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Micro influencers are trending - that’s right, more and more brands are understanding the benefits of working with influencers with a smaller following base. You know what they say - size doesn’t matter.
So, here’s why you should be implementing micro influencers into your influencer marketing strategy this year.
Influencer marketing is a type of marketing strategy that involves leveraging the influence of individuals with a significant and engaged following on social media to promote a brand, product or service. Influencers are well-known and well-loved creators who have built an organic following - people that enjoy, respect, and are ultimately influenced by what they have to say - due to their expertise, authenticity, and engaging content.
Thanks to the large number and wide variety of content creators (understatement of the year), pretty much everyone has a influencer(s) they look up to, respect, and are ultimately influenced by.
A micro influencer is a content creator with between 10K and 100K followers on social media. This range of followers is important because while they still have quite a substantial following, these content creators are considered more ‘down-to-earth’ and relatable. Ultimately, in 2024, brands across the board agree that micro influencers are the most effective types of influencers to work with.
This type of influencer may specialize in a specific niche, meaning that their follower number is lower because their are less people in general interested in this topic. But, the 10,000-100,000 subscribers that are interested in this niche will be listening intently to what the micro influencer promotes.
For example, Katie Colson (35.2K subscribers) is a well-loved BookTuber (an influencer that creates content about all things books). It probably goes without saying that there aren’t that many people out there interested in watching someone go on and on about what books they bought recently, what books they’re reading, and what they plan to pick up. Although it doesn’t seem like 35K subscribers is much, she gets an average of 11,000 views on her videos. That means that 31% of Katie Colson’s subscribers tune into her content on a regular basis - that’s great stats for a brand tapping into influencer marketing.
Micro influencers usually prioritize community building in order to help them stand out amongst other creators in the same industry. This helps the creator connect with their followers, get feedback about content they’d be interested in, and adds another income stream. This is ideal for brands because they are more confident that the creator knows their audience and can therefore predict whether the product/service will be beneficial to them, and understand how to promote the product/service accordingly.
For example, a number of content creators have a Patreon - a monetization platform that provides business tools for content creators to run a subscription service and sell digital products. Patreon members can get exclusive content from the influencer, have access to digital goods that regular viewers may have to pay extra for, and so on. YouTubers may also offer channel memberships - allows viewers to join the channel through monthly payments and get members-only perks like badges, emoji, and other goods.
Don’t let the name ‘micro’ fool you - there are several benefits to working with micro influencers that your brand should consider.
Partnering with macro influencers - content creators with more than 100K followers who can reach millions of people - will cost your brand a lot of money. And, that may be completely out of reach for small businesses (or large business, lets be honest). The thing is, due to their ‘smaller’ following, micro influencers can be a much more affordable option and can still reach your target market - especially if you work with the right influencers.
Recommendation: Find the right influencers for your next campaign for FREE!
Another thing to consider - instead of putting all your eggs in one basket and working with a singular, expensive macro influencer, you may want to work with a few micro influencers - potentially maximizing your reach and engagement rates.
You know what they say - less is more. Typically, micro influencers have a more modest number of followers (compared to macro influencers). However, this smaller following often translates to a more dedicated and engaged audience - their posts reach a higher percentage of their followers and a lot more of their followers that see the content actually engage with the posts - participating in polls, discussions, and other interactive features.
As mentioned above, one of the reasons micro influencers may have a smaller following is because of the industry/category they are creating content about. For example, a knitting influencer will likely have a smaller follower base than a lifestyle vlogger. However, because there are less knitting influencers creating content about all-things knitting, the knitting community will not only subscribe to this creator, but listen intently to everything they have to say and promote.
This is especially important for brands with a niche product or service. For example, if there’s a brand that sells travel cases for knitting supplies, they’ll obviously opt to partner with a knitting creator in order to reach their target market (knitters).
Unlike macro influencers who may have numerous brand commitments, micro influencers usually have less sponsorship requests which therefore increases their flexibility in regard to communication (quicker response times) and accommodating brand collaboration requests. This flexibility is beneficial for brands seeking agile and adaptable influencers who can swiftly integrate promotional content into their existing schedule, ensuring a seamless and timely execution of marketing campaigns. The accessibility of micro-influencers facilitates smoother collaboration processes, fostering a more collaborative and mutually beneficial relationship between the influencer and the brand.
As many brands predicted, 2024 is the year of micro influencers. Whether you are just tapping into influencer marketing or a veteran in the creator economy industry, its not to late to adjust your influencer marketing strategy - adding micro influencers into the mix.
The most important thing is to identify your goals, define your audience, and set your budget. From there, you have to find the right influencers that fit these parameters. Easier said than done? Well, ThoughtLeaders can help you do all the above - everything from identifying your goals to cherry-picking the right influencers and ensuring the collaboration runs smoothly. All you have to do is reach out!
