If you have no virtually no budget, then I’m still a big believer in influencer marketing, but here’s the thing: target your influencers very carefully. A lot of us get caught up in the idea that we have to go out and catch the eye of Big Whales like Rand Fishkin, but how realistic is that if you own a smaller digital marketing agency? Instead, target influencers at the middle levels who have thriving audiences, but are not so massively popular that there’s little to no chance that they will pay attention to what you’re doing.

It’s the same thing for small businesses that look with envy at big companies that can get big celebrities to help brand their products and services. Those companies have huge budgets, so going out and getting a celebrity is well-within their reach. You need to focus on creating outstanding content and constantly reaching out to those mid-level influencers you’ve targeted, and engaging them. Your content and your culture are going to be the two biggest factors at this level, because making sure that influencer is the right fit for your business is just as important as actually getting that influencer to give you some love.