Gene Rhodes
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the past decade, you’ve probably heard of influencers. This is a term given to individuals with a high profile, high follower count social media presence. When you think of influencers, people such as Kim Kardashian, Tammy Hembrow and Mr. Beast might come to mind. Influencers have the power and capacity to “influence” people’s buying and shopping behaviour by making content that promotes either their brands or the brands of companies they partner with, sometimes receiving income or free promotional materials from these brands.
Unlike macro-influencers, such as those we’ve listed above, with massive follower counts, micro-influencers typically have smaller but highly engaged follower bases. As anyone with a Master of Marketing online should know, this makes them particularly attractive to brands and marketers seeking to tap into specific demographics and communities.
This article will provide an overview of micro-influencer marketing, including what makes them unique, the benefits of these collaborations and how brands can leverage micro-influencer marketing to their advantage.
What Are Micro-Influencers?
As briefly described above, a micro-influencer differs from a macro-influencer in that they likely have a modest to medium follower count instead of the millions of followers that macro-influencers have.
The key difference is that a portion of a macro-influencer’s followers may not be very engaged with the influencer, paying only slight attention to their posts and having them blend into their social media feeds with the rest of the noise. Whereas micro-influencers followers tend to be highly engaged with them, interact with them regularly and religiously follow their recommendations. Some examples of micro-influencers can include YouTubers from niche hobby fields such as board games, crafting, art or design.
What Makes Them Unique?
As well as what we’ve shared above, micro-influencers are unique in that they are often perceived as being more genuine and authentic in their content creation and follower engagement when compared to macro-influencers. In addition, their recommendations and endorsement for products and services are usually based on their personal experiences and passions rather than solely for financial gain.
This authenticity that micro-influencers display builds trust with their small but dedicated group of followers. Their audiences believe in their sincerity and are more likely to take their recommendations to heart, which is incredible when it comes to marketing. This trust and close engagement form a strong base for influencer-brand partnerships and contribute to their effectiveness in influencing the purchasing decisions of their audience.
Relatability and Engagement
Micro-influencers are well known for their impressive engagement levels. With their smaller follower counts, they can actively interact with their dedicated audience through comments, direct messages and other forms of communication, which macro-influencers don’t have the time, energy or capacity for.
This high level of direct audience engagement creates a strong sense of community and connection, as followers often feel like they’re part of an exclusive membership and get to communicate directly with the influencer they follow.
It is important to note that the relatability factor is key here. Micro-influencers are more likely to share everyday struggles, experiences and successes, which foster a deeper and more meaningful connection with their followers. This combination of engagement and relatability makes their product endorsements and content highly persuasive, ultimately driving the actions and directions of their follower base.
The Benefits of Working With Micro-Influencers
There are several benefits to brands working with micro-influencers, which we’ll detail below.
Targeted and Tailored Reach
Micro-influencers often have niche follower bases that are highly engaged and share specific common factors, such as interest and demographics, which allows for precise targeting from the influencer. This targeted and tailored approach can help companies reach the right audience for their products or services, increasing the chances of conversion sales and customer retention.
Improved Conversion and Engagement Rates
Micro-influencers have more genuine and authentic relationships with their followers, as we’ve described above, leading to higher engagement rates and intense interest in their posts. Their recommendations and endorsements for products are trusted by their followers in most cases, resulting in better conversion rates for brands partnering with them.
Good Value for Money
Micro-influencers typically have smaller but more dedicated follower counts, making them cheaper to work with compared to macro-influencers or celebrities who charge through the roof for endorsements. They will consider collaborations with brands in exchange for products or a lower fee, making them good value for money for brands with limited budgets, such as start-ups or smaller companies.
Diverse Content
When a brand collaborates with a variety of micro-influencers, it can provide a diverse range of content, which can be valuable for marketing campaigns across social media platforms. In addition, different perspectives and styles of content creation from a range of micro-influencers can keep brand messaging fresh and appealing to a larger audience.
Brand Loyalty
Building solid, stable and longer-term relationships with micro-influencers can lead to sustained brand loyalty from their follower base. As these influencers continue to promote a brand’s products or services, they can establish an ongoing and deeper connection with their followers, resulting in increased sales, customer retention and word-of-mouth advertising.
Harnessing the Power of Micro-Influencer Marketing
This helpful article has shared about building brand trust and the power of micro-influencer marketing, which brands can harness to reach small but dedicated groups of followers. Using micro-influencers has a range of benefits for brands, including improved conversion rates, affordable marketing, diverse content and brand loyalty.
