If you’re into digital marketing (and who isn’t today?) you are surely keeping an eye on influencer statistics. No matter if you run a small or large business, the rise of social media influencers has completely changed the marketing landscape. The word of mouth has been king for a long time, but the way in which it occurs has been changed.
With consumers quickly losing trust in advertising, people are moving to a more authentic conversation based on the discovery, meaning recommendations from family and friends who hold small, but fiercely loyal followings. This is how micro-influencers were born – these people who have between 1000 and 50 000 followers have become trend-forecasters, tastemakers, and opinion shapers. Let’s take a look at how this ‛pale’ comparison to heavy-hitting influencer celebs is able to make a big impact.
Why Should You Put Trust in Micro
First of all, these people have a very intimate sense of what they like and who they are. This fact shapes a personal and direct connection with the audience which provides them with the much more power to drive consumer buying behavior than you’d think. Since they’re a part of the local community they certainly know the best things your city has to offer, establishing themselves as local experts who are truly excited to work with brands they love. People may look up to influencer celebrities, but they don’t really know them, and that is the biggest advantage of micro-influencers. They not only know their audience members but also respect them, being able to give an honest opinion instead of just raving because they’ve been paid to do it. This all leads to one inevitable fact – they’re able to serve up stuff that will undoubtedly resonate. Let’s see how this exactly works.
Active Engagement
We know that every engagement is considered to be an active one, but the truth is not so black and white when it comes to influencers. The enormous numbers of followers that celebrity ones have are actually preventing them from achieving personal and hands-on interaction. The fact that instagram marketing is growing so fast means that the interaction through follows and likes must be far more frequent, and the response time to comments and questions much shorter. Micro-influencers can easily achieve this higher interaction, making them more relatable than celebrities and able to establish strong connections quickly. With the higher engagement rates, they won’t be just posting something that will disappear into their feeds but will become active advocates of your brand. This kind of exposure will not only get eyes on your business, but it will ultimately help you with the sale of your products.
A Wider Net
Since they also largely influence sales, connecting with micro-influencers can get you a pretty big bang for your (limited) bucks. Engaging a celebrity influencer can cost you hundreds of bucks for a single post, which is not worthwhile nor realistic unless you’re a huge brand. So, besides the fact that micro-influencers can produce better results, they’re also far more affordable. While their prices depend on the engagement and number of followers, no one will charge you above 500 bucks while most of the charge below 250. This means that working with micro-influencers leaves you with the bigger budget, so you’re able to work with more of them and cast a wider net that will reach more different buyers personas.
All Shapes & Sizes
Before you cast that net you need to know these buyers personas. This means you need to be able to tap into very specific niche markets, and micro-influencers are born to achieve that. They come in all shapes and sizes – fitness gurus, local fashionistas, travelers, food bloggers, etc. – and each of them is considered an expert in their respective niche. With their specific appeal, style, and area of expertise, they are already surrounded by the tribe that is closely aligned with their interests. So the only thing you need to do is to find the ones who share your interest, and your target audience is already there. Catering to your specific target audience is not something they need to do, but something they’re already doing.
I think that the strength of impact is more than obvious. Their limited followers offer far more engagement, and those followers are already your target audience. Their affordability allows you to cover a wide range of your buyer’s personas, so the number of followers is not a restriction at all. And the best thing is that it doesn’t require much to reach them – they’re probably already among your Instagram followers and, being already fans of your brand, the beginning of a beautiful and profitable friendship is just around the corner. They’re undoubtedly the cheapest and fastest way to customer loyalty and a bond of trust.
