There is no better way to pull consumers towards a product than to ask a celebrity to spread the word about it. Yet, today that doesn’t work the way it used years ago. Today followers seek more than paid ads. The over-saturated feeds full of sponsored stuff got them bored. What they need is social proof, instead. With that goal in mind, people shift their attention to a new category of content creators – micro-influencers.
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Micro-Influencers: Who Are They and Why Work with Them?
It’s a good rule of thumb that it’s enough to have as few as 1,000 followers to fall into the term ‘micro-influencers. Yet, you can find social media resources that give bigger numbers. Thus, to be deemed as a micro-influencer, you need to state from 3,000 to 100,000 followers. Anyway, the term ‘influencer’ itself and the benefit they can bring is still an open question. What really matters is the level of engagement that comes involved.
That’s all about trust and transparency. The bad news is users don’t lean on celebs or influencers with over 100K followers anymore. And only four percent of users clearly understand that they advertise a brand for money and trust them. Moreover, twelve percent of users recognize the government as a more trustworthy source of information than most celebrities/influencers/bloggers and the like. Yet, still, 79 percent of marketers use influencers as a marketing tool.
The good news is that you can still maximize your marketing efforts. And the first place to start is to focus on authenticity and relatability. That’s what micro-influencers do best. They are a so-called bridge that closes that gap between organic social reach and paid ads. A micro-influencer is a typical person. A person who lives everyday life and is not even close to a celebrity or public figure. He is an expert in a targeted niche and has built a strong reputation based on his expertise. His audience consists of hyper-engaged people looking for expert opinions. Not random people. That’s where the engagement level comes from. So, if a brand partners with a highly relevant micro-influencer, it can expect to see the extent in reach.
Reasons to Work with Instagram Micro-Influencers
Higher engagement rate
Since Instagram got cluttered with sponsored posts, Instagram influencers have seen their engagement rates hover near all-time lows. In contrast, Instagram micro-influencers have their engagement rate steady worldwide. Thus, those with around 10K followers have 3,6 percent, from 5K to 10K – 6,3 percent, and those with a following of 1K to 5K – 8,8 percent, which is the highest rate.
To calculate engagement rates, you can use the formula below:
engagement rate = total engagement (likes + comments) / followers
This formula doesn’t give a full picture, though. It’s not enough to team up with influencers based on the engagement rate solely. Other metrics, such as reach, shareability, and branding opportunities, influence the campaign’s success.
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Build trust
With 92 percent of users who trust micro-influencers, 82 percent are more likely to follow a testimonial made by them. And that’s no wonder. Since they are everyday people, their opinion is well-respected. The secret? A personal connection to the influencer. The key is in a less broad community that feels like home in a niche.
To get the idea, try to compare a paid video from any public person with one from a micro-influencer. The latter is more likely to sound like a genuine conversation with a mate. It’s built on something personal and something that is linked to someone’s passion. That’s where a disconnect with celebs happens. Try to interact in a way like this with a million audience base. Bad chance.
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The best bang for the buck
Since influencer marketing means hiring a celebrity to do endorsement, the price for the product tends to be high. Often, paying the price that is set in stone is hard to recoup in sales. As a result, a marketer might end up paying for a large audience base who aren’t interested in their products or services. With micro-influencers, you don’t pay for their ‘star power’. But for the well-respected opinion.
Authenticity
Celebs do their job great – they get a lot of attention from a huge audience. Yet, chances are the audience is not for the sake of marketing there. As a consumer, you are interested in a product or service you can benefit from in everyday life. Celebs create a buzz for money. Micro-influencers promote expertise from a real-life perspective. Thus, as a consumer, you can easily put yourself in the same position.
Higher conversion rates
Finally, there’s rarely an equal sign between the number of people who see the sponsored content and the conversion rate. Of course, partnership with those is never for free. But there’s engagement that comes to the rescue. There’s the overall impact that can help to increase sales numbers markedly. It’s a great way to see how good of value you are getting for the money.
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Macro and Micro-Influencers: Complementary Types of Influence
As you already know, mega-influencers boast a huge million-followers base and are more expensive than other types of influencers. Unlike micro-influencers, macro-influencers are more or less known. They have large communities that fall somewhere between 100,000 and one million followers. Two key things distinguish them: regular content and the strength and size of their community. Due to their popularity, they develop a business, create a buzz, and increase conversion rate. Their reputation goes far beyond the digital realm and helps them create real brands. Think that micro and macro-influencers are in fierce competition? Think again.
In times where micro-influencers are home in a specific niche, macro-influencers grow reputations. Large companies often opt for macro-influencers because of the reach they have. Thus, they can reach more than twenty times the audience of micro-influencers. It would be ideal to use these two types of influence to set your ad campaign for success. As a result, you can broadcast your message to a large, diverse group of people. The trick here is to find the right balance of cooperation to make the most sense for your campaign. Otherwise, it would be hard to achieve the best ROI.
Influencers vs. Micro-Influencers
Don’t mistake yourself thinking that a huge following equates to massive sales. It’s all about the connection. How close are they to their audience? The closer it is, the better the marketing investment for a brand. So before you decide, think of your campaign objectives. It’s not necessary to keep up with the Kardashians; influencers of different types can make effective partners.
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Micro-Influencers FAQs
How to Find Micro-Influencers?
The best place to look for those is your ‘backyard’. Check your profile to see who’s commenting or sharing your content. Who said these people couldn’t be micro-influencers? Know what you want and keep a certain type of demographic in mind. Finally, you can use different tools and check influencer marketplaces.
What Are Micro-Influencers?
They are everyday persons passionate about one targeted niche and are experts in it. Their following defines a high level of engagement and is somewhere between 1K to 100K, no matter the platform.
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