16 Best Influencer Marketing Platforms for Small Business with Champagne Tastes and PBR Budgets

Influencer marketing is the new word-of-mouth of the digital age and one of the most powerful ways to attract your ideal customer.

Did you know that 80% of marketers find that working with an influencer is an effective marketing strategy? In fact, interest in influencer marketing has risen more than 90x!

With the flood of content in the creator economy, consumers look to trusted sources to tell them what products they use, the best places to travel, their favorite brands ….

Influencer Marketing Case Study: Pottery Barn

The marketing team at Pottery Barn wanted to advertise their new line of décor. They picked an influencer with a keen eye for design to display their items in an appealing way.

The campaign featured Holly Becker, who runs the blog Decor8.  Becker used items from the collection to demonstrate how her followers might use them in their own homes.

She also ran a contest in which one lucky person could win a $500 gift card. To boost interest in the competition, she invited respondents to choose their ideal dinner date.

Through just one influencer, the campaign attracted over a thousand interactions and 500 reader comments. The brand’s new collection was successfully advertised as a result of the social reach of the campaign approaching 4 million people.

Why Influencer Marketing Is Important in 2022

An influencer has become the expert in a particular niche market. They know how to increase your brand awareness because they are the expert. So let them do what they do best and influence your customers to purchase your product or service. 

Another reason influencer marketing is the right path? They discreetly advertise your brand without being obtrusive, and they really build that connection with the consumer (this is all about trust factor) as they create authentic content. 

Now you’re ready for influencer marketing and unsure how to get started? You want the best influencer partner for your brand and you have a conservative budget for tool investment as you start to test the channel, am I right? 

These are our top picks for platforms that help small businesses looking for the right influencers to represent and advocate for their brands.

When evaluating the best influencer marketing platforms for small businesses, we evaluated them based on the following guidelines:

• Well-reviewed by users
• Effective for discovering and analyzing influencers who are a good fit for your brand
• SMB-friendly pricing

So let’s jump right in.

Best Influencer Marketing Platform for Small Business

• Influencer Marketing Platform #1: InstaChamp
• Influencer Marketing Platform #2: Favikon
• Influencer Marketing Platform #3: Buzzsumo
• Influencer Marketing Platform #4: Scrunch
• Influencer Marketing Platform #5: GRIN
• Influencer Marketing Platform #6: Aspire
• Influencer Marketing Platform #7: #paid
• Influencer Marketing Platform #8: Upfluence
• Influencer Marketing Platform #9: Influencity
• Influencer Marketing Platform #10: Impact
• Influencer Marketing Platform #11: Storyclash
• Influencer Marketing Platform #12: Brand24
• Influencer Marketing Platform #13: Influence4You
• Influencer Marketing Platform #14: Dovetale
• Influencer Marketing Platform #15: Traackr
• Influencer Marketing Platform #16: StarNgage

Influencer Marketing Platform #1: InstaChamp

Customers.ai offers 24/7 DM automation tools for engagement, lead generation, and customer service for small businesses, creators and coaches on Facebook Messenger and Instagram Direct.

While this isn’t your typical influencer marketing platform, InstaChamp by Customers.ai helps increase value from your social media presence and can be configured to automate intake for partnership inquiries. Try it yourself by DMing Customers.ai the word “PARTNER” from the Instagram mobile app. 

InstaChamp plans start at $0/mo making it a very efficient and highly scalable solution for increasing social media engagement and automating sales funnels on Instagram and Facebook.

InstaChamp can support your company with automated DM, Story Mentions, and comments generating qualified leads and more conversions. 

Influencer Marketing Platform #2: Favikon

Find, analyze and manage influencers on social media with Favikon and get the results you need. 

From just $39/month, Favikon is 100% automated and easy to use! 

With Favikon you can discover influencers, create an influencer audit (determine the real value of an influencer), reach out to influencers who you potentially want to work with, and campaign management. 

Influencer Marketing Platform #3: Buzzsumo

Probably one of the most well-known influencer platforms, Buzzsumo helps you generate ideas, create high-performing content, monitor performance, and identify influencers. 

