Influencer marketing is big news, there is no denying it. From negative headlines around influencer fraud and fake followers to case studies of massive brands who have grown with influencer marketing at their very core.
But with so many big businesses demanding ‘influencer services’, is there really any room for small and medium-sized businesses to benefit from the power of the influencer?
Micro-influencers can be roughly defined as up-and-coming influencers who typically have a smaller following than the major influencers in their given niche. With major and celebrity influencers having so many hoops for brands to jump through (high cost, agents, a chaotic inbox, etc), micro-influencers offer an opportunity for those who don’t quite have the buying power or clout of larger businesses.
But working with micro-influencers isn’t as simple as selecting a few and paying them to post about your product or service. To get the full benefit, micro-influencers should be integrated into your full social media strategy.
We discuss the why and how to do this below…
Audience Understanding
We all know that gathering data and insight from our customers is a great way to continuously improve our social media strategies. Although traditional methods such as analytics and surveys can work well, micro-influencers offer an innovative way to gather a level of insight into your audience that otherwise could not be reached.
By their very nature micro-influencers are expert customers. For example, an ordinary customer may purchase a product, use it and not give it a second thought. A micro-influencer, on the other hand, will have a greater interest in the functionality, suitability, and aesthetics of the product.
Influencers often build their following by providing trusted recommendations. It is very much within their interest to understand the ins and outs of all the products on the market, including yours.
Working with micro-influencers can also offer us a deeper understanding of our wider target audience. Many of these creators have grown their levels of engagement by producing content that captures the attention and resonates with those that are interested in their niche area.
Although, as brands, we like to think we know our audience. The truth of the matter is that we dedicate very little time to truly understanding their wants, needs, and desires. Influencers, on the other hand, are experts in creating content that meets these. As a brand, tapping into this is a great way to quickly increase engagement and generate brand lift.
Increase Reach
Let’s not avoid the facts. It is easier to generate massive reach with large and celebrity influencers than it is with micro-influencers. When it comes down to cold, hard numbers, you are going to need to work with multiple micro-influencers just to gain the potential reach of a much larger content creator.
However, as long as reach is not your primary objective, working with micro-influencers is a great way to get over the challenge of reaching beyond your current audience as a brand.
As micro-influencers are generally able to manage greater levels of engagement when compared to their audience size, there is also a greater opportunity for brand content to be further amplified through social sharing.
Authority & Trust
Why do we work with influencers at all? When it comes down to it, it is all about trust and authority.
If we just want to increase our reach we can gather much more predictable results through PPC advertising. If we just want to produce content we can work with photographers and videographers with a much greater level of control.
An influencer’s authority is their competitive edge.
As a business, of course, we think our brand, product, or service is the best thing since sliced bread. But consumers just aren’t buying into our self-hype anymore. Micro-influencers offer a trusted middle-man (or woman) who can give impartial advice. This in itself is a very powerful sales tool.
In Conclusion
We can see that micro-influencers should be considered at every stage of our social media strategy. From gaining customer insight, to creating quality content and driving brand lift this type of influencer can add value across the board.
Author’s Bio
Aston is a content writer and marketing expert from the custom mobile app development company JatApp. She does research and discussion on tech-related topics. She enjoys sharing her experiences with a like-minded audience and writes about software development, digital marketing, business, career, wellness, and more.
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