Following our fortnight of sharing Influencer statistics* on our Instagram, in our post today we look at defining “influencers” and investigate the power of a “micro-influencer”.
What does the word “influencer” mean to you? Do you picture someone of power? Do you think bikini-clad model? Do you think mum-of-three, with a side-hustle?
It’s generally defined as “A group of people (or person) with a high-following on social media or someone more relatable and approachable with a smaller following yet more engagement from their followers.”
On the surface it seems that an influencer’s following is the most important. However, while this does attract attention engagement is key to an influencers success. Marketers are now more focused on interaction between the influencer and their audience which is measured by likes, comments and the trust followers have.
Micro-Influencers often have a higher engagement with audience yet this is overlooked by brands wanting to pursue social-media campaigns. A micro-influencer is anyone with 10,000 to 50,000 followers on social media to the amount of engagement the influencer gets from that number. Usually a micro-influencers audience is quite niche and deeply connected.
Micro-Influencers can be found in any sector such as: health and wellness, food and cuisine, entrepreneurship and business, beauty and fashion etc. These influencers have already built this fan-base and established trust with their audience. They have established these relationships through their Instagram stories so if a brand’s story is shared by a particular influencer, their followers are usually willing to listen.
For this reason, Brands reach out to influencers and for brands to get the best ROI (return on Investment) on a campaign, it’s ideal to hire multiple micro-influencers to increase the reach for any given campaign. Yes, macro-influencers have more of following, yet micro-influencers have more of a niche audience so don’t be fouled by the number of followers.
These micro-influencers can be found through the brands own followers on its social media channels or searching specific hashtags, see what influencers are using hashtags that are relevant to YOUR business /product or service.
You’ll also want to explore, who is the influencer associated with and how engaging are their posts? Does the “creative” (image and caption) seem authentic? Engaging with these influencers and showing interest in their content is the best way to build a relationship with them, BEFORE you reach out to them and begin a discussion.
Speaking to these influencers to determine a mutually beneficial relationship sometimes yields the best result.  Negotiate what will work best for both parties, sometimes an influencer might take-over a brand’s Instagram for a period of time or perhaps share a number of posts over a set timeframe. As part of this the brand might send out product for the influencer to try out and take photos for their social media accounts or even they might create their own original content on their blog or Youtube account reviewing the product.
Sometimes a brand might not have the budget to work with a celebrity so micro-influencers are a great way to gain the benefit you need for your brand and watch it grow through social media.

If you’d like assistance in finding an influencer that’s the perfect fit for your business, contact us today. 

*Statistics provided by Planoly