Influencer marketing is having its moment. As corporate scandals continue to make headlines, more and more consumers have lost trust in the traditional marketing efforts delivered directly from brands. People are looking to their friends and people they respect or relate to in order to determine which events to attend, brands to support and even candidates to vote for. As a result of these shifts, organizations have turned to influencers and micro influencers (generally meaning those with 1000 – 100,000 followers) as a tactic for getting messages across to their target demographics. Working with micro influencers is compelling and effective for many diverse organizations. Here are 7 reasons why top brands are working with micro influencers.
They’re more affordable
Unlike celebrities and other household names, micro influencers are willing to work at far more reasonable rates, which puts them in range of more brands’ budgets. In fact, 97% of micro influencers charge less than $500 per promotional post.
They have targeted communities
While micro influencers might have less followers, you can be confident that their communities are more targeted; it’s just a question of finding the influencers who have the type of audience your brand is looking to reach. They also typically have higher engagement on their posts as it’s been proven that more followers leads to lower engagement rates (due in part to social media’s ever changing algorithms, as well as follower fatigue that comes from an individual making too many sponsored posts).
Micro influencers are more accessible
If you’ve ever tried to direct message Kim K then you know just how difficult (read: impossible) it can be to get a response of any kind from big name influencers. With micro influencers though, you are encouraged to reach out to them directly (with many putting their contact information right in their bios – no middlemen necessary!). If you’re on the hunt for some micro influencers for your brand, check out our post for tips on How To Find Influencers.
They are viewed as experts within their domain
Micro influencers have built their followings based on their dedicated content and commitment to a particular niche like beauty, fitness or technology. They gained their communities not from viral publicity stunts, but from positioning themselves as authorities on certain topics. Their followers look to them for the pulse on the latest and trust the validity of their content and associated viewpoints.
Micro influencers are more relatable
Following a micro influencer feels like you’re following your friend. They often take you behind the scenes of their lives and aren’t afraid to be genuine and authentic in their content. Many micro influencers are normal people with traditional lifestyles who simply have a passion for a particular topic. This ability to connect and relate to micro influencers allows you to see a bit of yourself in them, which makes you more susceptible to their ability to influence.
They come with less demands
Micro influencers are typically easy to work with. They are open to you re-purposing their content in various ways and will often work with brands in exchange for free product, exclusive access or the ability to be tagged on a brand’s larger social channels. Since many micro influencers are just starting out, they are more flexible with creating mutually beneficial partnerships with brands and tend to make less demands than celebrities and macro influencers.
They have close relationships with their followers
By focusing content around topics that genuinely interest them and by being authentic in how that message is told, micro influencers are able to build real relationships with their followers. These connections are built on trust, relatability and respect. It’s a micro influencer’s insight into what their followers want and how to best connect with them that make them so great at influencing.
As influencer marketing continues to grow as a tactic, it’s the brands that are willing to take a chance and innovate on this new frontier that will protect themselves from being left behind by newer and more nimble competitors.
