Businesses are making an average of $5.20 for every $1 spent on influencer marketing. Leveraging local radio talent is an increasingly popular way to increase the effectiveness of your advertising. Local radio DJ’s have developed a strong connection with their audience. Over time, DJ’s establish loyalty and credibility with their listeners and their support and recommendation of your business can translate to more business for you! Are you looking for new ways to connect with your audience using local influencers? Check out these secrets for local influencer marketing. 

Top On-Air Talent Knows How to Relate to Their Listeners

Customers who trust brands are twice as likely to purchase a new product as those who don't. When a trusted friend--in this case, the influencer--explains to listeners why they use a product or service and why they recommend it, it resonates with listeners and creates a sense of trust for your product, or service. As a result, listeners are more likely to make those recommended purchases.

As you're working with an influencer, keep in mind that they already know how to appeal to their listeners. They typically understand what their audience is looking for to gain trust. They also typically have a better understanding of their listeners' pain points and, as a result, how your products can help solve them. 

Work closely with your local influencer and encourage them to bring their unique voice to your message.  By giving them creative freedom, they can tell your story in a voice they feel will  resonate with their listeners, increasing the odds that the listeners will choose your brand.   

Top Influencers are Good Storytellers 

Local influencers like Joey Fortman, Fernando, Freska, Sterling and Big Reid, are very familiar with the elements of good storytelling. They know how to take your brand, including the products and services you want to highlight, and turn it into a compelling story. By utilizing effective dialogue and bringing in characters and plot, they establish your brand as something memorable. 

Consider, for example, Wilton's ads: they focus on putting home bakers at the heart of their story to create a narrative centered around people who are most likely to use their products. This model extends through Wilton's website and in its ads. 

Likewise, radio influencers help create a compelling story that combines your brand with the benefits that consumers receive when they choose to connect with your business. 

Major Brands Have Built Their Businesses with the Help of Influencers

It's not just small businesses that have made the most of major influencers. Several big brands have built their businesses by connecting with influencers. Comcast, Celebrity & Princess Cruises, Dunkin Donuts, Macy's, T-Mobile, and Metro PCS have all connected with influencers to help grow their brands. 

So, how exactly do you execute an influencer marketing strategy?

First, find a station and influencer who speaks to your target audience. In radio ads, that could mean someone located in the geographic area where you want to advertise your business most heavily. For the big brands, that could mean finding an influencer with broad appeal. 

Bring the local influencer into your brand’s story by offering free or discounted products that could help entice them to learn more. It could also mean partnering with the influencer to put your brand in front of consumers in a way that will appeal to them. 

In addition to on-air radio ads, big brands utilize influencers on other marketing channels as much as possible. They're posting graphics on the influencers' social media pages to help consumers with brand recognition, as well as using influencers in other ads and building their brand story through those connections. 

When an advertiser works with an influencer, it substantially extends the advertiser's reach and increases the effectiveness of the message. An influencer can connect you to their audience: not just the radio audience, but also the audience that checks out their social media content, subscribes to their email list, and visits their website. When you work closely with an influencer, this puts your business at an advantage. 

Working with a media partner can make it easier to find an influencer that will be a good fit for your business. Look for someone who has the potential to significantly impact your target audience as they share more information about your brand. From putting your brand in front of more interested consumers to raising interest in the services you have to offer, working with influencers can go a long way toward helping you achieve your overall business goals.