8 Cost-Effective Ways To Work With Influencers

Ritesh Ujjwal Apr 02, 2022

Who said that budgets are always involved in influencer marketing? Yes, you heard that right! People often misunderstand influencer marketing as something that requires heavy budget allocation and a lot of effort. Truth is, this is not the only way you can work with influencers.

As upcoming influencers are always looking for collaborations, it’s on a brand to identify the right tactics to work with little or no budget.

You will not use the monetary method, but other methods can help you work with influencers. Here are the 8 ways you can work with influencers for no cost -

1. Barter Exchange

The barter system is one of the best and most convenient ways to give your first shot at influencer marketing. This is how it works - A brand sends a product/product to the influencers to review, and in return, the influencers get to keep the products.

This way, influencers give their honest reviews about the product and help spread the word about the product.

2. Feature influencers in your content

Including influencers in your content or spinning your content around them is a great way of featuring influencers on your feed. This helps in grabbing the attention of both the influencers and the audience towards your brand.

Not only is it helpful for the brand, but many micro and nano influencers get the chance to be in the spotlight.

3. Interview your influencers, and they will rejoice

With people going gaga over influencers these days, taking their interviews and sharing their stories is a great way of getting them featured on your feed. They get the mileage from your reach and you get their and their followings’ attention.

We bet that many people must be interested in knowing more about the influencer they adore. So, this is a good chance of putting such content on your blog or social media.

4. Give them special treatment, they will return the favour

From time to time, exclusive packages or services can be given to the influencers that they will appreciate. It will make the influencers feel special and regarded while helping you build a good bond with them.

You never know when the influencer gets impressed and volunteers to feature your brand on their feed.

5. Have a genuinely good product, the rest will follow

A good product speaks for itself and is appreciated no matter what. So if your product is genuine, then it will be recommended by the influencers as they make sure to suggest the best products to their followers.

The best example here is the beauty products and how if a beauty product is par excellence, then it is further recommended by the influencers to their audience.

6. Customise your product for the influencers

A lot of brands indulge in influencer marketing by making customised coupon codes or products for the influencers. This customisation helps in brand awareness as well as the influencer feels special.

One more advantage is how it attracts other influencers to be a part of such a deal because who doesn’t like that kind of importance?

7. Make high following loyalists your influencers

We suggest you ditch macro-influencers or celebrities and make the brand loyal influencers to be a face for your brand. Not only will they appreciate this gesture, but they will do a better job of promoting it.

This will be helpful as you will get a known face for your brand and it will also add credibility to your brand name.

8. Consider a mutually benefiting relationship

Look for opportunities where you can work with the influencer in a manner that benefits both parties. For e.g., many lifestyle influencers look for good looking and unique backdrops for their photoshoots. Say if you have a restaurant or a beautiful corner at your office, offer it to them for their photoshoots. If you are an accessories brand, you could lend your products to further beautify the photoshoots. This should not only give you a brand mention, it could also be a great chance to showcase your products.

Whether you are a big brand or a small brand, influencer marketing has the power to turn your world upside down. We recommend making it a part of your strategy if you want to meet your end goals.

With the methods given by us, you don’t have to worry about investment in influencer marketing. We all start from one point and this is the commencement of your influencer marketing journey. These test cases could then help you decide on a budget allocation that would then act as a catalyst for your marketing efforts.

*The author is Ritesh Ujjwal, CEO & Co-founder, Kofluence