Mega, macro, micro, and nano…?? With all the hype about influencer marketing, it’s hard to tell the difference. But if you want to reach the people in your niche with a campaign that feels hyper-authentic—you definitely don’t want to miss out on what micro-influencers have to offer. So, what is a micro-influencer, and what’s so exciting about them?
*Note: if you want to become a micro-influencer—there are some tips just for you later on…
But first, here’s what we’re about to cover:
- What is a micro-influencer?
- Is an influencer still being authentic if they run a sponsored post?
- Why should I work with a micro-influencer to promote my brand?
- Where can I find micro-influencers to work with?
- How to become a micro-influencer?
Ready? Let’s get started…
Want to run a micro-influencer campaign through our powerful network? Schedule a call and ask about our micro-influencer campaigns! Click here: Run A Micro-Influencer Campaign!
What Is A Micro-Influencer?
While exact follower count is up for debate—many people define a micro-influencer as “someone with between 3,000–100,000 followers” on a social media platform like Instagram or Facebook. But there’s something about micro-influencers that’s far more important than follower count:
And that’s their audience…
You see, most micro-influencers have built a truly deep and authentic relationship with the people that follow them. They’ve usually established themselves as “subject matter experts” or “thought leaders” on a certain topic—or within a certain niche.
There are micro-influencers who’ve grown a following around almost any topic you can think of. You’ll find micro-influencers in niches like travel, food, fitness, and music.
Want to connect with your niche? Social Sensei can help! Just schedule a call and ask about our micro-influencer campaigns. Click here: Run A Micro-Influencer Campaign!
Plus, as it turns out, you don’t even have to be human to become a micro-influencer with tons of fans. Dogs can do it too! Just check out @olivebythebay. 🥰
Little Olive is authentic as she can be—just like her following. And that’s the beauty of micro-influencers. Since they are truly authentic—their message has a real impact on their audience.
“But… if I run a sponsored post through an influencer… won’t that come off as them ‘selling out’?”
Actually, no it won’t. Not if it’s done correctly and with the right micro-influencer. Here’s why:
Will An Influencer’s Sponsored Post Still Feel Authentic To Their Audience?
A sponsored post that’s run through the RIGHT influencer should feel 100% authentic. Just think about this:
Nearly every person on the planet uses, wears, or in some way engages with multiple brands. The clothes you wear, the phone you have, the camera you shoot with, and the car you drive—all make you a walking advertisement for the brands you love most.
The same is true for micro-influencers. They eat, live, and breathe just like anyone else. When they share their groggy morning routine, popping open that box of cereal and pouring in some ice-cold milk—they’re unwittingly being brand ambassadors for those products.
Sometimes, they buy a new product that gets them excited. So, they share it with their following. Sometimes, they start following a new account that has awesome content. And they share that with their audience as well. It’s just as natural as sharing with family or friends.
And that’s EXACTLY how it should feel to their audience when you run a sponsored campaign with them. It should fit in naturally. And it shouldn’t just feel honest. It should actually be honest.
That’s why it’s important to choose a micro-influencer who’s already positioned as a leader in your niche. Someone who is the perfect fit for your brand.
The right micro-influencer for you has:
- The right lifestyle…
- The right world view…
- The right attitude…
- An authentic appreciation for you (or your products)…
- And, of course, the right audience…
They fit perfectly with you already—and when they promote your products—it feels 100% natural to both them and their following.
Don’t know how to find the RIGHT micro-influencers? Schedule a call with us and we’ll set you up for success! Click here: Run A Micro-Influencer Campaign!
But those aren’t all the benefits of working with micro-influencers. Just check these out:
Why Should Brands Consider Using Micro-Influencers?
Influencer marketing has been embraced as one of the most effective channels by brands for driving a high return on investment (ROI). 80% of marketers find it effective and 71% of them say that it helps them drive high-quality traffic and customers. So, where does collaborating with micro-influencers fit in with all this success?
There are a few major points that make micro-influencers a uniquely effective choice within the sphere of influencer marketing:
- Cost.
- Targeting.
- Authenticity.
Cost Benefits of Working With Micro-Influencers
Running a sponsored campaign with a micro-influencer is much cheaper than running a promotion with say, Kylie Jenner—who charges a hefty $1.2M per sponsored post. However, you may be able to run a single campaign through a micro-influencer for as low as $300. This makes the barrier to entry much more appealing to smaller brands who can’t dish out that much cash for a single “hit-or-miss” campaign.
Plus, micro-influencers are without question less costly than macro-influencers—and many have lower collaboration costs than the industry average. Some reasons for this include:
- They’re more focused on content quality.
- They’re looking to build their partnership portfolio.
- Influencer marketing is not their main source of income.
- They’re doing this to connect with a community rather than make money.
Are Micro-Influencer Campaigns Targeted?
You might need to do some homework and lots of outreach to set up an effective micro-influencer campaign. But rest assured, if you’ve done it right—it will be targeted. Having the right micro-influencer sponsor your post is one of the best ways to make your advertising fit naturally into your audience’s world. A well-researched and executed micro-influencer campaign can produce the highest engagement rate and ROI of any influencer marketing campaign.
When working with a micro-influencer you have a better chance of reaching your target audience. The majority of micro-influencer followers follow the account because they create highly relevant content for that community. For example, a fashion micro-influencer audience follows and engages with their content because of her unique sense of style and outfit inspiration they provide.
Ready to run a targeted influencer campaign? Just schedule a call with the #1 Instagram Influencer Marketing Agency in the world! Click here: Run A Micro-Influencer Campaign!
