Your first thought when you hear the word "influencer" might be of famous actors, musicians, athletes, and other popular public figures. Even politicians can be considered influencers. However, these are the giants in the field, with massive audiences…and massive price tags. Some brands get turned off of influencer marketing because they think that the only influencers worth working with are these famous names, which means they’re missing out on massive opportunities by working with influencers with much smaller audiences.
Micro-influencers have 5,000-15,000 followers and are most often found on Instagram and Tik-Tok. Sure, they have a much smaller following than a celebrity would, but there are plenty of reasons why working with micro-influencers can grow your brand even more effectively than with the biggest names in the business, and here’s why.
Micro-influencers have smaller followings, which makes their posts and comments more intimate. Micro-influencers are highly authentic and genuine in their interactions with their audience members, and they often have personal conversations right on their profile page. Their audiences trust them to share their honest experiences with products and services, and this level of trust is what encourages them to shop with your brand. If the influencer has a great experience, their audience likely will as well.
Compare this intimate communication style and personal messaging to what you would get with a celebrity. Famous people are known to take sponsorships even if they have no connection to the brands they are representing, and the audience knows it’s an ad. The brand gets wider exposure, but there is less trust there to encourage purchases or loyalty.
Micro-influencers reach may be less than that of larger influencers, but it's still considerable. While they might not have as many followers as other larger influencers, their audience is more likely to interact with their content. Although most micro-influencers won't have tens of thousands of fans on their own, they are usually eager to promote products that fit in with their content goals.
Using micro-influencers is a great way to get your business in front of more people who are likely to become brand advocates and raving fans after making a purchase. Micro-influencers play a part in your brand's social media marketing plan whether they are direct consumers of your products or play an existing function in spreading the word about your company. The way micro-influencers work with their audience doesn’t just create buyers for your brand. They create social customers who are more likely to stick with your brand long-term, increasing the lifetime value of each customer and the influencer who brought them to you.
Is there a chance you checked Facebook or Instagram before making your last online purchase? Did you see the multiple advertisements posted by various people, along with the numerous retweets and comments underneath them? Consider how few people used social media as a promotional tool just a few years ago. Millions of people make a living using their online influence to promote brands and products.
Micro-influencers are highly effective because they are not simply posting to a small number of people; instead, they are recognized as specialists in a certain niche where your product resides. Whether your brand focuses on food, supplements, home products, clothing, or any other category, your choice of micro-influencers can be dialled into exactly the demographic you’re targeting for your next campaign.
In recent years, micro-influencers have emerged as powerful partners for brands and agencies looking for their ideal customers. Micro-influencers can provide their audiences with meaningful, creative, and authentic content. Marketing campaigns can rely on micro-influencers to target ideal customer profiles to increase brand awareness and sales.
Why are micro-influencers so powerful in the marketing world?
Micro-influencers are highly targeted.
The first key factor in the success of micro-influencers is the specificity with which they are able to reach their intended audience. Marketers using influencers target those who have already demonstrated an interest in their product or service. The more specific your audience is, the more likely they are to interact with your brand. If you want to get your product in front of a certain demographic, you need to actively seek them out. If nobody is familiar with your company, you can't hope for widespread brand recognition. If you send your message to the correct audience through micro-influencers, it will connect, and even better, convert.
Micro-influencers have true engagement rates that are significantly higher than celebrities or conventional advertising. But how do you know what an influencer’s true engagement rates are? Hubble makes it easy to see how many followers your potential influencers are reaching right on their profile page. You don’t have to guess, do the math, or rely on potentially inaccurate assessments from the influencers themselves. Just open up their profile on your Hubble dashboard for an up-to-date view of their true engagement and reach. You can message them, and look for other influencers in the same niche.
Many businesses invest in billboards and television commercials in the hopes that their message will be seen. In reality, though, very few consumers interact with such commercials. It’s like throwing mud at the wall to see what sticks. Compare that to the highly targeted messaging of micro-influencers and you can see exponentially more growth through authentic engagement.
Audiences have become numb to traditional sales pitches, and often ad agencies create commercials that are so “creative” that potential customers are confused and annoyed by ads they can’t even understand. You’re looking to raise awareness, share information, and solidify your credibility, and micro-influencers are exceptional at that. Even better, they can do it in a genuine, creative way that connects with their audience in ways that no ad agency ever could.
Micro-influencers are known for their authenticity.
