Marketers are well aware that when it comes to creators, gauging their ‘influence’ solely by the number of followers they have is no longer the way to do it. With more and more people looking for recommendations on products to buy, places to eat and destinations to visit – authenticity, trust, and relevance are what people value and it’s something that micro-influencers offer all together.
Working with Micro-influencers can become an extension of your word-of-mouth marketing. It’s like getting a recommendation from a close friend or a family member, where you have someone on your socials who is devoted to a particular interest or style that you’re highly interested in.
There’s a big difference between each type of influencer. Today there are 4 broad types of influencers:
- Nano-influencers have less than 10,000 followers, as a result, they tend to have high engagement rates, and niche audiences. Nano-influencers are more likely to be open to collaborations like gifted and affiliate marketing deals.
- Micro-influences have 10,000 to 100,000 followers. A micro-influencer focuses on a specific niche or area and is generally regarded as relatable and authentic. Generally, they have reasonable engagement rates and a targeted audience.
- Macro-influencers have between 100,000 – 1M followers and can often be seen as a social media celebrity. They have lower engagement rates than nano and micro-influencers which is typically due to appealing to a broader audience rather than a specific niche. If you’re looking to increase brand awareness, these influencers could be for you.
- Mega-influencers have over 1M followers. These influencers can provide you with high reach and exposure but at a very high cost. Mega-influencers are more suitable for brands who appeal to a broad range of people.
The type of influencer you select, will depend on goals, campaign objectives, and the desired balance between reach, credibility, and cost-effectiveness influencer marketing campaigns.
In this blog we’ll be looking at what a micro-influencer is, the benefits of working with them and the challenges you might face.
What is a micro-influencer?
By definition, micro-influencers have fewer followers. But tend to focus on niche topics, like vegan food or indoor climbing, so their followers are highly interested in their content, and therefore more engaged and loyal.
A micro-influencer is a content creator with a more targeted social media following, typically falling within the range of 10,000 to 100,000 followers. What sets them apart is their niche expertise, as they often focus on a particular subject, industry, or skill, fostering a highly engaged online community.
Why partner with a micro-influencer?
Access to niche audience
One of the most strategic reasons to partner with micro-influencers is that they usually have concentrated audiences, meaning they offer a way to reach a specific target audience. By collaborating with micro-influencers brands can tap into these communities, ensuring that their message reaches the most relevant and receptive audiences.
In essence, micro-influencers act as gateways to niche marketing, providing brands with a direct route to their most sought-after audience, ultimately driving more effective and impactful marketing campaigns.
Cost effective
Cost-effectiveness could be the most basic reason to start building micro-influences into your strategy. Micro-influencers typically charge lower fees (as little as $100) than larger influencers, making it accessible for brands who want to test the waters and don’t want to spend too much. Moreover, their smaller but highly engaged and dedicated audiences often result in higher engagement rates and more genuine interactions, providing a better return on investment.
According to Influencer Marketing Hub, here are some rough ranges for how much micro-influencer charge:
- Instagram: Anywhere from $10
- YouTube: Between $20 and $1,000 per video
- TikTok: You could pay as low as $5 or as high as $125
Alternatively, for brands who have limited budget and resources, gifting free products to micro-influencers is a smart influencer marketing strategy because it combines cost-effectiveness with authenticity. Through gifting, brands will not only receive a review of the product, but they’ll be able to tap into a niche community and foster relationships.
You’ll be able to work with several micro-influencers at once whilst also saving on costs!
Higher engagement
Smaller influencers tend to have higher engagement rates because their audiences are smaller and more targeted. These influencers often possess a deep understanding of their niche, allowing them to create content that resonates deeply with their audiences interests and preferences.
Their followers, in turn, feel a closer connection to them, viewing them as authentic and relatable. This strong bond leads to more genuine interactions, as followers are more likely to comment, like, and share content from micro-influencers.
Additionally, micro-influencers tend to be more accessible and responsive to their audience, fostering a sense of community and trust. This combination of niche expertise, authenticity, and active engagement creates a fertile ground for higher levels of interaction and ultimately results in the elevated engagement rates often associated with micro-influencers.
Authenticity
Authenticity is an essential trait of an influencer. People are bombarded with advertisements and marketing campaigns daily, all intended to get them to buy something. Consequently, consumers have developed a distrust of major brands and advertising in general.
When you partner with a micro-influencer to promote your products, you’re taking steps to make your brand feel more relatable and friendly which can build trust with your audience. If you keep collaborating with the same influencer, it shows your audience two important things: 1) that the influencer genuinely believes in your brand, and 2), that you have the same level of trust in the influencer as your audience does.
Example of brands working with micro-influencer
Ryderwear
Ryderwear gifted free products to micro-influences as essential components of their influencer strategy across Instagram and TikTok. For example, Ryderwear has partnered with micro-influencers like @samantha.mccuat health and fitness influencer; with an average engagement rate of 3.8% she has stronger potential of connecting with her followers on a deeper level.
Despite their smaller followings, these influencers had highly engaged follower bases making them ideal to reach niche audiences and foster authentic connections with potential customers.
Challenges of partnering with micro-influencers
Despite the effectiveness of collaborating with micro-influencers, brands may encounter certain challenges. One notable challenge is the need to engage with multiple micro-influencers to create a substantial impact and attain the desired results.
Managing a network of numerous micro-influencers can become logistically complex and time-consuming. Coordinating campaigns, ensuring consistency in messaging, and tracking performance across a diverse group of influencers can be demanding. Also, maintaining authenticity and personalisation becomes challenging as the number of collaborators increases.
Influencer marketing tools like Dyzio Shopfluence can help brands tackle challenges associated with managing a large number of influencers at once and help you sustain personalisation. With Dyzio Shopfluence brands can scale their influencer gifting program easily by distributing thousands of products in a matter of minutes and streamlining communication through automated customised emails so brands don’t lose that personal touch and foster influencer relationships.
Conclusion: Why work with micro-influencers?
The type of influencer you target will very much depend on your goals. If you want to boost reach, impressions and brand awareness, micro-influencers who have a larger following are a good way to go. If you want to increase your engagement, consider a smaller micro-influencer.
With a smaller but highly engaged following, micro-influencer provide brand exposure that audiences will trust more. Your brand can capitalise on the authentic credibility and personal rapport that micro-influencers possess.
Thinking about giving micro-influencers a try and not sure how it’ll pan out? Get in touch with Dyzio, and we’ll lend a hand in tracking your campaign’s performance.