Weekly News Insight: Micro-Influencer Marketing
Fancy working with micro-influencers but having no idea how to start?
If you’re in digital marketing business, chances are you’ve heard the term “influencer” (who doesn’t?). But, what about micro-influencer? Micro-influencer marketing is taking off and beginning to be just as if not more successful than celebrity influencer campaigns and advertising. Why? It’s simply because people are more willing to trust the opinions of people they know and look up to, those they feel will give an honest opinion, not just rave because they were paid.
This week, Viral Access brought micro-influencer marketing related news to help you kick off and plan your micro-KOLs marketing campaign.
The Difference Between Macro and Micro-Influencers
Influencer marketing is one of the most popular strategies in the advertising world today. But, executing an influencer campaign isn’t as simple as choosing anyone with a few thousand followers to promote your product. We’re also seeing that different brands benefit from working with either micro or macro influencers. Still confused of the difference between the two? 2paragraphs brings back the basics for you.
Put simply, a macro influencer is someone who has a very large number of followers on social media, usually anyone with more than 100,000 followers. Their benefits? Well, they have higher audience/followers, which usually translates to higher possibilities of wider marketing outreach. Their engagement rates can usually be trusted on face value and they are usually well-versed around brands since they have been around the industry for quite some time. The downside? They are costly, as simple as that. Still, if you’re aiming for maximum reach and brand awareness, macro influencers are the way to go. But, at the same time, these people are often considered ‘online celebrities’, and therefore everyday users are less likely to trust or follow their recommendations.
Micro-influencers, on the other hand, have smaller audiences ranging from 1000 to 100,000 followers. Typically, these influencers have impressive engagement rates due to their ability to develop a more personal connection with followers. Their benefits include higher conversion rates, lower cost per post, and their ability to tap audience in niche areas. Unlike macro influencers, micro influencers are usually considered very trustworthy and authentic by their audience. For brands, this is ideal as it means the consumers who see the ad are more likely to respond positively, increasing your conversions. On top of this, micro influencers are a great option for brands who don’t have a huge budget to splash on marketing. But, these people are usually less experienced with ‘sponsored’ posts, and therefore may take longer to execute campaigns or require more direction. Also, it’s not uncommon for these MKOLs to ‘buy’ Instagram followers or likes to appear more popular or engaging.
The bottom line here is regardless macro or micro, the key for successful and effective influencer marketing is to identify your marketing goal first then do research before deciding which influencers to choose.
How to be a Micro-Influencer
Nowadays, more and more young people aspire to become Instagrammers or YouTubers or bloggers. Indeed, the world of influencer seems exciting, thrilling, and full of adventures. After all, who doesn’t like working as you’re exploring your interests? Of course, if you have “Kardashian” as your last name, this thing would be pretty easy. Glamorous and luxurious lifestyle seem to be waiting for you. But for others, particularly those who don’t have thousands or millions of followers, how do they succeed?
Micro-influencer, a smaller division of the influencer world, is the answer. As you know, micro-influencers are those who have as little as hundreds or few thousands of followers online. They are known for their passionate followers and niche categories. Meet micro-influencer Samantha Nelson, the person behind ThoseCrazyNelson.com. She started blogging about family travel as early as 2014. While traveling for free is definitely one of the perks, but still, it’s a job, it’s her career. On every trip, Samantha spent time creating content, taking countless pictures, videos, and writing more stories for her dedicated followers that made their decisions based on what she wrote. Still, it works.
The key takeaway here is, as stated by WPSDLocal, that you don’t have to have a big number of followers online to become an influencer. Nurture the audience that are following you for your passion and listen to you, then let the creativity and authenticity of your content do the rest.
People Prefer Micro-Influencers Over Celebrities
Micro-influencers may have smaller audiences, but when it comes to customer decisions, they deliver big impacts, ChiefMarketer stated. Based on survey by Uproar PR, 72% of consumers prefer micro-level social media influencers, with 68% making purchases based on their posts, an indication that micro-influencers have a large influence over their followers.
Granted, micro-influencers have played an important and growing role in the global influencer marketing space as marketers look to narrow targeting for maximum impact. This survey confirms that it’s not about huge follower numbers, it’s about the connection influencers make with their audiences. Influencers with those relationships are the ones worth the marketing investment from a brand.
The marketplace and rules for engaging with social media influencers are still evolving, that’s why understanding how this new kind of marketing affects the public relations and marketing stack is essential for businesses looking to get the most out of every marketing dollar.