Using micro-influencers has additional value because they are genuine. They’re real people in the real world, having similar experiences to the people who follow them. They’re relatable. Commercials and celebrities can never replace the true connection that micro-influencers are able to nurture. Using micro-influencers is a great way to earn the trust of your target market. Micro-influencers know the worth of their work and are eager to spread the word.
Enthusiasm and excitement are contagious, and if your micro-influencers are raving fans of your products, their audiences likely will be too. Because of this, micro-influencers are able to swiftly establish rapport with their target audience and grow your customer base because their audience has a good idea of what to expect from your brand.
It’s rarely wise to take something you see online as true and accurate, and many believe that information found on the internet is unreliable…with good reason. The comments section on any site is a great reason to distrust information online. You, just like your customers, are more likely to trust information that comes from someone you know more about, someone you relate to. People are more likely to trust information posted by people they follow because they have a rapport with them, even if they’ve never met in real life. Using micro-influencers is a great way to build trust with your target audience because they are able to build that rapport by being trustworthy and catering to the interests of their audience.
Micro-influencers have fun with their content!
If you want people to pay attention, you need to make sure your content is fun and creative. Videos and articles that are both entertaining and informative tend to perform well on the internet. Using content created by micro-influencers is a nearly foolproof way to keep your message interesting, informative, and fun for your target audience. Bonus, when people like what your influencers post, they’re more likely to share it with their own audience, like friends and family members, who might in turn also join the ranks of your happy customers.
Marketing with micro-influencers can save you a lot of money, and make you even more.
When compared to more conventional means of advertising, these online mediums offer remarkable value. Because the intended recipients are already familiar with the influencer, the potential engagement rate and reach is greater than that of any conventional ad campaign.
Brands always want to find new ways to promote their products to new audiences. One of the more recent and most reliable ways is by forming strategic alliances with influential people in their respective fields. Brands boost their visibility and build viral campaigns with the help of micro-influencers whose audiences are the brand’s ideal customers.
We have some advice for optimizing your influencer marketing campaigns.
The use of social media influencers in advertising is highly effective. Using well-chosen micro-influencers on social media to spread the word about your brand is only one of several marketing strategies. Here are some suggestions for figuring out how to use them most effectively:
Pick the proper medium.
Several platforms exist, each with its own set of advantages and disadvantages. Choose a social media network that makes sense for your intended market. Considering Instagram's visual nature, it could be a good fit for promoting and selling apparel and accessories. TikTok is great for trendy items, but also for brands who want to use instructional videos and build deeper connections. YouTube is great for a more traditional audience who likes longer format media with a little less interaction.
Connect with influencers who share your brand’s values.
Check out the posts of any influencer you’re considering working with. Do they regularly post content that is in line with your brand’s values, and the values that matter to your target audience? Do you like their tone and style? Do you think working together would be both profitable and enjoyable? Using an influencer marketing platform will help you to choose influencers who match what your brand is looking for.
Communicate with a clear message.
Never approach an influencer with a pitch before you have a clear idea of what you want them to say and how you want them to be involved in your campaign. Tell them why you're messaging them and what you hope they'll take away from the conversation. Are you looking for a short gig or a long-term partnership? Are you offering any discounts, and what is your payment structure? Make sure to have your campaign brief ready to send when you get them on board so they can get started making brand-aligned content right away.
Tailor your material to your target demographic.
Make sure your material is relevant to your audience's interests and addresses their pain points. Stick to your niche so your audience doesn’t get confused or distracted. You need to make sure that your material is in line with what your target audience wants, and that it’s reaching them in a way that connects with them. Some audiences like humour, some like a serious attitude, and others just want a genuine tone. Your influencers will have a good sense of what works for your intended audience, so trust them to creatively make the best content for the campaign.
Monitor your campaign, and tweak it as needed.
Following your influencer's posts seems like obvious advice since you need to know what they’re posting to make sure it continues to communicate the values and quality that they’re representing for your brand. Verify that they are still adhering to your instructions and make adjustments as necessary. Some influencers might push back against changes you may want to make. In some cases, they have good insights, so don’t automatically dismiss their thoughts. They’re close to your audience. However, if they blatantly disregard the brand’s guidelines, it might be time to cut them loose and work with someone else.
Rinse, repeat, success!
If your campaign is successful, use it as a template for future campaigns. Keep making small changes so every campaign performs better than the last, and you will see growing success for your brand. Building a successful influencer campaign is easier (and faster) than ever by using Hubble to connect to your ideal influencers.
