How a Small Business Gained 45 New Clients Without Expensive Ads

A real case study that sparked the creation of BrandMatch.

Advertising today often feels overwhelming: Google Ads, Meta Ads, agencies charging big fees : many small and medium businesses end up paying a lot for very little return. Some don’t advertise at all because it just feels too complicated.

But what if there was a simpler, more effective way to get brand exposure and real clients?

Michal, co-founder of BrandMatch, discovered this while running the marketing and growth for a legal cannabis e-commerce. For this brand, traditional ads weren’t even allowed: Google and Meta had shut doors completely. The brand needed another path, and that’s when influencer marketing came into play.

The Experiment

Instead of chasing big names, the team reached out to micro-influencers (creators with fewer than 50,000 followers but highly engaged, loyal audiences). One partnership in particular stood out:

Collaboration value: R3,500 (products included)
Content delivered: 3 Instagram posts
Result: 45 new clients
Total Return on Investment : 43× - R150,000

And the impact didn’t stop there. Many of those first-time buyers became repeat customers and even brand ambassadors, recommending the shop to their own friends. As of today, the clients brought from this single micro-influencer generated more than R150,000 in sales for the brand.

The Reality Check

The results were powerful. But getting there wasn’t easy. The team had to manually:

Search for micro-influencers one by one
Reach out cold (and often get ignored)
Convince creators
Negotiate back and forth

It was slow, frustrating, and time-consuming. Some partnerships worked wonders, but others delivered little to no return. That’s when Michal realised: there had to be a better way.

Enter BrandMatch

What if instead of chasing creators, creators came to you? That’s the idea behind BrandMatch. Businesses post a campaign once, and verified micro-influencers apply directly. No more endless searching, cold DMs, or wasted time.

Even better: BrandMatch gives you real data before you decide who to work with. Things like:

Engagement rates
Average likes and comments
Creator location

This way, you can choose the influencers who are the best match for your brand and target market.

👉 Post your first campaign today

Want more info? Book a Demo

Why Micro-Influencers Work So Well

Local and relevant → A Cape Town café promoted by a Cape Town foodie creator hits harder than a celebrity ad.
Trusted voices → Their communities engage with their content. A recommendation feels like a friend’s advice, not an ad.
Affordable and flexible → Partnerships can be product exchange, affiliate commissions, or modest payouts. Instead of betting on one big influencer, you can spread your budget across 3, 10, or 20 local voices.

And when audiences see your brand pop up from multiple people they follow? That’s when the real magic happens.

Proof That Sparked a Bigger Vision

Seeing how one micro-influencer could deliver 45 new customers and 43× return on investment showed Michal just how powerful this model could be. Together with his South African wife, they decided to bring this proven system home.

That’s how BrandMatch was born.

Now, small and medium South African businesses finally have an easy, affordable way to connect with vetted creators and grow their client base. Without the headaches of traditional advertising.

✅ Vetted creators only – engagement quality checked, not just follower counts
⚡ Launch in a day – post your campaign and get applications within 24 hours
💸 Flexible payouts – barter, affiliate, or paid partnerships
🚫 No agency fees – full control over your budget

👉 Post your first campaign today

Want more info? Book a Demo