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Why Brands Should Use Hyperlocal Influencer Marketing
[caption id="attachment_561" align="alignleft" width="350"] Red Roof turned to BabbleBoxx to connect with millennial influencers who would visit hyperlocal boutique hotels and speak to their experience.[/caption] No one wants to waste advertising and marketing dollars, whether they’re controlling large budgets for a company or are restricted by a limited spend for a small business. But inadvertently brands may be squandering money reaching out to consumers who will never go to their shop, store or restaurant, or never try their product or service. Why? It’s simply not in the neighborhood or city where the customers live. Instead, brands can and should take advantage of geo-targeting. Geo-targeting is a way for businesses to deliver content and advertising to potential consumers based on a specific geographic location with messages targeted to those prospects. If you’re a local restaurant with only one location in Nashville and need more customers, it doesn’t make sense to narrow down the area to all of Tennessee or even regionally in Tennessee, where most people are not within driving or walking distance of your place of business and consequently will never visit. Following are a few reasons to use hyperlocal influencer marketing to geo-target audiences who will be responsive. IT’S MORE PERSONAL.  A hyperlocal influencer knows the community and lives in the town or neighborhood and can authentically speak to a place she/he has visited or a product that they’ve tried first hand. When influencers start out, most of their first fans and followers are actual people they know and many are local friends and neighbors. Hyperlocal influencers earn their fame by being a trendsetter in their local community, and have a closer connection to their audiences than outsiders. Ryan Heafy, COO of 6AM City, (https://6amcity.com) produces a hyperlocal daily newsletter that pushes out city-specific, relevant news and events in Asheville and Raleigh, North Carolina, Greenville, Columbia, Charleston, South Carolina, as well as Chattanooga, Tennessee and Lakeland, Florida. With 250,000 subscribers and an audience of over 1,000,000 readers, “we find brand loyalty is much stronger on a local level. It converts better, has better engagement and outperforms national marketing and advertising efforts by as much as four times. Trust, faith and belief are amplified when members of the community write about where they live.” IT’S LESS EXPENSIVE.  Hyperlocal influencers often live away from big cities, which are oversaturated with influencers. They often go unnoticed by marketers, however they usually focus their efforts on supporting small, local businesses. Consequently, hyperlocal influencers are typically more inclined to deliver beyond the typical scope of work required for a campaign, at a much more affordable rate for a brand partner.  For local franchisees that are part of a large, national brand, geo-targeting is crucial. Most likely, the corporate brand already does national advertising and garners national PR that generates awareness. However, a local campaign utilizing hyperlocal influencers can directly drive business. In addition, selecting nano-influencers (with 1000 to 5000 followers) to promote your brand is a good way to stretch marketing dollars, as nano-influencers also charge less per post than influencers who have gigantic followings and have national recognition. [caption id="attachment_562" align="alignright" width="350"] Whole Foods Market combined geo-targeting with our signature BabbleBoxx program to create buzz & food envy around their exclusive, limited time only, fall flavor products.[/caption] IT BUILDS CONNECTIONS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY.  For a local event, like a store or restaurant opening, or a new product launch, working with hyperlocal and nano influencers is a reliable way in which to generate timely awareness and also an important way to build future relationships in the community. Additionally, for something like “social cause” marketing, for example, a marathon or other charity effort, building your reputation contributes to the social good of a brand’s profile within the community. IT ENSURES CREDIBILITY.  No one knows their town like a local. Whether they’ve grown up there and stayed, or moved back again after moving away, locals have built a firm sense of community and have relationships that are valuable. Well ingrained in the social scene, they are prime to advise you on the workability of a campaign sharing insights and expertise. If the median income in their town is under $40,000, they’ll be the first to tell you that high-end luxury products and services might not be a great fit. With followers that know them personally, local influencers bring authenticity to your campaign. Utilizing hyperlocal influencers should definitely have a place in your marketing plan. Below are a few shortcuts to finding hyperlocal influencers:
  1. Google: type in a city name + influencer
  2. Hashtag Searches: check hashtags on channels like Instagram like #NewJerseyInfluencers
  3. Social Network Groups: find local influencer groups on Facebook or Linked In
  4. Search competitors
  5. Search influencers and who they follow
  Below are just a few examples of hyperlocal campaigns from BabbleBoxx: Overnight Getaway in NYC with Red Collection Hotels Whole Foods Fall Flavors Atlanta Weddings at Manor Golf & Country Club Boston Market Online Delivery Club Pilates is Going to Make You Love Pilates       Photo Credits: Being Summer Shores, Food Fashion Party