The term “influencer” has come to be associated with individuals posting posed selfies with lots of hashtags on Instagram, but the fact is that your business can benefit from a smaller, more local version of influencers. These local influencers, also called brand ambassadors, represent the most loyal and enthusiastic fans of your business. These individuals help your business through word-of-mouth marketing, by talking you up to their family and friends, and have the potential to really boost your business in the eyes of the local community. But these kinds of superfans don’t appear overnight, instead they’re formed through nurturing relationships and creating incentives. Here are our top ways to foster these kinds of relationships with local influencers:

1. Reward your most loyal customers

Any customer has the potential to become a recurring customer and recurring customers are the kind who will promote your brand to their friends and family. Look at your recurring customers and ask how you can reward them for their loyalty. Some of our favorite ideas are direct mail offers, early access to new products or promotions, and VIP specials.

2. Create a referral program

A great way to encourage loyal customers to share your products and services within their community is to offer a referral program with incentives. Special discounts for both the referrer and referee are a great way to reward both customers and ensure they come back to use your services again.

3. Invite feedback

When you have customers using your services repeatedly, it’s a great opportunity to get insight on how to improve your business not just for those customers but for others who are yet to use your services. Asking those loyal customers for their thoughts and suggestions and then implementing those suggestions goes a long way toward making those customers feel valued.

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Marketing doesn’t provide a one-size-fits-all solution for anyone. There are many ways to get your brand, products and services out there to potential customers and word-of-mouth from loyal customers is a great way to grow organically with the help of people who already know and love your business. Want more help getting started with branding? Contact us today.