People today are more willing to trust individuals with real opinions over brands that push sales. This is why influencers are so effective at growing businesses. Influencers are individuals whose online presence allows them to reach a wide audience. This makes them valuable partners in your marketing strategy. According to a study by Expertcity, 82 percent of consumers are more likely to buy a product if recommended by a micro-influencer.
There are three main types of influencers; mega, macro, and micro. For this blog, we will look at micro-influencers and why they might be more suitable for your business goals than the other two types.
So, What Is a Micro-Influencer?
Micro-influencers are influencers who have between 1000 and 100,000 followers on social media. These are people who are considered experts in their niche. A micro-influencer could be anyone from a fashion guru, to a fitness coach, to a mental health expert.
Consumers today are savvier than ever before. They are on alert for businesses that do not really listen to the customer and prioritise sales over genuine customer care. Micro-influencers can offer real insight and valuable information about a product or service. This helps the audience member feel acknowledged and respected.
By leveraging micro-influencers, businesses can instill trust in their prospective customers. The niche area of expertise and the intimate, every-day feel of the micro-influencer makes the audience feel like they are being spoken to by a real person, with real, authentic values and opinions.
What Are the Benefits of Using Micro-Influencers?
Micro-influencers can offer the following benefits to your business:
- Higher Engagement Rates
- Affordability
- Higher Conversion Rates
- Niche Market Targeting
Higher Engagement Rates
One of the greatest benefits of leveraging micro-influencers is that they can significantly boost your engagement rates. You might be tempted to opt for a mega influencer, someone of celebrity status, but the ”celebrity” approach does not work as well as it once did.
Customers want to relate to the person promoting a product or service they are interested in. Celebrities have a wide reach, but their relatability is low. Micro-influencers, on the other hand, speak to the pain points of the every-day consumer. They have a lower follower count than bigger influencers, but their expertise in niche markets means that the quality of their promotional efforts is high.
Affordability
Celebrity (mega) and macro-influencers can cost a lot of money, even just for one post. If you’re not a large brand and have to stay within a small budget, micro-influencers are a much more affordable choice.
Given that micro-influencers cost a lot less than celebrity endorsement, you might find that you have room in your budget to hire more than one micro-influencer. This can help you reach multiple niches simultaneously.
Higher Conversion Rates
Micro-influencers can make a huge, positive difference to your conversion rates. Not only do they significantly increase engagement with your business, but they also make persuasive and effective recommendations to those who watch or listen. Research has found that almost 50 percent of people say they trust influencer recommendations when making purchasing decisions.
Niche Market Targeting
Micro-influencers are experts and thought leaders in their niche. By leveraging the power of the micro-influencer, you can reach audience members in niche markets, unlike the broad, general reach you would achieve with a bigger influencer.
Once you have developed an understanding of your buyer personas (a key element of your overall strategy), you can further investigate their interests and see which micro-influencers they like and follow.
It would be best if you found a micro-influencer who caters to your most relevant audience. Otherwise, both parties’ efforts will be in vain.
How To Work With a Micro-Influencer
Find the Right Micro-Influencer
As mentioned, it is important to find an influencer who is already associated with some aspect of your business. Some influencers may be willing to promote your product regardless, but their audience may not be the audience you are trying to reach.
Consider searching across different social media platforms for micro-influencers in your niche. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are popular choices of platform for most micro-influencers. Investigate your audience’s online activity on these channels, and see which influencer they enjoy following the most.
Evaluate
Once you have identified a micro-influencer that you might want to work with, evaluate their success. Consider their engagement rate by looking at the number of likes, comments, and shares on their posts. If their engagement rate is high, take that as a green light and reach out.
Build a Network
Instead of only reaching out to one micro-influencer, reach out to multiple! Find and connect with micro-influencers who can reach your niche, and then reach out to those with access to a similar or more specific niche.
You can maximise your marketing efforts by building a network of micro-influencers who can reach small but specific audiences. Micro-influencers support each other. This means that if you work with more than one, you build social proof about your product or service quality.
Be Personal and Respectful
Although micro-influencers have a smaller reach than their macro and mega counterparts, they are still popular. Their popularity means that they are a prime target for those trying to improve their marketing strategy and improve their sales.
When reaching out to a micro-influencer to collaborate, make sure to be respectful and friendly. Offer fair compensation for their help, whether financial or through free products/services and website backlinking.
Harness the Power of the Micro-Influencer
Micro-influencers offer an excellent opportunity to increase your brand awareness, attract more leads, and boost your conversion. The authenticity and intimacy of the micro-influencer are exactly what is needed to reach niche audiences today. Reach out to a micro-influencer and develop a mutually beneficial working relationship with them to see your engagement and conversion rates rise.
