they are with their audience, making them a highly trustworthy source for their audience. Since their followers lie within the 10,000-50,000 bracket, they may also be more willing to enter into collaboration at low costs, as long as you have shared values—that can also explain why over 90% of businesses prefer working with micro-influencers, who have an engagement rate of 3.86% as compared to 1.2% for mega influencers.
“Expand your definition of an influencer and what they do. It doesn’t have to be a social media star. Depending on your business and industry, you may have influencers within your organization, or community.”
Lia Haberman, CMO and Brand Advisor
Look for employees, brand ambassadors, niche users with a social media following, or community members who actively purchase from you by tapping into your data and eyeing organic user-generated content (more on this later). These are your brand lovers and advocates that already endorse your brand and know about it, thus widening the scope of succeeding on a small budget.
2. Focus on building long-term relationships
Finding micro-influencers who align well with your values, create quality content, relate with your products, and reflect your brand’s true personality with the right tone of voice is a dream. So, instead of entering into one-off partnerships, focus on fostering long-term relationships by creating retainers.
Jeff Sherman suggests:
“Leverage a good personal relationship and even explore using trusted, local media personalities. Try to meet in person, first, and assist with scripts but be open to flexibility and creativity. Keep the budget smaller, and be firm and fair about expectations.”
Influencer marketing is everything but an overnight game. Thus, it requires cash app database nurturing the audience consistently, which can only be done by developing relationships based on value exchange rather than one-sided product promotion. Retainers may also help you negotiate a more affordable rate with the influencer considering the recurring compensation you offer them, along with other benefits like early access, free products, or event invites that allow them to attach themselves to your brand name and benefit mutually.
3. Champion user-generated content (UGC)
Content generated by a real user is called user-generated content (UGC). It’s one of the most cost-effective ways to get original content for your channels without spending much of your time. Besides, the nature of UGC suggests that those endorsing the products have used it themselves, building trust in the brand. In fact, 79% of people say UGC influences their purchase decision. And consumers find UGC almost 10x more impactful than explicit influencer content while making purchase decisions.
To get the best results from your UGC campaign, plan out challenges, giveaways, contests, or seasonal posts asking users to share their experience with your product(s) with a specific hashtag in return for exclusive benefits like incentives and rewards. Pura Vida is an excellent example of using UGC with #puravidabracelets.
1. Work with micro-influencers
While the A-listers with many followers may seem more beneficial to you, the right micro-influencers can get you real results because of how engaged their audience is and how personally connected they are with their audience, making them a highly trustworthy source for their audience. Since their followers lie within the 10,000-50,000 bracket, they may also be more willing to enter into collaboration at low costs, as long as you have shared values—that can also explain why over 90% of businesses prefer working with micro-influencers, who have an engagement rate of 3.86% as compared to 1.2% for mega influencers.
“Expand your definition of an influencer and what they do. It doesn’t have to be a social media star. Depending on your business and industry, you may have influencers within your organization, or community.”
Lia Haberman, CMO and Brand Advisor
Look for employees, brand ambassadors, niche users with a social media following, or community members who actively purchase from you by tapping into your data and eyeing organic user-generated content (more on this later). These are your brand lovers and advocates that already endorse your brand and know about it, thus widening the scope of succeeding on a small budget.
2. Focus on building long-term relationships
Finding micro-influencers who align well with your values, create quality content, relate with your products, and reflect your brand’s true personality with the right tone of voice is a dream. So, instead of entering into one-off partnerships, focus on fostering long-term relationships by creating retainers.
Jeff Sherman suggests:
“Leverage a good personal relationship and even explore using trusted, local media personalities. Try to meet in person, first, and assist with scripts but be open to flexibility and creativity. Keep the budget smaller, and be firm and fair about expectations.”
Influencer marketing is everything but an overnight game. Thus, it requires cash app database nurturing the audience consistently, which can only be done by developing relationships based on value exchange rather than one-sided product promotion. Retainers may also help you negotiate a more affordable rate with the influencer considering the recurring compensation you offer them, along with other benefits like early access, free products, or event invites that allow them to attach themselves to your brand name and benefit mutually.
3. Champion user-generated content (UGC)
Content generated by a real user is called user-generated content (UGC). It’s one of the most cost-effective ways to get original content for your channels without spending much of your time. Besides, the nature of UGC suggests that those endorsing the products have used it themselves, building trust in the brand. In fact, 79% of people say UGC influences their purchase decision. And consumers find UGC almost 10x more impactful than explicit influencer content while making purchase decisions.
To get the best results from your UGC campaign, plan out challenges, giveaways, contests, or seasonal posts asking users to share their experience with your product(s) with a specific hashtag in return for exclusive benefits like incentives and rewards. Pura Vida is an excellent example of using UGC with #puravidabracelets.