As brands and social media experts become more conversant with the best practices for social media, they continually unravel trends that promote brand awareness and higher conversion rates. One of these trends is micro-influencers. They are the newly discovered players in the advertising industry and are rapidly replacing their counterparts, the macro-influencers.
Micro-influencers are brand promoters with a significant social media following of anywhere between 1000 to 100,000 followers and have the capacity to influence purchase decisions and drive engagement. Despite the limited reach they have when compared to macro-influencers (who have a more diverse audience and extensive reach), they still have some advantages over the latter. Here are some really as one why you should even consider working with a micro-influencer:
Studies have shown that micro-Influencers usually have higher engagement rates than macro-influencers despite the number of followers they have. This is because of the close relationship they have with their followers. With a smaller amount of followers, they are able to engage with their audience on a very deep level, unlike macro-influencers who have a larger amount of followers and may not really be in touch with them.
Partnering with high-profile influencers may
cost you up to N200,000 or more per post but micro-influencers will charge you a lot less for a campaign that will likely yield the same results. This means you can spend the same amount of money you would spend on just one macro-influencer on about 5 micro-influencers and reach more people in the process.
Micro-influencers are more authentic because they are everyday people like us who have a craft that they are passionate about; hence, they tend to be more reliable and level-headed. When a micro-influencer recommends a product, their active followers tend to believe them more than they would macro-influencers.
- They Are Easier To Connect With
Micro-influencers are much more likely to engage with their followers on a more personal level. They respond to messages, start conversations with their followers, and actively post recommendations. Because they have less followers, they are more excited about people contacting them and in some cases, they reach out to brands asking if they want to work with them.
How To Work With Micro-Influencers To Promote Your Brand
Despite the advantages that come with working with micro-influencers, it’s also important to plan carefully when using micro-influencers. Here are some tips to follow when using any micro-influencer to promote your brand:
Because Micro-Influencers have a smaller homogeneous audience and hence, their reach is limited, you should ask yourself these questions when reaching out to them:
- Are they capable of driving engagement?
- Will their audience be interested in your brand?
Once you are able to confirm that they meet these criteria, then you can go ahead and start planning your campaign.
To find the best micro-influencers suited to run your brand campaigns, you can type in the relevant keywords or hastags on Instagram or Twitter and see what comes up. The results that come up are usually posted by potential micro-influencers. Click on the best performing posts with the most likes and comments and visit the author’s profile to see if you can work with them.
- Build A Relationship With Them
Micro-influencers are usually people looking to promote their own brand and grow their followership, hence, they tend to be open and would be most likely in search of like-minded people to work with. This means that you can be less formal in your approach with them. This boils down to the tone of emails and messages you send to them. You can commend them on something you like about their business. In this way, you’re building a connection with them and making it easier for them to work with you and understand your expectations more clearly.
When using micro-influencers, you should work with them in the content creation and curation process. This gives you more control over what content is being created and how it will be posted.
Feature Image: stjoseph.com
