When it comes to your social media strategy, bigger isn’t always better. You already know that influencer marketing can get you real results (it’s been shown to influence 20 to 50 percent of all purchasing decisions) but it might be time to consider what micro-influencers can do for your business.
In contrast to more well-known or celebrity influencers, micro-influencers are everyday social media users with smaller audiences.
Continue reading to find out:
- Why micro-influencers could be the key to success for your next campaign
- The easiest way to find relevant micro-influencers
- The do’s and don’ts of working with micro-influencers
- How top brands are using micro-influencers in their marketing efforts
Why work with micro-influencers?
According to a study by Dr. Jonah Berger (author of the book Contagious: Why Things Catch On), 82 percent of consumers were “highly likely” to follow a recommendation made by a micro-influencer. In the study, an unpaid network of American micro-influencers were surveyed about the brand-related conversations they have compared to a group of average consumers. Berger’s team then measured the weight of these recommendations and the eventual outcomes.
Continue reading to find out why micro-influencers are so successful.
They are affordable
You don’t need a Kardashian budget to get results with your influencer marketing strategy. While Kim Kardashian reportedly earns around $500,000 per sponsored Instagram post, micro-influencers cost significantly less. Many will even share a post in exchange for a free product or service.
Marketing Technology Insights interviewed 2,500 micro-influencers and found:
- 84 percent of micro-influencers charge less than $250 per Instagram post
- 97 percent charge less than $500 per post
They are perceived to be more trustworthy than celebrities
Adding to their appeal, HelloSociety, an agency that connects brands with influencers, found micro-influencers are 6.7 times more efficient per engagement than influencers with larger followings. The down-to-earth relatability of everyday people is something huge social media influencers can’t buy.
With micro-influencers, “You are spreading the word about your brand through lots of different ‘everyday’ people in a seemingly organic way,” says Melissa Wollard, commercial manager at Fun Kids Radio.
“Because they are personally invested in their crafts, micro-influencers are trusted sources of recommendations for followers,” HelloSociety CEO Kyla Brennan explains. Micro-influencers have a genuine interest in the topics they post about—something that comes across in their content.
They drive higher engagement
Influencer marketing company Markerly studied over 800,000 Instagram users and 5 million posts in a quest to understand engagement patterns. They found:
- Users with 1 million to 10 million followers earned likes only 1.7 percent of the time.
- Users with 1,000 to 10,000 followers earned likes at a rate of 4 percent.
- Instagram users with under 1,000 followers generated likes 8 percent of the time
This clear correlation between follower size and number of likes indicates the power of micro-influencers.
In addition to these stats, HelloSociety found micro-influencers have 22.2 times more weekly conversations than the average consumer. Micro-influencers have built followings of highly engaged and interested audience members. Instead of having millions of passive, disengaged followers, a micro-influencer has a community of people who are genuinely interested in their content.
As Kyla Brennan says, “You might get eyeballs [with larger follower counts], but they won’t be eyeballs that care.”
How to find the right micro-influencers for your brand
Hashtag searches
The easiest way to find relevant micro-influencers is through a hashtag search on Instagram or Twitter. This will help you find social media users who are already interested in topics related to your industry.
For example, if you’re a tile company you could search Instagram for #kitchendesign and look at the top posts. You’ll see the best-performing content from Instagram users who are genuinely interested in the topic. While some of them will be big brands such as Apartment Therapy or West Elm, you’ll also see posts from smaller accounts with a dedicated audience and high engagement rates.
These micro-influencers will be more inclined to work with your brand as they’ve shown a genuine interest in a topic related to your industry. Not only that, but they have a dedicated audience of their own who are also engaged.
Search locally
Larger businesses with brick-and-mortar locations can use local micro-influencers to promote their brand. These people can also help smaller businesses connect with their customers on a deeper level.
There are two easy ways to find regional micro-influencers:
- A simple Google search to find bloggers in your area who are active in your industry. A straightforward search with the + operators will do. Try this: [your city name]+[your industry]+“blogger”. Take a look through each influencer’s blog, website, and social media profiles and consider whether their values and style align with your brand’s.
- Instagram’s location tags. Enter your city or town in the search bar…
