Influencer marketing is a hot topic! Brands and agencies are allocating dollars to it, but I think many small business owners are fuzzy on exactly what it is and how it works.

Carol has been hired by brands as an influencer, and has helped her clients find influencers to build awareness for their products / services.

In fact, Carol has personally invested in Tinysponsor, a service that matches brands with influencers.

While most people immediately think they should target celebrities, Carol shares that working with “micro influencers” who have engaged communities can be more successful than a celebrity endorsement.

She stresses that it’s important to assess the alignment between the influencer’s content / audience and your company’s messaging, leading to your messaging resonating with their audience (hopefully).

Carol says that influencer marketing can be very cost effective on a per-impression basis over time if you make the commitment.