Advertisements are no longer as effective as they used to be. With consumers being bombarded by hundreds of ads every day, they are increasingly brushing them off. Instead, they crave for authenticity, originality and transparency more than ever when it comes to making buying decisions.
Enter micro-influencers. These people are opinion shapers and trend-forecasters who are trusted by their audience so much that they will take their word when providing recommendations. Working with them provides you with the opportunity to organically connect with customers that you cannot reach with your marketing efforts.
Read on to find out how micro-influencers can contribute to the success of your social media marketing.
Defining micro-influencers
Micro-influencers are individuals with significantly fewer followers than regular influencers. They are considered experts in their respective fields – be it fitness, fashion, food or lifestyle – and they are deeply connected to their audience. This can be on any platform, and most of them have their blogs and websites.
There is no exact definition when it comes to how many followers make someone a micro-influencer. Some successful micro-influencers have just a few hundred, while some have tens of thousands. Regardless of these differences, what remains true is that they can effectively engage an audience.
Where can you find micro-influencers?
Micro-influencers can be found in every industry. A good place to begin your search is on your social media accounts. They may be already following you or interacting with your posts. You can also assess your analytics to learn who is engaging the most with your posts. If you don’t have an established social media presence yet, you can check your competitors’ followers to find micro-influencers with an audience that matches yours.
You can also use tools to find micro-influencers in social media. In addition to discovering influencers, they can help you monitor brands, perform social selling and analyse the success of your influencer marketing campaigns.
Micro-influencers vs Macro-influencers
Celebrity or macro-influencers may have millions of followers on Youtube, Instagram and other social media platforms, but they don’t hit the target in terms of conversions. This is because their following might not be as engaged with the content they publish. Their endorsements also involve large sums, and the majority of their following might not match your target audience.
A study from Takumi shows that engagement rates drop with larger following size. Profiles with 1,000 followers have a 9.7% engagement rate, and those with 1,000 to 4,000 followers have about 4.5%. As the following size increase to more than 100,000, the engagement rate diminishes to 1.7%.
How is this possible? Micro-influencers may not have as many followers as public figures, but they have an active relationship with their audience. If they’re already a supporter of your brand, they’ll be eager to work with you and their posts will be more genuine.
How can micro-influencers help your brand grow?
There are several reasons you should consider working with micro-influencers for your next marketing campaign:
Highly targeted audience
Catering to your target audience is something micro-influencers are already doing. That’s why when you partner with them, you’ll get a great opportunity to come close to their followers and promote your products or services. Even if you’re reaching fewer people, what matters is you’re reaching the right people. There’s a high chance that they’ll take action and convert into your customers.
Better engagement rate
Micro-influencers are recognised for their knowledge and passion in the niche that they cover. The content they publish resonates with their fans because it’s authentic, creative and relatable. In fact, over 90% of consumers feel that they do a better job of expressing the experience or intricacies of a product. That’s why their supporters are usually interested in what they have to say and they take their recommendations seriously. When micro-influencers become advocates of your brand, they can drive high engagement with your campaigns.
Foster brand awareness at a lower cost
Micro-influencers are key to a scalable marketing campaign. They are less expensive, making them a cost-effective choice for small businesses and startups. Studies show that they are 10 times more affordable than bigger influencers, which means you can experiment with what works for your brand or not without hurting your budget.
Authenticity
What makes micro-influencers so popular is that they are just like their fans. When you interact with a micro-influencer who has the same interests as you, you can understand them, feel their bliss and empathise with their problems. In turn, you think that they can understand you and your problems. That’s why when micro-influencers promote your product or service, their followers will begin relating themselves to your brand. This is something that celebrities and macro-influencers lack.
Influencer marketing is significantly effective for growing your business, but it’s up to you to use it to your best advantage. Before anything else, make sure to build a strong foundation for your brand with social media optimisation. DigitalMaas can provide you with the help you need to amplify your results. Get in touch with us today for more information. You can also sign up to our digital marketing platform to get your free website audit.