With multiple platform options, you can choose a free option to see if this is the right fit for your business, with other options going up to $299/month. The best part, you can even try the $299 option free for 30 days! 

It’s super simple… just insert a keyword or domain and click “Find Content”! This gets you headed in the right direction. 

Influencer Marketing Platform #4: Scrunch

The #1 DIY influencer marketing platform for marketers and agencies who manage their own influencer programs. 

Scrunch allows you to test the platform out before committing with a free trial period. They offer 3 different plans from small businesses to large businesses starting from $199/month. 

Big name brands have relied on Scrunch to help them engage with micro-influencers. With access to over 20 million influencers in their database, they’ve created success stories, including an uplift of 240% with MINI Australia.

Influencer Marketing Platform #5: GRIN

GRIN is the all-in-one creator management platform helping ecommerce companies build more valuable brands through the power of creator partnerships.

Grin’s pricing structure is completely customizable and allows you to only purchase exactly what you need (big or small) for your business.

Grin is known for its high-profile clients including MVMT, Ipsy, Urban Outfitters… just to name a few. 

This influencer marketing software is a 33+ million influencer recruitment suite and built for ecommerce. Grin provides some of the most robust reporting with AI-powered influencer analytics. 

Their extensive database allows you to search for influencers based on your audience and demographics. 

Not only can Grin help you find the right influencers but the platform helps you build out winning influencer campaigns.

Influencer Marketing Platform #6: Aspire

Aspire is known as the influencer marketing platform for high-growth ecommerce brands.

While their pricing seems to be hidden and you need to request a demo first, here’s what we do know about Aspire.

If you run a site on Shopify, this may just be the platform for you (they also integrate with WooCommerce). 

And for those of you running your website on an in-house solution, you can easily upload a csv file and Aspire will merge it with their extensive database for additional insights. 

Influencer Marketing Platform #7: #paid

#paid is taking a new approach… creator marketing. This is one platform to still consider. 

Starting at just $499/month, #paid has options to scale up as much as you need for your business.

Launch a campaign in just a few clicks and choose creators who will reach your target audience. 

Another nice to have is that the creators will pitch their ideas and concept to you for approval—how cool is that!

Influencer Marketing Platform #8: Upfluence

Find creators for your brand, nurture influencer relationships, manage your affiliate network, and drive more sales with the leading influencer marketing platform.

With 3 options to choose from, Upfluence breaks down each plan and compares the three, so you know exactly which plan will work best for your business. 

Drive more sales with their ecommerce tools and affiliate management solution. 

But that’s not all. Upfluence’s platform allows you to discover influencers, perform an influencer analysis, manage your influencers, send products to your influencers, manage your campaigns, measure your ROI and payment management. 

Influencer Marketing Platform #9: Influencity

Influencity is the perfect platform for brands and agencies and includes everything you need in one influencer marketing platform. 

With incredible time- and cost-savings, Influencity converts your manual campaign process into an automated machine.

Create your bundle starting as low as $48/month or choose an already packaged plan to kick your influencer marketing into gear. 

Did you know, the right influencer can bring up 200% more profit to your campaign? 

Influencity allows you to manage multiple campaigns, automate processes, gain instant access to influencers stats, share information and allows agencies to send reports directly to their clients. 

Influencer Marketing Platform #10: Impact

You need an easy way to build and manage your influencer relationships: measure ability to impact sales, optimize campaigns, connect with influencers (and pay them through this platform). 

Impact offers this and so much more. 

You’ll need to request a demo to see if it’s the right fit for your company as well as to see the pricing options. 

Impact can help you manage influencers, affiliates, ecommerce content publishers, B2B and more. 

Influencer Marketing Platform #11: Storyclash

Storyclash is an influencer marketing platform that helps you discover brand-fit creators based on their content, not on vanity metrics. Track and analyze their work on any platform, including Stories.

Storyclash is personalized to your organization’s needs and therefore a completely personalized quote is required. 

Specializing in social media, Storyclash can help you discover influencers & track influencer content and engagement through Instagram, Instagram Stories, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, and Twitter. 

Influencer Marketing Platform #12: Brand24

Get instant access to brand mentions across social, news, blogs, videos, forums, podcasts, reviews and more.

