Who are micro influencers
The term “influencer” has been around for some time, but here is a new subset of it: micro-influencer. Micro influencer marketing is a relatively new kind of marketing that seems to be taking off and is all the rage these days.
Who are micro-influencers?
Influencers or social media stars who have a following that ranges from 1000 to 1000000 followers on any platform. The major distinction between an influencer and a micro-influencer is that the size of a micro-influencer’s audience is relatively smaller but they command a greater degree of influence and cater to a specific niche.
Micro-influencers cater to and create all the kinds of content regular influencers do but owing to the fact that they focus on a niche topic they have a more effective and substantial relationship with their audience. This also results in greater engagement.
This just goes on to show that having a smaller audience comes with its own benefits and despite having a relatively lower reach micro-influencer marketing is more hands-on and effective. This form of marketing is hinged on quality over quantity.
Having a lower number of followers also ensures that most micro-influencers do not see their audience as fans or followers and on the contrary view and treat them as peers. This is a cornerstone of micro-influencer marketing and is the reason why it is so much more effective than plain old influencer marketing.
Most micro-influencers are also way more accessible and relatable which eventually works in their favor
Some benefits of using micro-influencers:
- Drastically high engagement rates As opposed to celebrity influencers, micro-influencers are able to interact with their audience much more frequently and in an authentic manner in the form of likes, comments, and follows. This has led them to have higher engagement and interaction rates.
- Much more affordable It is no secret that celebrity endorsements cost a great deal of money (from tens of thousands to even lakhs), however, micro-influencers charge much less and are hence relatively more effective.
- Higher conversion rates Given all the aforementioned facts regarding a micro-influencer and the relationship they have with their audience it should come as no surprise that they can deliver higher conversion rates.
- Niche markets Quite contrary to celebrity influencers, micro-influencers tap into extremely niche segments of the market that have highly specific needs and demands. They cater to a small but dedicated niche set of people.
Why are micro-influencers so much more effective?
Micro-influencers on Instagram and tik tok are known to deliver better and more effective results since they come from more humble backgrounds, and have a higher relatability as well as reliability quotient with their audience. Moreover, their reviews are also much more authentic and genuine which goes a long way in this field of work and interaction. The smaller size of the audience helps keep things more real. The most effective micro-influencers cater to these five industries (present in arbitrary order).
- Beauty and fashion
- Lifestyle and home
- Travel
- Business and tech
- Entertainment
It is also noticed that micro-influencers tend to do best on the platforms Instagram and TikTok which both promote bite-sized content.
Some brands that have successfully used micro-influencers to their benefit are as follows:
- La Croix This cocktail company reached out to micro-influencers and got them to make their signature cocktails, this campaign led to a huge spike in the revenue of the brand.
- Spotify also teamed up with micro-influencers to promote their app by encouraging the influencers to put up their most frequently played songs and playlists.
- Adobe has been one of the first companies to realize the potency of micro-influencers and has been indulging in this kind of marketing before it was even a thing. They have in the past partnered up with small niche bloggers and artists to promote their products and services.
On a concluding note, we would like to mention that the top micro-influencers are ones that prioritize quality over quantity and focus on producing content that is as genuine as possible in this over-glamorized world.
It is also interesting to note how dynamic the world of digital marketing is considering not long ago it was the celebrities and influencers who had a large number of followers that would do well, however it is obvious that the trends are moving towards the exact opposite and more quality oriented content, testimonials, reviews, and opinions.
