By cdelprincipe@hubspot.com (Curt del Principe)

It’s time to drop the baggage around the word “influencer.”

If you’re a maw-and-paw restaurant, and a local foodie with 300 followers agrees to rave about how bangin’ your pot pie is? Mazel tov! You’re doing influencer marketing.

“‘Influencer’ is just a general category for anyone that is able to get an audience to take an action,” says creator economy expert Lindsey Gamble.

And whether that action is starting your first creator campaign or signing a viral TikToker with 2 million followers, today’s master is gonna influence the crap outta you. In a good way.

Lindsey Gamble

Creator economy consultant, Creator of the Lindsey Gamble newsletter

• Fun fact: Growing up, Lindsey’s dream was to play in the NFL. After playing Division 1 for Bryant University, he got a chance to work out with his favorite players at pro day.
• Claim to fame: Worked as a brand ambassador and lifestyle creator for L.L. Bean, Every Man Jack, and Allagash Brewing. His self-titled newsletter was named one of the best marketing newsletters by Buffer.

Lesson 1: Everyone is a creator.

“In today’s day and age, everyone is a creator. Even if you don’t call yourself that,” says Lindsey Gamble.

Whenever you’re makin’ a Bluesky post or TikTok short on something you care about, you’re creating content. And when that content finds someone else who cares, it creates a community.

And, even if that group is small or extremely niche, the parasocial relationship between creator and community cultivates a trust that can quickly turn audience members into customers.

Case in point, when I worked for a CPAP vendor, we saw double-digit returns working with a sleep apnea influencer. Talk about hyperspecific, right?

“It doesn’t always have to be the person with the biggest followership. You just want to work with people that believe in your brand.”

And that’s the beauty of this lesson: If everyone is a creator, that means there’s a creator for every industry. Even the really boring or weird ones.

Lesson 2: There’s power in someone else’s voice.

Influencer marketing works for the same reason word-of-mouth is so effective.

“It’s all about social proof. What people say about you is more important than what you say about yourself as a brand. Any voice besides yourself is going to be powerful.”

But, like word-of-mouth, influencer marketing only works when it feels — you guessed it — authentic.

“You wouldn’t hire a plumber and then tell them what to do, right? You might tell them where the bathroom is, but they fix the problem because they have the skills and expertise.”

In other words, don’t treat the creator like what Gamble calls a “digital billboard,” asking them to simply parrot your existing message.

To plan …read more

Source:: HubSpot Blog