Enjoy a complimentary 14-day free trial to see if Brand24 is right for you. Once you’ve decided to move forward with Brand24, you have 4 different options to choose from starting from $49/month. 

Brand24 offers a variety of plans making this platform ideal for small businesses as well as large corporations. 

Utilize Brand24 to help you find social alerts and new audiences to engage with your brand. 

Influencer Marketing Platform #13: Influence4You

Influence marketing is about human relationships and not just algorithms. Influence4You helps make influencer marketing an effective lever.

Starting from 990 €, they offer two plans: Micro-influence campaign and Macro-influence projects.

This Saas influence marketing platform features include statistics, data and contacts of 100 million profiles. 

Influencer Marketing Platform #14: Dovetale

Dovetale helps Shopify stores recruit, manage and grow sales with people who love their products.

Start with their free plan to build your community. If you find Dovetale effective for your influencer marketing campaigns, you can choose another plan starting at just $19/month. 

Perfect for SMB’s, Dovetale offers influencer segmentation, analysis, influencer scoring, ecommerce integration (Shopify) and more. 

Influencer Marketing Platform #15: Traackr

Traackr offers discovery, campaign management, influencer collaboration and reporting. They also provide the largest global data set, one-of-a-kind market benchmarking, and a team of experts — to help you make smarter investments.

You do need to reach out to Traackr to discuss pricing options and see if their platform gives you exactly what you need. 

A complete system of record is critical to achieving global scale with your influencer marketing program, something that Traackr offers. 

Traackr supports agencies and marketers with a focus on influencer marketing, ecommerce (affiliate program) and helps you gain insights to your competitors.

Influencer Marketing Platform #16: StarNgage

Launched in 2015, StarNgage is one of the leading creator marketplaces.

This influencer marketing suite comes with 5 millions influencer profiles over 180 countries which covers Instagram, Tiktok and Youtube. The solution also has a built-in creator relationship management module and it is specially designed for ecommerce.

Their clienteles include tech giants such as Bytedance, Alibaba, Zalora, Lazada and so forth.

Their extensive influencer ranking allows you to look for top influencers based on your target audience country, influencer topic of influence and demographics. StarNgage also offers other influencer marketing tools such as hashtag tracking, rate card benchmark and sponsored posts discovery.

I’m pretty confident that the list above will help you choose the best influencer marketing platform. 

But if you’re still not quite settled on influencer marketing and what is the best influencer marketing platform, take a look at some frequently asked questions below… perhaps this will help you decide! 

Frequently asked questions about the best influencer marketing platform for small business:

Q: What platforms are best for influencer marketing?

A: There are a number of different platforms that are available for small businesses looking to get involved in influencer marketing. The most important thing is to find a platform that meets your needs and fits within your budget. Here’s how we determined our best marketing platforms:

• Well-reviewed by users
• Effective for discovering and analyzing influencers who are a good fit for your brand
• SMB-friendly budget range

Q: How small businesses can use influencer marketing?

A: There are a number of different ways that small businesses can use influencer marketing in order to drive sales and grow their brands. One way is to identify and partner with micro-influencers, who have smaller but highly engaged audiences. You can also use influencer marketing to create sponsored content or run contests and giveaways.

Q: How much should I pay for influencer marketing?

A: The cost of influencer marketing will vary depending on the platform you use, the size and reach of the influencers you work with, and the scope of your campaign. However, most platforms offer a variety of pricing options to fit any budget. It’s important to do your research to find the best deal for your needs.

Bonus tip: Find one that offers a free solution or free trial period to test out the platform first.

Q: How do you get micro-influencers?

A: One way to find micro-influencers is by using a platform that specializes in connecting brands with influencers. These platforms have databases of influencers who have been vetted and matched to brands based on their needs and interests. They also offer tools for researching and analyzing potential influencers, making it easier to find the right fit for your brand.

Q: How can I promote my business with influencers?

A: While there are many ways to do this, one way is to create sponsored content, which is content that is created by an influencer but features and promotes your product or service. You can also run contests and giveaways with influencers, or partner with them to promote your brand through social media.

Q: How many influencer marketing platforms are there?

