Influencer marketing is not a term that immediately sparks egalitarian images. You can be forgiven if the word “influencer” conjures a vision of a conventionally beautiful, impossibly skinny young woman on a beach selling a diet product that, frankly, sounds like a scam.

If you’re in the camp that has a knee-jerk negative reaction to the term “influencer marketing,” we understand why. But the fact is, influencer marketing is on the rise. And it may not look like what you’re picturing.

Yes, those flat-belly tea ads are one side of influencer marketing. But upon closer inspection, the world of influencer marketing is much more complex and diverse than that. Influencer marketing can be smaller, simpler, and less fad-focused than you think.

Even serious brands and B2B organizations have something to gain from smart influencer marketing. You just need to know where to find the right influencer. Lucky for you, they may be right around the corner or even on your own company Slack channel.

Influencer marketing can be smaller, simpler, and less fad-focused than you think. Even serious brands and B2B organizations have something to gain from smart influencer marketing. You just need to know where to find the right influencer.

Why lean into influencer marketing now?

Influencer marketing has been on the upswing for years now, but in 2024, it’s expected to become a $24 billion industry, with 85% of marketing professionals saying they see influencer marketing as an effective tactic.

There are several factors at play here. First are the logistical benefits of influencer marketing. Influencers are a one-stop shop for talent and crew. Hiring an influencer to create content saves you from having to find vendors to help with video production or photography. Influencers are often highly collaborative, even coming up with campaign concepts and messaging ideas. The other reality is that consumers spend a lot of time on social media. The average person is on their platforms of choice for 151 minutes daily (that’s more than 2.5 hours). Regardless of whether you’re trying to reach an individual consumer or a B2B decision-maker, you’re sure to find them on social.

Finally, there’s the not-insignificant matter of trust. We know trust is essential to building and maintaining relationships, and we also know we live in increasingly untrusting times (only 30% of consumers report high levels of trust in companies).

People do, however, trust influencers—particularly those niche influencers who have cultivated a small but loyal following. These micro-influencers, as they’re called, may only have a few thousand followers, but those people are ride-or-die. A recent survey found that 69% of consumers would trust a recommendation from an influencer over one coming directly from a business.

The power of micro-influencers

“Sure,” you concede, “Influencer marketing is great for brands selling makeup or keto meal kits. But my B2B sells to the healthcare industry. Influencer marketing can’t possibly be for us.”

It’s time to rethink your restrictive definition of the term influencer. There are individuals with clout and sway in every arena. No, your B2B healthcare platform won’t be hiring a reality television star or Instagram model, but is there a respected individual in your orbit with an online presence who could speak to your target audience?

In fact, these smaller, more niche influencers garner better results for advertisers regardless of industry. Research repeatedly shows that micro-influencers (those with thousands of followers) get higher engagement on sponsored posts than those with larger followings. The beauty of micro-influencers is that they’ve already defined their niche for you. They’ve gone through the trouble of cultivating a particular following, and when your product or service aligns with their personal brand, it can be a match made in heaven.

Find influencers in your own backyard

Now that you’ve redefined the term influencer start looking around. Do you already know someone who could speak well of your brand online? Even if you’re not ready to dive into the deep end of #SponCon, you might get your feet wet by turning to your own team.

Is there someone in a leadership role who’s grown a solid LinkedIn following? Or perhaps there’s an Instagram maven in your marketing division. Consider asking them if they’d be open to sharing content about your business.

Of course, it’s easier to do this when the individual is excited about working for you and engaged in your organization’s mission, so make sure your company culture is strong before you consider tapping teammates to serve as brand ambassadors.

If you want your team to act as an online cheer squad, make it easy for them to spread the word about your brand online. Do you want to brag about a new product launch? Post to your company’s official social channels and tag the individuals who worked on the launch, thanking them for their hard work.

Those individuals will be more likely to reshare the post if they get a notification about a tag, thus spreading the word about your big launch with their networks.

A scenario like this is a win-win-win. You build goodwill with your team, generate additional reach for your content, and demonstrate to those in your employees’ networks that you’re the kind of business that likes to publicly celebrate the individuals behind your collective success.

Working with influencers addresses a lot of the hurdles marketers face today: audience targeting, trust building, and continuous content creation. Whether you tap a big-name influencer or Corey from HR is irrelevant. What matters is that you’re building a genuine connection between your brand and individuals who have a vested interest in what you do.

We’ve got lots of ideas about social media strategy. If you’ve got questions about yours, we should talk.