Today, we live in a world where almost everything is according to modern technology. Social media is so dominating with whatever generation people belong with. Social media will always be there even in the world of marketing, digital is on the lead. And I would say influencer marketing helped it happen.

Influencer marketing has been embraced as one of the most effective channels for driving a higher ROI. 80% of marketers find it effective and 71% of them say that it helps them drive high-quality traffic and customers. While marketers started leveraging the power of influence with celebrities, micro-influencer collaborations are rising in popularity. Are these reasons enough to convince you to invest in influencer marketing? They should be.

How is micro-influencer rising from its popularity? And how is it becoming more popular and popular as years go by? It’s because social media reaches various places all over the world and reaches a lot of diversities. One post can allow you to engage other people to listen to you. That’s how powerful it is where it could even give a person the power to influence them on what they should do and what they should believe in regarding brands. How can a micro-influencer do that? They might not have a great reach on broad audiences but them having the most significant engagement rate of all the types of influencers made micro-influencers the best way for a brand to navigate its way to success. Additionally, since micro-influencers typically do not have the budget, resources, connections, and number of collaborations as a macro-influencer, this forces them 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.

Brands tend to go for micro-influencers because these are experts in their niches. So any content that they may share that’s related to that niche is considered more credible. It’s also much cheaper compared to hiring a celebrity or a big-time influencer. And due to the lower cost of working with this kind of individual, it allowed brands to have the option of working with several micro-influencers at the same time.

Here are other benefits of working with micro-influencers: 

• 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.
• Can build brand ambassadors
• Before becoming a macro-influencer, they were micro-influencers. Before becoming a micro-influencer, they are 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 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.
• Higher ROI potential
• Micro-influencers are without question less costly than macro-influencers. Many have lower collaboration costs that the industry average for many reasons with some being:
  • Focusing on content quality

• • Looking to build their partnership portfolio

• • Influencer marketing is not their main source of income

• • Doing it to connect with a community rather than make money

 

Here is more to know about the challenges in micro- influencers 

• Time –  you may want to work with multiple micro-influencers to get maximum results. And this will require more time not only to find and communicate with the influencers but to work through different briefs and review cycles, etc.

• Quality – some micro-influencers, for whom Instagram isn’t their full-time job, maybe juggling a busy schedule and this could compromise the quality of content. However, you can agree to quality checks/revisions in the contract to avoid this becoming a problem

• 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

• 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

Here are tips on becoming one

• 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.

Ready to take your Instagram account to the next level?  Work with the experts at Social Sensei to help pair your business with the right growth plan to help you gain real Instagram followers, increase brand exposure, and boost your credibility.  Dial 888-444-9144 to talk to one of our experts today or click here to schedule a FREE 15-minute consultation with us.