Show Notes

You’ve probably seen local influencers posting about restaurants, coffee shops and small businesses in Birmingham. You might’ve even wondered whether working with one of them could help your business. But do you know how to actually make that happen?

In this episode of The Localist podcast, host Carrie Rollwagen sits down with Laine White, Marketing Consultant and Innovation Strategist at Uptick Marketing, to answer real audience questions about local influencer marketing. Laine made a semi-viral Instagram post about how small businesses in Birmingham are missing out by not working with local micro influencers, and now she’s here to break down exactly what to do about it.

The conversation covers what makes a business a good fit for influencer partnerships, how to reach out without being rude when your budget is limited, what follower count does and does not tell you, how to think about compensation, why authentic partnerships perform better than paid posts, and how hosting an influencer event can be one of the most cost-effective strategies available to a small business. The episode also includes a live audience Q&A with real questions from small business owners.

Topics Covered in This Episode

Why local influencer marketing is now more accessible for small businesses than ever before
How algorithm changes on TikTok and Instagram have made hyper-local content more powerful
What kinds of businesses are the best fit for influencer marketing and what to do if yours is not obviously aesthetic
How to reach out to an influencer respectfully when your budget is small or nonexistent
Why following and engaging before reaching out is not just polite but actually strategic
Follower count vs. engagement rate: what actually tells you whether an influencer is worth it
How to use discount codes and trackable offers to measure whether the relationship is working
A realistic sense of what compensation looks like for micro influencers in a local market
Contracts, handshake deals, and what you actually need in writing to protect yourself
How to host an influencer event on a small budget and why it can outperform one-off posts
How to ask your own audience who they follow as the simplest way to find the right influencers

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Connect with Laine White

Laine White is a Marketing Consultant and Innovation Strategist at Uptick Marketing, Infomedia’s sister company. She works with local businesses on social media strategy, influencer marketing and brand storytelling.

Uptick Marketing: https://www.uptickmarketing.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imlaine_white
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/lainewhite
Email Laine: laine@uptickmarketing.com

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Thanks to Our Sponsor, Infomedia

The Localist is sponsored by Infomedia, a Birmingham-based web and digital marketing company that helps small businesses get big results online.

Contact Infomedia: https://infomedia.com/contact

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Join Us at Localist Lab

Localist Lab is our free live marketing event series for small business owners, held on the third Thursday of most months at Saturn in Avondale. Each session features practical strategies you can use right away, plus free tacos and coffee.

See upcoming events and register

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Show Notes

Topics Covered in This Episode

Connect with Laine White

Mentioned in This Episode

Follow Carrie Rollwagen

Listen to The Localist on Spotify & Apple Podcasts

Thanks to Our Sponsor, Infomedia

Join Us at Localist Lab

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