A: There are many different influencer marketing platforms available, and the number is growing all the time. It’s important to do your research to find the one that best meets your needs, using a few guidelines we’ve provided in the article above.

Q: Why Micro-influencers are better?

A: Micro-influencers have smaller but highly engaged audiences, meaning that your message is more likely to reach the right people. They’re also typically more affordable to work with, and they’re more likely to be authentic and engaging in their content. So if you’re looking to reach a specific niche audience, micro-influencers are a great option.

Q: What is the best influencer marketing platform for b2b?

There is no one answer to this, however, a few things to look for include platforms that have a good reputation among users, are effective for discovering and analyzing influencers, and have a budget-friendly pricing option. Additionally, B2B businesses should make sure that the platform they choose offers a wide variety of features and services, so they can get the most out of their investment.

Q: Can you use social media to do influencer marketing?

Yes, social media can be used for influencer marketing, although it’s not the only way to do it. In fact, many platforms offer integrations with popular social media networks, making it easy to connect with influencers and collaborate on campaigns. Additionally, social media is a great way to amplify the reach of your influencer marketing campaigns.

Q: How do you get influencers on Instagram?

Use a platform that specializes in connecting brands with influencers. These platforms have databases of influencers who have been vetted and matched to brands based on their needs and interests. They also offer tools for researching and analyzing potential influencers, making it easier to find the right fit for your brand. You can also look for micro-influencers on Instagram by using relevant hashtags or searching through profiles.

Q: What is an example of influencer marketing?

An example of influencer marketing would be a brand working with an influencer to create sponsored content that promotes their product or service. Additionally, brands can partner with influencers to run contests and giveaways, or to promote their brand through social media.

Q: What is a mega influencer?

A mega influencer is an influencer with a very large following. Typically, they have over 100,000 followers and are able to reach a large audience with their content. While mega influencers can be very beneficial for brands, they can also be more expensive to work with.

Q: What is the fastest-growing social media platform?

The fastest-growing social media platform is Instagram. In fact, it’s estimated that the platform has over one billion users. This makes it a great platform for brands looking to connect with a large audience. Additionally, Instagram offers a wide range of features that make it an effective tool for influencer marketing.

Q: How do I find influencers for my brand?

Choose a platform that focuses on connecting companies with influencers. These platforms have databases or search engines through which they may find approved and matched influencers based on their demands and interests.

Q: Is influencer a B2B or B2C marketing?

It can be both. Typically, B2B businesses focus on partnering with mega influencers who have a large following and can reach a large audience.

However, there are also platforms that specialize in connecting brands with micro-influencers, which can be ideal for businesses looking to target a specific niche audience.

Q: What is Instagram influencer marketing?

Instagram influencer marketing is the process of working with Instagram influencers to promote a brand or product. This can be done by having the influencer create sponsored content, or by partnering with them to run contests or giveaways.

Q: What are the 4 types of influencers?

There are four types of influencers: mega influencers, macro-influencers, micro-influencers, and nano influencers. Mega influencers have a following of over 100,000 followers and are typically more expensive to work with. Macro influencers have a following of 10,000-100,000 followers and are generally more affordable than mega influencers. Micro-influencers have a following of 1,000-10,000 followers and are often the most affordable option. Nano influencers have a following of fewer than 1,000 followers.

Q: What is the most popular social media 2022?

It is estimated that the most popular social media platform will be YouTube in 2022. This is because the platform is growing quickly, and its user base is already quite large. Additionally, YouTube offers a wide range of features that make it an effective tool for influencer marketing.

Q: What are the benefits of using influencer marketing?

There are a number of benefits to using an influencer marketing platform, including:

• Increased brand awareness
• Increased reach and exposure
• Increased sales and conversion rates
• Improved brand reputation
• Better ROI than traditional marketing methods.

Important Next Steps

• Create your own Instagram marketing automation using the free VIP Creator & Influencer Edition of InstaChamp by Customers.ai.
• Join Customers.ai Island, our Facebook group of 46K marketers and entrepreneurs to share and learn about Instagram growth strategies with other enthusiasts.
• Save your seat at the next free training to learn how to leverage Instagram automation to grow your business.