We all follow at least one celebrity on social media. When these celebrities endorse products, we may even check them out and make a purchase. But, these endorsements come with a high price tag for brand marketers. Plus, most consumers understand that these celebrities are paid big bucks to endorse products and that it’s all a part of a larger advertising picture. For some, this makes the endorsement less effective and even suspicious to the target audience.
Smaller brands typically can’t afford to partner with big-name celebrities, but that’s fine. Why? Because they can find micro-influencers that can work wonders as their brands’ partners. These people have a much smaller base of followers, but they can be more compatible with the marketing objectives of the brand. And, the use of micro-influencers has proven to be so effective that even larger brands are recognizing the potential of partnering with them.
Oh, and the bonus benefit… They’re all professional content producers.
If you’re not sure whether your brand should partner with micro-influencers, we’re here to show you the benefits. Here’s everything you need to know.
What is a Micro-Influencer?
Let’s start by defining social media influencers and micro-influencers, to help you understand who fits into this category.
Social Media Influencers
They are social media activists who have a strong followers’ base. They use their creativity, authority, knowledge, and popularity to reach as many people, and influence their purchasing decisions, online behavior, and consumer journeys.
Micro-Influencers
They are social media influencers who have between 1,000 and 10,000 followers on social media. They’re usually active on major social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. They can be a part of any niche but usually focus on just one.
Micro-influencers are seen as “experts” in their niche area, and their followers share that expertise with their communities, continually growing a larger following for the influencer.
So, micro-influencers may not seem as powerful at first glance, but their true power isn’t in the number of followers. It’s in the impact they have on their followers. That’s why your brand needs to consider partnering with them.
Benefits of Partnering with Micro-Influencers
When you partner with a micro-influencer, you’re not focusing on the number of people who will learn about your brand. You’re focusing on a number of other benefits that come from this partnership.
Here are the main benefits of hiring a micro-influencer to promote your brand.
1. Trust & Authenticity
When you’re choosing an influencer to promote your brand, you need someone your target audience can relate to. Celebrities that are extremely popular and glamorous are more distant from your average consumer.
But, micro-influencers are:
- Similar to the people they’re addressing
- More real, relatable, and ordinary.
So, if your target audience is college students, you’ll make more success with a micro-influencer who’s also in college, than a mega-celebrity who’s never been to one. Micro-influencer can cover topics students will love and understand, such as “my roommate is super loud” or “I need someone to write my paper”. They need someone who understands the struggles and problems they’re going through.
This makes everything the micro-influencers say and write more trustworthy and authentic. The average consumer relates to their content, personality, and life choices better, which makes their influence strong and stable.
2. Closer Interaction
Communication is important, especially to the people who see influencers as their role models, mentors, or even friends. A macro-influencer who has a million followers will never be able to communicate with their followers as closely and intimately as a micro-influencer.
So, the communication with a micro-influencer and their followers is:
- Friendly
- Personal
- Frequent
- Stable.
A micro-influencer can tend to the needs of all or at least most of their followers. They can answer their messages and reply to their comments more timely and with dedication. This can even be seen as a type of customer support and a major plus for the people receiving this attention.
This helps the micro-influencers build a loyal and long-term relationship with them. It reflects the influence they have when promoting your brand, which is another major benefit.
3. Narrow Niche
Nobody likes or trusts a know-it-all. Influencers who cover multiple niches and promote all kinds of brands at the same time can quickly lose their credibility and power.
Micro-influencers focus on a more narrow niche, which makes them:
- More of an expert
- More credible to give out advice and promote brands
- More influential.
By focusing on a single, narrow niche, micro-influencers manage to stand out from other influencers with more followers, who also focus on this niche, along with several other niches. It’s simple- they’re seen as the go-to resource for information about this niche.
Plus, when a brand with the same narrow niche partners with them, there is a tight focus. They get to unify their social media influences and create a powerful partnership.
4. Brand Alignment
When you hire an influencer, you’re hiring a brand ambassador. Everything this person writes and says is a reflection of who you are as a brand.
Luckily, it’s easier to create brand alignment with a micro-influencer than someone with a much broader audience. You just need to make sure of the following:
- They have content creation skills (writing, video, etc.)
- They’re original and creative
- They understand your vision, brand image, and story
- They reflect the same values as your brand
- You don’t have to do a grammar check of their content.
This will help you build brand loyalty and retain as many customers as possible.
5. Budget-Friendly
Finally, micro-influencers are much more budget-friendly for brands, since the number of followers is what determines the price of partnering with them. For brands, this opens many new doors:
- They can hire more than one micro-influencer
- They can collaborate with micro-influencers more closely
- They can save money and still make a huge success with the partnership
So, micro-influencers can help brands save money while making successful brand promotions.
Final Thoughts
Finding the right micro-influencer takes a good deal of research. Once you find them, you still need to work on communicating your brand’s needs, objectives, expectations, and values efficiently, so that your partnership could work. But, after all the hard work, you’ll be able to enjoy the benefits of partnering with a micro-influencer, so it’s worth it.
For more great tips, tricks, and how-to’s like this, subscribe to the DivvyHQ blog today!