PSA: if you still think influencer marketing only works for skincare, fashion, or the latest canned beverage, you’re already behind.

healthcare. finance. insurance. banking.
the so-called “unsexy” industries that most people actually need, are somehow the ones staying far, far away from influencer marketing.

here’s the mental block:
traditional influencer marketing = “we pay someone to promote our product.” 

…and yeah, if you’re a hospital or a bank, that feels weird at best and legally questionable at worst.

but here’s the thing: unlike a soda or a perfume, your product is essential. people want to hear about it- they just don’t want it sold to them.

so flip the script:

don’t ask influencers to promote.
ask them to tell their story.

incorporating influencer marketing should be less about selling, and more about sharing compelling and relatable stories that allow your work to shine. think: 

• the single mom who shares how she paid off debt using your bank’s budgeting tool.
• the 30-something with PCOS who finally learned to manage her symptoms with help from a specialist.
• the first-gen college grad who finally figured out how to navigate student loans.
• the cancer survivor who trusted your healthcare provider and is now thriving.

that’s influence. that’s trust. that’s storytelling. and it’s powerful.

@ “unsexy” brands: stop looking at influencers like ad space. you don’t need them to be actors. you need them to be advocates. feeling nervous? start here:

1. shift the lens from selling → storytelling. lean into real people, real experiences, real outcomes.
2. find advocates, not advertisers. partner with people who already use your service and have a trusted audience. amplify their story instead of handing them a script. take Chase Bank, for example rather than pay content creators to use their product, they prioritize finding travel influencers who are existing customers to share how they use Chase points to book their trips. 
3. educate, don’t advertise. have them break down the jargon, share the why + how, make it human.

if you needed permission to lean into influencer marketing, let this be it. 

🥡 the takeaway: “sexy” brands use influencers to sell aesthetics. “unsexy” brands should use influencers to build trust.