Did you know? On average, businesses that leverage influencer marketing earn over $5 for every $1 spent. Mind-blowing, right? But you know what’s even crazier? An astonishing 61% of customers trust influencer recommendations compared to 38% who trust branded social media content.

As an online marketing services company, we see that many small business owners are often afraid to implement influencer marketing, citing concerns about the quality and quantity of traffic and their lack of experience in this area. However, with a little research and planning, it is possible to use influencers to help your business succeed. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown:

1. Understand Your Audience

Who do you want to reach with your brand? Who will be interested in your product or service? What type of person is more likely to buy from you? The answers to these questions can help you identify which types of people should be targeted by your campaign.

For example, if you sell clothing, you may choose to target women between the ages of 25 and 35. Or, if you sell dog food, you might focus on pet owners who live in urban areas.

2. Identify the Channel You Want to Grow

Given the characteristics of your target audience – where they spend the most time, their age range, etc. – determine which channels would best fit your needs. Here are a few platforms and how you can leverage them to grow your business through influencers:

• Website/blog. Here you can work with specific bloggers who attract traffic by writing about topics in your niche. For instance, if you run a blog about fashion, you could find relevant blogs written by fashion experts and ask them to write guest posts fo