Authenticity of a Micro-Influencer Sponsored Campaign
Having a micro-influencer (who’s well-aligned with your brand) run a sponsored post on their profile is one of the MOST powerful forms of word-of-mouth advertising. Remember, you’re building real relationships with the influencer and their audience through the campaign!
Additionally, since micro-influencers typically don’t have the large budget, resources, connections, and number of collaborations of macro or mega-influencers, they’re more likely to develop consistent and genuine connections with their followers and their community. They are also eager to grow. As a result, many micro-influencers put a lot more effort into their campaigns which leads to better content.
Working with micro-influencers sounds pretty appealing, right? But is it better than working with A-list celebrities?
Not necessarily. It all depends on your goals. Let’s explore this a bit further:
Are Micro-Influencers Better Than Celebrities?
It really depends on your goals. If you want to get massive reach, exposure, and drive tons of diverse traffic to a page, account, or product—then celebrity marketing might be right for you. But if you need to be highly targeted because your goals are sales and engagement—you may want to use micro-influencers for your campaign.
Here’s a list of a few perks you’ll find with influencers vs. celebrity marketing:
- Authentic engagement
- Micro-influencers take pride in producing content that resonates and speaks to their followers and community. This authenticity can also help micro-influencers drive sales for the right product since their followers feel closely connected and invested in the success of a micro-influencer.
- Opportunity to build brand ambassadors. Enrolling micro-influencers in your brand ambassador program can do wonders for a recently launched product or a brand looking to increase awareness through social media.
- Having brand ambassadors is a low-cost way to test if micro-influencers can convey your brand and product attributes in a way to authentically speak to their audience. Additionally, having a brand ambassador program has a low-cost barrier to entry, allowing you to exchange products or a hefty discount code in exchange for a few pieces of content per month.
- Better chance of reaching your target audience. When working with a micro-influencer you have a better chance of reaching the people you want to reach. The majority of micro-influencer followers follow the account because they create highly relevant content for that community. For example, a fashion micro-influencer audience follows and engages with their content because of her unique sense of style and outfit inspiration they provide.
- Higher ROI potential
Ready to promote and your Instagram account? Just schedule a call with the #1 Instagram Influencer Marketing Agency in the world! Click here: Run A Micro-Influencer Campaign!
What Are The Challenges Of Promoting With Micro-Influencers?
- Time-consuming – you may want to work with multiple micro-influencers to get maximum results. This will require more time not only to find and communicate with the influencers but to work through different briefs and review cycles, etc.
- Checking quality – some micro-influencers, for whom Instagram isn’t their full-time job may be juggling a busy schedule. That could become a problem by compromising the quality of the content. However, you can agree to quality checks/revisions in the contract to avoid this becoming a problem
- Limited reach – micro-influencers do have limited reach as they have smaller audiences. If brand awareness is your goal, it will make more sense to work with a macro or mega influencer
- More demand for creativity – micro-influencers create their best work when given some freedom. Unlike some mega influencer brand collaborations that can be more straightforward in execution, micro-influencers don’t want strict guidelines on exactly what to post. The best thing to do is provide brand guidelines and the goals of the campaign, and allow the micro-influencer to create content they know will resonate best with their audience
So, now that you have a much clearer understanding of micro-influencers—are they for you? And if they are, where can you find them?
How To Find Micro-Influencers On Instagram
If you’re interested in running a micro-influencer campaign—we can help you do it effectively! At Social Sensei, we’re the #1 Instagram Influencer Marketing Agency in the world. We have a powerful network of famous influencers and A-list celebrities that we’ll use to promote your account.
Why use our services?
We offer some of the most competitive prices possible, and with a pre-built network of influencers, your campaign will be up and running in no time. We offer epic customer service and you even get your own dedicated account manager to help you with the whole process.
Interested?
Just reach out and contact us by clicking HERE. And ask us about our Micro-Influencer campaigns!
Now, as promised—here are some tips for becoming a micro-influencer:
Tips For Becoming A Micro-Influencer
- Brand yourself and be creative – You don’t really have to be famous for you to be an influencer. You can start small. And you can start by exploring your niches. Your overlapping interests is what makes you unique as an influencer. Your set of skills and experiences is what attracts users and potential brand partners. Marketers value genuine support, and followers can tell if you’re acting authentically or not.
- Quality over quantity – your value as a micro-influencer rests on the fact that you don’t have millions of followers. The engagement you elicit from your followers depends on your relatable image. Instead of trying to increase your follower figure, focus on the quality of those relationships. Comment thoughtfully whenever a follower tags you. Post images and videos that show you interacting with real people in everyday circumstances.
- Be generous – The easiest, least expensive thing to give is information. If you’re a backpacker, post a checklist for two-, three- and five-day trips. Personal shoutouts are another free tactic: When a follower tags you in a post of their own, publicly thank or joke with them from your account.
- Utilize tools and tell great stories – it’s not enough that you just post a photo and hope followers to fill in the blanks. You should tell them a story of the brand or the product, describe them so your followers know what to expect about it. Be real about sharing your stories cause like what I’ve said they could see if you’re faking it or being authentic
It’s clear that the benefits of working with micro-influencers outweigh those of other types of influencers. And you can clearly see that micro-influencers are the rising stars of the influencer marketing space. They are more cost-effective to work with, generate more engagement, are more relevant, and are seen as authentic and trustworthy.
All of these qualities make up for their low reach. You can always partner with micro-influencers if you want to generate more reach and also engage users at the same time. This approach will help you, especially businesses with budget constraints, grow your brand through influencer marketing.
One Last Thing… Before you go…
We hope you’ve enjoyed this article—but now it’s time to take action. You’ve got the knowledge. It’s time to unleash the power.
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