Have you heard the term micro-influencers more and more over the years? Have you started using influencer marketing in your marketing campaigns but are now curious in working more with micro-influencers?
What characterizes micro Influencers is that they do not have as huge of a following and audience as regular influencers, but what they do have is an influence over people. And this influence, no matter how small or large is extremely important for companies looking to sell more products.
While influencers have a relatively small audience, they have often built up very strong relationships with their followers, and have an extremely engaged audience.
In this article, we share four reasons to work with micro-influencers and go into detail about what makes micro-influencers so special.
But before we do that, let’s start with the foundation:
What is a Micro-Influencer?
A micro-Influencer is defined as a social media influencer who has a smaller, yet more targeted and engaged audience on social media. There’s no set number of followers, but people normally talk about micro-influencers having between 5k to 10k followers. Other people define micro-influencers as having 10K to 100K. For the sake of simplicity, think of micro-influencers as influential individuals on social media with a small yet targeted and engaged fan-base.
But while they may have fewer followers, you shouldn’t ignore them as a brand in your influencer marketing campaigns, because the fact is that they can generate amazing marketing results for your company. Why? Because their followers greatly value and listen to what they have to say.
If you’re not convinced, read our complete guide on influencer marketing.
Sure, micro-influencers may have fewer followers than the major influencers, however, the upside is that micro-influencers tend to have a more engaged audience. And they tend to have just that because having a smaller audience means being able to engage and interact with it in a completely different, and more personal way. This, of course, results in a more loyal and engaged audience. Ultimately, it means that more people will listen to the recommendations from this person the next time they recommend something.
Now, let’s dig into some of the reasons you should work with influencer marketing
1. Relevant to your brand
Unlike many large influencers, Micro-Influencers usually have a clear niche. They have a great passion for a specific topic, industry, or hobby that they practice. As a result, they have established themselves as thought leaders and experts in that niche. And as a result, people listen to and value what they have to say.
It can be anything from hunting, cooking, skiing or life as a seller. Micro-Influencers can also have many followers in a specific region or in a city. The keyword here is “targeted”. Because as a marketer, you know that it is more important to reach the right people than how many you reach.
Working with micro-Influencerncer often becomes very relevant to your brand if you as a company have a specific target group you want to reach. For example: does your business sell bicycle equipment? Then there are a lot of niche Micro Influencers you can work with that reach out to cyclists.
2. Credible with high Engagement
Because Micro Influencers do not have as many followers as a big influencer, they have more time to interact with their followers. This is why, as a result, they tend to have a stronger relationship with their audience.
Micro Influencers often take the time to answer questions from their network and give genuine recommendations, allowing them to make them so much more engaged. The people who follow a Micro-Influencer thus get quick answers and tips when they ask them something – and they feel seen, valued, and appreciated. Micro-Influencers are loved by their community and therefore, working with a Micro Influencer increases the chances of conversions as people truly trust what they say. This is not always true for “large” influencers.
3. Cost-effective marketing
Working with a large influencer usually costs a lot of money and you may have to spend your whole market budget on a single post. Instead of placing all eggs in a basket, you can work with several different Micro Influencers to see which of them fits best with your brand. You can see which of your partnerships are converting and expanding your partnership with Micro Influencers that actually generate sales to your business.
4. There are many to choose from
The fact is that there are far more micro-influencers than there are industry leaders. For obvious reasons.
The major influencers are also often celebrities such as Kim Kardashian and Selena Gomez, and these charges a ton of money in order to promote a company on their social media.
It is also very important that you do research before you start a collaboration because many influencers can have fake accounts and fake followers. When you have done your research, you have considerably more to work with than when choosing a large influencer. Test out which Micro Influencers will strengthen your brand and find the perfect fit.
Because there are more micro-influencers to choose from, it will become easier for you to find one that truly suits your brand. And as we have talked about a million times, the single most important thing in influencer marketing is that the influencer is a good and credible match for your campaign and message.
Conclusion
The reasons you should work with micro-influencers are many. These 4 benefits and reasons to work with micro-influencers are just scratching the surface. Many marketers have the perception that the more followers an influencer has, the better, but that is far from the whole truth. In fact, by working with more targeted micro-influencers, you can actually generate more bang for your marketing buck and ultimately get more from your marketing budget. To learn more about micro-influencer and influencer marketing in general, read our articles in our influencer marketing category.
