Why use local influencers in marketing strategies
why use local influencers in marketing strategies
Key takeaways:
Local influencers are a newer, incredibly effective type of influencer.
Nano influencers and local influencers are different, but have some similarities.
There are a few ways to identify and start working with local influencers.
The term ‘influencer’ first emerged in 2009 and took hold of the world the following year with the release of Instagram. Today, an influencer isn't just a famous person with followers, but anyone who influences others through social media marketing.
Types of influencers
We widely recognize five types of influencers today, there are actually six distinguished types.
Celebrity - public or ‘mega’ figures that typically have 1M+ followers.
Macro - paid influencers who have between 500k-1M followers.
Mid-tier - mostly paid influencers with 50k-500k followers.
Micro - Influencers that collaborate on some brand deals with 10k-50k followers.
Nano - Influencers that occasionally collaborate on brand deals with 1k-10k followers.
Local - Everyday people with influence in their local community or region.
Who are local influencers?
Local influencers are the newest type of influencer. They’ve existed for years, but were never in the limelight like flashy celebrity and career-focused influencers were.
These influencers are residents of a specific city or area that have a network of local people who know and trust them. They’re active social media users that typically have between 500-5,000 followers made up of friends, family and people in their community who look forward to seeing what they’re up to.
More people are local influencers than you might think! In fact, you might be a local influencer. You can often find them shopping at new boutiques, walking around farmer’s markets, and getting coffee from independently owned cafes rather than large chains.
What do local influencers do?
It is possible for local influencers to make content creation their career. However, most have full-time careers or day jobs and post on social media because they love supporting their city and the businesses that call it home.
How do local influencers compare to nano influencers?
Nano influencers are social media users who have between 1k-10k followers. They typically create content about a specific topic like skateboarding or freshwater fishing. Local and nano influencers have a lot in common, but their biggest difference is where they have influence. Nano influencers can have influence nationally or worldwide, while local influencers tap into their local or statewide network.
what is local influencer marketing
Local influencer marketing is when a business works with local influences to promote their brand. You can do this by reaching out to people directly, using an agency, or using local influencer marketing platforms.
Influencers post content on one or multiple platforms. According to HubSpot, the top channels for influencers are:
Instagram
YouTube
TikTok
Facebook
Can I work with local influencers?
Brands can and should work with local influencers! These important people are good at promoting products and could become loyal customers in the future.
Unlike career influencers, local influencers create content because they love it, so they can be more difficult to identify.
what brands should use local influencers?
Emily Steele says, “In 2024, if you’re not working with influencers in some way, you’re going to be left behind.” Influencers were traditionally utilized by b2c companies, but influencer marketing for b2b brands is on the rise and proving to be a formidable marketing tactic. So which companies should use influencers in their marketing strategy? All businesses can and should!
But which companies should use local influencers? Any company with a brick-and-mortar location, based out of a single location, or with strong ties to a community. Some examples include cleaning services, restaurants, clothing stores, farmers, fitness studios, and more!
How do I find local influencers?
You can identify local influencers in a few ways:
Search locations on Instagram to find individuals who list it in their description.
These individuals frequently share content about local business on social media and tag them in it.
They interact with local businesses on social media by commenting, liking and sharing their posts.
If you walk into a brick and mortar establishment, they’re likely the person taking pictures of everything.
1. Find local influencers on Instagram
A great place to start is by searching locations on Instagram. Many local influencers are incredibly proud of their community and will put the city name in their profile description. Some also use a city hashtag.
You can also peruse the followers of local businesses or who have tagged them in posts.
2. Turn your current customers into influencers
Does your business already have a handful or regulars? Chances are they’ve already been telling their friends and family - your target audience - about your business. But verbal word-of-mouth exchanges don't have as much longevity as the digital variety.
Humans are visual creatures and have better recall via pictures or a video versus purely by hearing about it. Ask your regulars to post about their experience with your brand on their own social media accounts. Then thank them with a gift card to your business, swag or something else they’ll enjoy.
This method increases brand awareness while remaining cost effective!
3. Tools to find local influencers
Because local influencers are still a newer tier, there aren’t many agencies or companies who support it yet. That’s where Hummingbirds comes in, a marketing platform designed specifically to pair local creators with place-based brands. Hummingbirds is currently operating in 15 cities (and growing)! Learn more about the brands we work with and how leveraging hummingbirds can drive results for your business.
Examples of brands using local influencers
Lola activated local influencers in the midwest to try their hot sauce and post about it on social media.
Influencers from Wisconsin and neighboring states visited Madison! They had a blast renting bikes, eating at local restaurants, and shopping, and shared their adventures on Instagram.
Local influencers received facials at Face Foundrié, documented their experience, and shared about it with their network.
