2016 was the year of maturation for social influencer marketing.
In a recent survey, 84% of marketers said they plan on launching at least one influencer campaign within the next 12 months. In other words, if you haven’t thought about using an influencer to promote your brand, then you aren’t keeping up with the Kardashians—I mean, Joneses.
Speaking of the Kardashians, they are usually the first personalities that come to mind when we think of influencer marketing. They reach millions of users (even the ones who don’t want to see them) and get millions of likes on their posts. But the big question is, “Where is my ROI?” which is exactly why the future of influencer marketing belongs to micro influencers.
Data shows that as an influencer’s follower total rises, the rate of engagement with followers decreases. Partnering with multiple influencers who have smaller yet more engaged audiences allows marketers to arrive at more meaningful results. Let’s take a look at all the benefits of micro-influencer marketing:
Micro-influencers’ content often performs better than macro-influencers’ posts. This is because they are real people with deep passions or expertise in a certain market. Their followers trust their opinions and often feel more connected to them. Users can relate to them as everyday people and because of this, their content feels more authentic.
Macro-influencers have such diverse audiences there is no way to tell if your target market is being reached. Many brands are trying to reach their audience on a budget, so it’s better to think narrow. Micro-influencers often have niche audiences that allow marketers to ensure they are reaching the right people.
Look, we all want a Kardashian to endorse us as their fav product to make their lips look glossy and plump, but not all of us have the $500,000 (or more) to invest in a single post that gives us no metrics.
With the smaller price tag of going micro, brands can partner with multiple influencers to achieve scale, but can still spend less than if they chose to invest in a macro-influencer. Talk about getting more bang for your buck.
So, how many followers should your micro-influencer have for the highest engagement with the broadest reach? Somewhere between 10K-100K followers is the sweet spot. Just remember: bigger is always better for donuts, but not influencers.
GIFs via Giphy
Interested in launching an influencer campaign for your brand? Reach out to us at [email protected]. Let’s chat!
