Influencer marketing is a very powerful strategy and a great way for brands to connect with their target audiences in a unique way. Influencers can impact the purchasing decisions and opinions of their audience, as they have the ability to connect with their followers with an authenticity that brands can’t duplicate.
People look to influencers as they value their opinion and trust their knowledge – meaning they are a great tool for brands to communicate key messages, showcase products or shout about a service.
The key thing with influencer marketing is choosing the right ones, in order to make the most out of your influencer marketing strategy. Often brands tend to gravitate towards macro influencers – meaning micro influencers are often overlooked. However, micro influencers can sometimes be more beneficial to meet business aims and should definitely be considered as part of your strategy.
With over 60% of UK millennial consumers trusting nano and micro influencer recommendations over a list celebrities and mega influencer endorsements, it’s really important to consider them for your strategy. If you’re unsure about working with micro-influencers, here are five benefits that might just persuade you!
Niche content creators
A big benefit of working with micro-influencers is that they are often known for a specialism in a particular niche area, meaning they are great if your brand has a really specific audience they want to reach or service they want to promote that isn’t as mainstream as other brands. Because of this, their audience tends to be very engaged with the influencer due to their unique and specialised interests.
As a brand, tapping into these carefully curated social communities, to enable niche targeting is proven to be extremely beneficial and is something that is almost impossible to achieve with influencers with much higher follower numbers, such as macro and mega influencers. Identifying micro influencers with a relevant niche, and those whose values coincide with your brand’s values, is crucial for the authentic partnership that makes influencer marketing the powerful tool that it is.
So, if your brand is very niche or you have a really focused idea of who you want to target – micro-influencers should definitely be considered in order to reach your target audience and communicate messages.
The relationship with their audience
No matter the size of the influencer, it’s important to consider their audience and the relationship they have with them. Micro influencers are renowned for the closer more personal relationships they have with their followers, whereas macro influencers are sometimes seen as slightly disconnected to their follower base, due to the large number of them. Micro influencers are able to offer and establish a genuine connection with their specific audience. Over 91% of people have said they trust micro influencers more than they do traditional advertising tactics, highlighting the impact they can have due to the relationship they have with followers.
With micro influencers making up around 47% of all Instagram creators, each creator is able to position themselves to their audience as a trustworthy and authentic voice in their specialised area. Brands are also almost guaranteed a trustworthy and authentic relationship with micro influencers, with care and detail going into the agreed work. Rather than a grid post with the simplest of captions, they’re likely to actually engage with the products and services you offer and provide that authentic, positive review that their followers are more than likely to take into consideration due to the trusted established relationship.
Engagement Rates
One of the biggest benefits of working with micro influencers is the engagement! Despite the difference in follower size to macro and mega influencers, the engagement rates of micro influencers are unparalleled. When celebrity influencers share products and/or services on their social platforms, their followers are likely to view the post as an advertisement rather than a real endorsement you’d get with a micro influencer.
Despite their smaller follower numbers, brands can obtain amazing sales value from working with micro influencers. Due to the frequent and genuine interactions micro influencers have with their niche audiences, their followers are more likely to ask questions and further information on the product or service – as they trust and value the influencers opinion.
It’s almost certain that the conversion and engagement rates of micro influencers are higher than those with higher follower numbers and this is because of the personal touch and the trust that has formed between themselves and their dedicated followers.
Cost effective influencer marketing
Due to their smaller audience, micro influencers make a great, affordable partner for both smaller businesses and larger brands. If you are working with a smaller budget, micro influencers are a cost-effective solution to delivering successful campaigns. It’s even possible to work with several micro influencers for the same value of a single macro influencer!
Though reach may not be as wide as when working with influencers with a smaller audience, engagement may be twice as high as you’re tapping into their engaged follower base – meaning more engagement at a cost-effective price.
As a brand, it’s important to remember that micro influencers are typically looking to grow their following, whilst maintaining their niche audience, so it is common for them to create long term brand partnerships. These relationships therefore allow for a cost-effective influencer marketing strategy, making this one of the most important benefits of working with micro influencers!
Better conversion rates + ROI
It’s fair to say micro influencers are just that more relatable and authentic in comparison to macro, mega and celebrity influencers. For consumers, that relatable and honest persona of a smaller influencer can make all the difference when it comes to making purchase decisions.
Not only do micro influencers drive more conversions, but with their highly targeted audience they can produce a 20% higher conversion rate than bigger influencers at a significantly lower price. Often leading to better ROI overall.
At Prohibition we work with a range of B2B and B2C brands to deliver successful, authentic and creative influencer campaigns. Get in touch with us today to find out more. Drop us an email at hello@prohibitionpr.co.uk.
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