Micro influencer marketing guide
micro influencer marketing guide
what is micro influencer marketing and how can you use it?
There are many tiers of influencers that you can utilize in your marketing efforts. Micro influencers have a smaller follower size and focus on a specific affinity group. There are some brands where micro influencers can be a great fit! Let’s dive into what makes micro influencers unique and why they may (or may not!) be a good fit for you.
What is a micro influencer?
The term micro influencer may feel small but it’s actually defined as anyone with a following between 10,000 to 50,000 followers. Typically micro influencers are known for and build their following in a certain focus area, like travel, parenting, fitness, or food. Their followers feel close to them because of their shared interests and while they may not have millions of followers, micro influencers often have highly engaged and loyal followers.
Micro versus nano influencers
Micro influencers and nano influencers differ in a few key ways. One is the number of followers: nano influencers usually have between 1,000 - 10,000 versus micro influencers at 10,000 - 50,000 followers.
But it’s not just about the volume of followers, it’s also about the types of people these accounts attract. Micro influencers usually garner attention in a certain sphere, while nano influencers often build a following based on interests + location. Nano influencers are much more likely to know their followers in real life and to have the majority of them concentrated where they live.
Nano influencers can be a great channel for any business that is trying to drum up interest in a specific geographic area as there is a lot of trust in the nano influencer <> follower relationship.
Micro versus mid-tier influencers
When it comes to differentiating between micro and mid-tier influencers you start to see a real shift in both reach and exposure. While mid-tier influencers have a larger audience, they typically aren’t as “close” to them and that’s often reflected back in lower engagement.
According to a recent article in Forbes “70% of marketers prefer using “nano” influencers or “micro” ones rather than larger scale influencers and celebrities.” Mostly due to cost effectiveness and engagement, which go hand-in-hand.
Mid-tier influencers may still be a great channel for some brands as the content produced by these creators tends to be on the more authentic side, since many of them have been building a following and a business for a while now.
Micro versus macro influencers
When it comes to micro vs. macro influencers, it’s hard to compare - micro is all about authentic content, not overly edited, highly relatable. Macro influencers are typically celebrities in their own right (athletes, actors, chefs etc.) and their content may provide far reach but it will also be highly produced and can get very pricey.
Macro influencers can make sense for brands that are mostly focused on prestige as having celebrity endorsements in certain industries means a lot!
Examples of micro instagram influencers
Here are three examples of micro instagram influencers in the United States.
Sammie and Pika - pets
Jade - fashion
Samantha Myers - beauty and cosmetics
Brands that work with micro influencers
Brands that choose to work micro influencers often recognize the importance of WOM (word of mouth) marketing and getting into relevant communities and conversations. From beauty brands like Glossier to meal kit subscriptions like HelloFresh, many companies are choosing to work with micro influencers. They can scale programs faster and cast a wider net - you might feel like you see these brands everywhere, and that’s probably because you do!
There’s a level of intersectionality that can be achieved by working with micro influencers of various backgrounds and experiences that brands may miss by getting celebrity endorsements.
Micro influencer rates
According to Shopify’s 2024 influencer rates report where they surveyed Instagram influencers specifically, micro influencers are typically charging $100–$500 per post. This makes micro influencers an attractive and cost effective solution for all different types of brands that may be looking to test out working with influencers.
How to find micro influencers on Instagram and TikTok
If you've never searched for influencers on social media, it's more difficult than you'd think! Here are a handful of ways to kick off your search for your micro influencer collaboration.
How to search influencers on Instagram
There are four ways to search for influencers on Instagram.
Search hashtags - the most common way to search is by using relevant brand and topic hashtags.
Search city/locations - location searches are the most useful if your brand has a brick and mortar location or wants to target a specific geographical area.
Broad topic search - the Instagram app has an accurate search feature that scans captions and hashtags.
Instagram Creator Marketplace - sign up and search for influencers by filters like age, location, interest, etc.
How to find TikTok influencers
Like Instagram, there are a few ways to find creators in TikTok.
Search hashtags - try searching your target keywords and any like it. You can also search #ad to identify influencers already working with brands.
Search keywords - TikTok's search feature is very useful and gives you great results.
Use the ‘For You’ page - If you've been searching for a specific topic, TikTok will remember and show you similar results in this tab.
Use a third-party tool - There are a handful of tool like Promoty and Collabstr that help brands search for specific influencers.
Are there micro influencer platforms and brands I can work with?
Micro influencer marketing can be accomplished in many ways. Whether it’s deciding to hire a micro influencer agency or utilizing a micro influencer marketing platform, brands make different choices based on how much money they’re willing to spend and how much time they want to save.
With micro influencer specific platforms, brands can come in and choose the exact demographics and interests that matter to them. They know they’ll get matched with micro influencers that have the reach they are looking for.
Is hiring a micro influencer marketing agency worth it?
Micro influencer agencies have preexisting relationships of their own with specific influencers. They help the brands they work with connect with those influencers and will usually help with contract negotiation, as well.
Agencies can be expensive to work with and there may be limitations in terms of influencer access if they only work within their network. It’s also important to note that some influencers only work with agencies and not individual brands so reaching those influencers may not be possible without an agency in the mix.
