Nobody can deny that influencer marketing is popular these days. Influencers constitute one of the most effective ways to market products and services, mainly because they help cross the divide between spontaneous social reach and sponsored advertising. Only influencers with a significant following were used at the start of this movement. On the other hand, marketers are discovering more value in using individuals with fewer social media connections but a more significant number than nano influencers. Hence the gaining popularity of micro-influencers. These micro-influencers have a comparatively high user engagement and appeal to a powerful small niche.
What are micro-influencers?
Micro-influencers, like all influencers, produce material on social media and have a well-known opinion. Put another way; an influencer is more than just someone who creates excellent material. People turn to them for information, advice, and fresh ideas. Influencers can specialize in almost any field of interest known to humanity.
These creative minds are subdivided into micro-influencers. While the “number” of followers in this class fluctuates wildly, they are usually deemed to range from 10,000 to 100,000 followers based on the business classification. This community has a good blend of high interaction rates and followers. Remember that the typical level of interest begins to decline after a specific time. There aren’t many individuals to approach with such a tiny following. A good equilibrium exists between interaction and fan count once the follower count reaches 10,000 and above.
Perks of working with Micro Influencers on Instagram
Celebrity endorsements are becoming a thing of the past now. Brands are going where the masses are. And the groups are with micro-influencers. Brands know they must market a product that caters to their target audience. How exactly to do that? By collaborating with micro-influencers. Let’s have a look at the benefits of associating with micro-influencers for brand promotion
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Quality over Quantity
When you decide to work with micro-influencers, you always get quality over quantity. You will also work with people who have yet to achieve celebrity status. They are working super-heard to build a sizable audience. Working with big celebrities comes at a cost; you do not get your point across. There are so many people involved that the essence of your marketing idea gets lost in the midst. With micro-influencers, brands can get their point across quickly, and the influencers have a creative space to work in. It is a win-win combination.
2. More Engagement
While planning an influencer marketing campaign, the most challenging aspect is finding the right influencer. Instagram is saturated with influencers of all kinds. Finding the one that resonates with your brand’s mission is hard. Micro-influencers have a tiny but involved following that is keen on the material posted by their favorite influencers.
Based on recent research, the engagement rates of influencers on Social media decline as their following grows.
This implies that smaller but more focused influencers receive more interaction than their counterparts. This is excellent news for brands on a budget and cannot afford mega-influencers. More followers do not mean more engagement.
3. Targeted but dedicated reach
As discussed above, micro-influencers have fewer followers, but most of those followers are dedicated ones. Superstars or mega-celebrities excel at one thing: attracting a large audience’s focus. However, this group is not inherently the target audience for marketing purposes. Consider the typical film or television performer. He is well-known for his ability to play various parts in movies. Actors don a persona for a character they play on screen, both physical and metaphorical. People enjoy their performance but may not share the same cuisine, travel, grooming regimen, fashion, or other hobbies.
4. Cost-Effective
Not every brand that designs a marketing campaign has millions to spend on influencer marketing. Most startups have a limited budget and want to spend it wisely. Using all that capital to invest in one mega-influencer makes no sense. If the campaign failed, the entire budget would topple. The brand might not survive the crash.
But with micro-influencer, brands of all sizes(big or small) feel more secure. Since they are aware that the content creators have a dedicated following, they can rest assured the campaign will work.
Also, brands can use the same funds to collaborate with 10-15 micro-influencers instead of investing money in one or two big influencers. The ripple effect is more powerful that way.
5. Authenticity
Why does it all boil down to authenticity? Imagine a brand marketing a skincare range. On the one hand, they have collaborated with a celebrity to endorse their product; on the other, they have collaborated with an influencer.
The audience knows celebrities get unique skin treatments and have an entourage taking care of their skin, diet, and nutrition. Influencers, on the other hand, are people just like them. After a month or so, they will use the product on themselves and give a detailed review with pros and cons.
Who do you think the followers are going to trust more? It is the influencers. Celebrities might get you the larger audience, but the influencers will get you the sales.
Final Thoughts
While celebrities are still roped in for brand endorsements, micro-influencers get more offers. They have a strong hold on their content, which gives them the trust of their niche audience. Brands targeting the same demographic aim to collaborate with such micro-influencers to put their brand on the map. It is a lucrative opportunity for brands and influencers to collaborate and work creatively. At this rate, there will be more and more micro-influencers in the future.
