Ah, the influencer. Often found posing for a selfie in front of a beautiful backdrop or participating in the latest dance challenge in the middle of a busy street. Now ubiquitous throughout our culture, there are influencers for everything – food, finances, fitness, and even four-legged friends…
If you have a product, service, or business, this is great news for you. The influx of influencers means you can now harness the power of word-of-mouth marketing like never before. At first glance, you might think you need to pull in a Mr. Beast-level personality to have success with influencer marketing. But in actuality, some of the most successful influencer campaigns involve smaller, more engaged, and invested communities, curated by micro-influencers.
What Is a Micro-Influencer?
What is a micro-influencer, you say? The internet defines a micro-influencer as an account with 10,000 – 50,000 followers. And while those numbers may be smaller than what might typically come to mind when you think “influencer” this follower range often enjoys better engagement than an audience of millions.
Take Amazon’s customer base, for example. Obviously, it numbers in the millions. But how devoted are those customers? If Prime didn’t exist or they didn’t make it so easy to order everything from personalized cardboard cutouts to catnip, would they have such a massive following? Do you hear people passionately talking about their love of Amazon?
Probably not. But take a smaller brand like Rothy’s. Maybe you haven’t heard of it before, but the people who wear Rothy’s, love them. They’re almost fanatical about it. They are micro-ambassadors for the brand. They’re telling their friends about it and buying every new style that comes out. This is the kind of audience you want.
Micro-influencers are often more intentional and protective of their communities since every follower matters. They can’t risk putting out bad content or losing the trust of their audience because losing even a fraction of their following could be detrimental. This can be a huge benefit to your brand if you can find the right micro-influencers to work with. If you can partner with the right micro-influencers, you can tap into the trust they’ve built with their followers to reach a new audience. Finding someone in your space or genre who is willing to use or review your product or service is a great way to reach new audiences and get a valuable endorsement.
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What To Consider When Working With Micro-Influencers
There are thousands of influencers out there, spanning every conceivable category and niche. Because micro-influencers have smaller followings than their macro counterparts, you have more opportunities to spread your marketing budget around and try out a few different audiences.
Prices will range from person to person, and it’s up to you to decide what your budget is and how valuable a partnership with an influencer will be. The important thing is finding micro-influencers that make sense for you and your brand. The audience they have should be the audience you want. One that makes sense for your product or service.
Before you reach out to a micro-influencer, be sure to have a very clear idea of who your target audience is and who will benefit most from what you’re advertising. With this information in mind, you can seek out micro-influencers who have cultivated communities that closely resemble your target audience.
How To Pitch to a Micro-Influencer
When reaching out to a micro-influencer to collaborate, remember to make it easy and appealing for them to work with you. Ideally, the collaborations you pursue will be mutually beneficial. You’re getting exposure for your brand and they are getting compensated through free products, services, or a financial sponsorship.
If you choose the right influencer, the pitch shouldn’t be difficult. Make it clear from the beginning that you understand their audience and have done your research to ensure it will be worth their time to work with you. Be sure to leave some room for flexibility in your pitch. They know their audience better than you do, so if they offer any suggestions or feedback on how to present your brand to their audience, be sure to listen!
It’s also helpful to take the time and think through what a successful campaign will look like for you. Are you seeking sales, followers, or email sign-ups? Whatever you’re hoping to get from the partnership, be sure to outline that in the beginning so everyone understands the goal and can effectively work toward it. Every social platform has a way of measuring how a piece of content performs, so be sure to include post analytics in your discussions and what you consider successful by the numbers.
When working with an influencer of any size, best practice dictates that you draft up a contract to keep both parties protected. You can find several templates online that you can cater to your specific arrangement. Be sure to include the basics such as deliverables, time frame, rate, and any other information that is pertinent to your collaboration.
Working with micro-influencers can result in macro-success. Creating a series of successful collaborations with smaller influencers can lead to larger opportunities for your brand. Starting small is a great way to experiment and enjoy the process while fine-tuning your approach. If you’re looking for a way to expand your reach and get your product or service in front of a wider audience, micro-influencers are a great way to get started.
