Melanie Coblentz, the person behind @yeahthatmomgvl and sister accounts in other cities, has declined to promote places she wouldn’t spend her own money on.
“The fact that people trust me is huge,” Coblentz said.
Lavender, who still works as a hairstylist a few times per week, won’t promote haircare lines she doesn’t know.
“I can’t promote something that I don’t know of, or I can’t push because I’m a professional. That’s my line of work,” Lavender said.
When it comes to working with small businesses, some Upstate influencers said they aren’t interested in making money.
Coblentz has made up to $250 on one post. She could charge more, but she said “I need to sleep at night knowing that I didn’t take advantage of small businesses.”
“I have bills to pay, but when you’re part of a community, that’s just what you do,” Coblentz said.
Haas has also been known to promote local businesses on social media for little to no compensation.
In November, she posted a video of a tamale-making class hosted by Comal 864. It reached more than 42,000 people. In all, 850 people shared the video.
After the post went up, Dayna Lee-Márquez, the chef and owner of the restaurant in the City View neighborhood west of downtown, had many people reach out to her interested in the class.
Lee-Márquez said she didn’t even know Haas was coming until after she signed up and paid for the class.
“A lot of times I think people want to use their platform to get free things,” she said. “I think more influencers should make it a priority to support local small businesses.”
As a small business owner, Lee-Márquez understands the skepticism toward influencer marketing. It can be expensive to pay for an influencer’s time, and small businesses don’t have that kind of money.
But the two can have a mutually beneficial relationship, she said. Influencers can help businesses build their customer base and supporting small businesses shows a genuineness that can help influencers build their platform.
Tyler Fields is your internet guru, delving into the latest trends, developments, and issues shaping the online world. With a focus on internet culture, cybersecurity, and emerging technologies, Tyler keeps readers informed about the dynamic landscape of the internet and its impact on our digital lives.
