Hiring local (micro) influencers can drive tourism, increase foot traffic, and build the downtown brand. Because followers trust local creators, their recommendations translate into highly engaged audiences that are primed to visit restaurants, shops, and downtown events.
A handful of micro-influencers who reach a few thousand people in meaningful ways can have a big impact with little or no cost.
Downtown Durham is using a social media ambassador program. The ambassadors receive free access to events, restaurant openings, shows, minor league ball games, and more. In exchange, they create Instagram posts and tag all businesses, event venues, and organizations involved. For each post that Downtown Durham accepts, the ambassador receives a downtown gift card.
Meanwhile, the Downtown Guelph Business Association hired 25 social media influencers to promote its third annual Spirit of the Season event. The goal was to have influencers post in advance of the event and then live from the event itself. Influencers were compensated based on their reach, the quality of engagement on their social media, how their content performs, and who is engaging with their content.
More on promoting downtown appears regularly in Downtown Idea Exchange newsletter.
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