Who are nano and micro-influencers?
Nano and micro-influencers are the social media game changers operating with smaller but highly engaged audiences. Nano-influencers boast followings of up to 10,000, while micro-influencers command audiences between 10,000 and 100,000. These individuals often focus on specific niches, passionately sharing their expertise and talents, which fosters a strong sense of community and genuine connection with their followers.
Through the years, influencers have been divided into a few groups. It’s noticeable mainly by the number of followers. We separate the following groups:
- Nano-influencers (up to 10 000 followers)
- Micro-influencers (10 000 – 100 000 followers)
- Macro-influencers (100 000 – 1 000 000 followers)
- Mega-influencers (over 1 million followers)*
*The numbers may differ depending on the website and/or division type.
Micro-influencers, whose publications oscillate around a specific topic or show their work or talents, make it happen to find their niche followers who are truly interested in what they share online. In contrast, macro and mega-influencer profiles can be very similar to each other, which makes them less attractive. Big profiles are often owned by TV personalities, celebrities, or lifestyle-related influencers who just show their daily life’s good-looking pictures instead of sharing highly valuable content.
The difference in numbers between bit and small profiles is clearly visible, but it doesn’t prove that one is better than the other when it comes to selling itself or the quality of the content/ads it proposes.
source: instagram.com
Why do nano and micro-influencers have higher engagement?
Nano and micro-influencers usually have higher engagement rates owing to their ability to maintain closer, more personal connections with their followers. The smaller audience size allows for more meaningful and deep interactions, creating a sense of community. Engagement rates for nano and micro-influencers can be several times higher than those for mega-influencers with millions of followers. This means that your brand message is more likely to be seen and acted upon by a relevant audience when you partner with a micro-influencer. See how Influencer Marketing can affect company growth.
5 reasons to partner with nano and micro-influencers to boost your ER
1. Higher trust
They are more trustworthy. As they do not collaborate with brands too often, their sponsored materials are more reliable, which makes the audience engage more willingly.
2. Stronger community
They value their audience more, which makes them feel more confident to engage. Nano and micro-influencers often consider their followers to be a community, sometimes even treating them as virtual friends, which causes a higher engagement.
3. Engaging content
Their content is more attractive and interesting to the audience, which makes their followers more likely to like or comment.
4. Targeted reach
Knowing that many smaller profiles publish niche content, they gather more targeted audiences. Collaborating with them can make it easier to find the target group we’re aiming to reach. The audience that is clearly interested in someone’s content will always be engaging stronger.
5. Consistent posting
They often publish regularly, which is quite important when leading social media profiles. Their audience knows they will get an update, such as a picture, video, article or story — every day or a few times a week — which makes them feel closer to the creator.
Pros and cons of collaboration with small profile influencers
Inviting a nano or micro-influencer to your campaign may have both positive and negative aspects. It’s crucial to weigh these factors carefully to ensure that the collaboration aligns with your strategic goals and yields the desired outcomes
Pros of collaboration with small profile influencers:
Working with nano and micro-influencers can bring a wealth of advantages. These partnerships often result in highly authentic interactions and deeply personal connections within their niche communities.
- Niche audience — they gather smaller but more niche audience
- Authenticity — their content usually appears more authentic
- Lower costs — they are less expensive than macro or mega-influencers
- More commitment and loyalty — they are more likely to be loyal and committed to the brand they collaborate with
- Higher Engagement Rate (ER) — they gain more % of interactions under their publications
Cons of collaboration with small profile influencers:
However, it’s essential to be mindful of the limitations when teaming up with smaller influencers. Despite the clear advantages, sometimes the reduced reach and lower levels of brand visibility can pose a challenge.
- Lower reach — they reach fewer users
- Less brand awareness — they have a lower ability to create brand awareness
- More difficult to find the right micro-influencer — they are harder to find; it’s necessary to do great research
- Fewer potential customers — as they have less followers, they may include less potential customers
- More time-consuming — working with more micro-influencers instead of 1 or 2 macro/mega-influencers takes more time
No matter what platform we speak about, nano and micro-influencers deliver a higher engagement rate than macro or mega-influencers.
How do you know whether a nano/micro-influencer is good for your brand? Choosing an Influencer checklist.
To decide whether to engage influencers with smaller or bigger profiles for your campaign, it’s crucial to realize what outcomes you expect out of the collaboration. Do you want to reach a large number of followers, or would you prefer to focus on a specific group of users? Do you want to sell directly, or do you want to expand the good word about your brand at first? Is this your first try with influencers, or have you previously worked with some?
Every answer will be important here and will help you understand what’s best for you. However, if your main goal is gaining a high engagement rate (ER), you definitely need to try nano- and micro-influencers!
If you answered ‘yes’ to seven or more questions, collaboration with nano- and micro-influencers should be a great prospect for you.
Remember, there may be more reasons that determine whether working with nano- and micro-influencers or macro- and mega-influencers is better for your brand. If you have never collaborated with any influencers before and you have an unlimited budget, it would be a great move to try all the possibilities at first and see the outcome.
If you’re still unsure what the best option is for leading a successful campaign, you can always consult an agency that has experience working with influencers and tools that help you choose the right approach.
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