Building trust is what building a brand is all about. However, traditional advertising – even online – has become very expensive indeed. As a result, it is simply just ignored, and small business owners hope it will happen naturally.
But what about the people who never met any one of your existing customers? How do they know they can trust you? How do you reach them, especially if your own social audience is still small?
Two ways:
Micro-influencers and user-generated content.
Fair enough, neither of these are likely to “go viral”, but they will move the needle if done right.
What is a micro-influencer?
It is someone on social media who has a relatively small audience, but which is (a) highly engaged, and (b) highly targeted.
For these small accounts, trust and relevance is much more important than the follower count.
Why? Because on social media, the engagement from the audience (likes, comments, shares) determine how much more exposure the content will get, outside of the followers of the account.
It is better to get 50 likes after exposure to 1000 people than to be exposed to 10,000 people and get 20 likes.
Micro-influencers are often experts in their field, or they run accounts based around their location.
As a result, they already have the trust of their audience, and you can tap into that.
What is user-generated content?
User-generated content, or UGC, is content created by your customers or clients. These can include reviews, photos, videos relating to your product/s or service/s, testimonials, and helpful social media posts.
For instance, someone may create a short video clip – or just take a picture – of the product they bought from you. Someone else may make a Facebook post about how to effectively use a specific product they bought from you.
Why combining UGC and micro-influencers work so well:
UGC doesn’t come across as advertising or promotional – because it portrays the authentic feelings of real buyers. That difference, even if you add a call to action in the description, carries weight. If existing customers openly show they trust you, prospective customers will be more likely to trust you too.
Other people in the community also recognize the person in the video, so their recommendation gradually spreads throughout the community.
The costs to make this happen are often lower than that of traditional advertising, and the returns are better.
Step 1: Identify the right micro-influencers:
What do you need to look for?
Focus on relevance, not just popularity. Ask yourself if the people you are trying to reach will see content from the account.
Look out for local presence or niche expertise. In the case of niche expertise, look at the people engaging with their content – do some of them fit your target market?
Is there genuine engagement? Are there comments that are actually comments, instead of just comments like “awesome” or emojis?
Does the micro-influencer behave professionally on their account? Look at how they respond to comments, and what they post. Because you will be attaching your name to theirs, and you don’t want to be tied to someone who alienates people.
Examples:
Local fitness trainer
Community blogger
Industry specialist
Loyal customer with an active social presence
Step 2: Start off with a simple collaboration:
Keep it as simple as possible at the start. Just get the ball rolling, and test a few ideas. Once you have something that works, expand on it.
Low-cost collaboration ideas:
Product review by an actual buyer.
Demonstration video by an actual user of the product.
Social media mention or shout-out.
Giveaway partnership
Event participation
Step 3: Encourage customers to create user-generated content:
Make it as easy as possible for customers to share their own experiences of the product, service or your business as a whole.
For instance, let them submit content via Whatsapp.
Simple methods to gather UGC:
After a purchase, ask for a review. Shorter reviews double up as testimonials.
Encourage buyers to take pictures or record simple videos, with their thoughts on their purchase.
Offer small incentives – like a small discount or a freebie with their next purchase if they submit it.
Feature your customers on social media, and on your website.
Step 4: Use the content across your marketing:
Aside from using the best ones for micro-influencer collaborations, you can use the UGC in several ways:
Website testimonials.
Posts on social media. You can also re-post social media posts (Facebook, X and Linkedin) about your product reviewed or unboxed by the buyer, and add your own notes.
Include it in your email newsletter and share it on your Whatsapp- or Facebook group.
Create case studies about how your product/s or service/s helped customer and clients.
Use it in your promotional materials.
Common mistakes to avoid:
Choosing influencers based on follower count rather than focus and engagement.
Failing to agree on expectations before making payment. Yes, you cannot demand a specific outcome, but you can arrange to have your post done at a time of day it is more likely to be seen, to have a call to action and a decent description (provided by you) and to not go out as part of a bundle, which could dilute your visibility.
Ignoring authenticity – the channel doesn’t need professional content. it just needs engagement from people who could buy from you.
Not asking for permission to use the content. Ask permission – ideally in writing – before using anything aside from a testimonial (and if you want to copy a comment on social media as a testimonial, get permission for that too). Copyright claims are costly and unpleasant.
Treating collaborations with micro-influencers are once-off events. Don’t over-use any specific influencer, but if they produced results, revisit them from time to time. Rotate your collaborators.
How to measure whether it is working:
Keep it simple, and track what matters.
For instance, track inquiries, website visits, social engagement, new followers acquired, sales and customer feedback.
When you note that specific types of content produce more or less of specific results, you can then choose what to use for specific target outcomes.
Your simple micro-influencer and UGC checklist:
Target audience defined
Influencer or customer identified
Collaboration idea agreed
Expectations clarified
Content shared and reused
Results tracked
In conclusion:
Trust based marketing doesn’t require a huge budget. It requires connecting with potential buyers in an authentic way. You can leverage that by using user-generated content and collaborations with micro-influencers.
DO NOT chase perfection. Authenticity is worth much more.
Start with one small collaboration, and take it from there. If it doesn’t work as expected, analyze and see what you missed or miscalculated.