Are you thinking about adding influencer marketing to your promotional mix? Smart decision! Promising 89% higher ROIs than competing marketing tools, Influencer Marketing has taken a giant leap from an ancillary tactic to mainstream marketing.
Done correctly, influencer marketing can elevate your brand to the next level. This article will help you understand the types of influencer marketers, along with the benefits and challenges they pose, so you can make the correct choice for your business.
Mega Influencers (>1M followers)
A-list celebrities who have 1 million or more followers on social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Snapchat, etc.
Mega influencers are the most popular people online; they include A-listers who got famous on Social Media such as Huda Kattan (Huda Beauty) James Charles. They also include celebrities who were already well-known before they joined social media and instantly got millions of followers when they joined such as Jennifer Aniston or Beyoncé.
Benefits of Working with Mega Influencers
Remarkable Reach – One Instagram post by Mega Influencers has millions of impressions within hours. In one day, your brand/product can go from an unknown entity to the latest trend.
The IT Factor – Mega Influencers can enhance your brand’s personality by lending their own personality to it. They have the power to make the brand appear cool and exclusive; for example, Kim Kardashian is a global Icon of Fashion, if she endorses a brand than the brand instantly gets credibility and becomes a ‘must-have’ fashion brand.
Professional Collaborations – Mega influencers have been in the business for a while; they are intimately familiar with the workings of the industry. They usually also have a team of people working for them, which makes collaborations smooth and hassle-free.
Challenges of Working with Mega Influencers
Steep Price – Most A-listers charge more than $50,000 for one post.
Brand Relevance – Make sure that the mega influencer is the right fit for your brand. The audience may not be willing to trust paid content if the mega influencer is completely out of sync with the brand.
Mega Influencers Marketing Campaigns that Worked
Beyoncé and Adidas – Queen Bee successfully paired up with the king of sporting accessories to help them broaden their female market, increase the gravitas of their brand, reach the African-American target audience, and more. The expected sales from this collaboration are expected to be more than $150 billion.
Which Brands should work with Mega Influencers?
Mega influencers usually have passive audiences, meaning the collaboration won’t lead to immediate conversion, but it will increase brand/product recognition.
Therefore, brands that want to increase brand awareness, build brand personality, or increase the ‘coolness’ of their brand should opt for mega influencers.
Macro (100k to 1 million followers)
Passionate internet personalities that have created a loyal following through their knowledge, dedication, creativity, and ingenuity about a certain niche.
Macro Influencers are very familiar with their audience; they create a community of like-minded individuals who are interested in the same things as they are. Therefore, they are connected and engaged to their audience.
Benefits of Working with Macro Influencers
Targeted Audience Reach – Macro influencers have a broad and targeted audience reach; they give brands access to large chunks of a specific market.
High Conversion Rates – Macro Influencers are like trusted friends to their audience, and when they collaborate with a brand, the audience believes their authenticity, which leads to high conversion rates.
High-Quality Content – Macro’s are pros at creating strategic yet relatable content. You can expect professional and creative content from them.
Challenges of Working with Macro Influencers
Cost – Macro Influencers on the higher end of the spectrum may charge more per post. Most macros have paired up with managers or marketing agencies so they can be expensive.
Credibility – Some Macro influencers may lose their credibility with their original audience if their collaborations appear unauthentic and interest-oriented.
Macro Influencers Marketing Campaigns that Worked
Loeffler Randall and Businesswomen – Luxury Footwear designer Loeffler Randall collaborated with more than 20 influential businesswomen with more than 100,000 social media followers to promote their footwear. The campaign was successful and lead to a 10% increase in brand reach, engagement, and sales.
Lagavulin and Nick Offerman – A liquor brand, Lagavulin, collaborated with Actor Nick Offerman to promote their whiskey. Their collab instantly became viral and increased the brand’s reach, engagement, and panache.
Which Brands should work with Macro Influencers?
If your brand is looking to achieve specific marketing objectives in a targeted market segment, then you should choose Macro influencers. For instance, if a clothing brand wants to increase awareness of its new spring collection, then collaborating with a Lifestyle Macro Influencer will help them achieve this goal easily.
Micro (10k to 100k followers)
Influencers with a limited following, Micros are your everyday people with strong online voices that resonated with like-minded people.
Think about a mommy blog, a healthy diet plan blog, an exercise regime blog, a lifestyle blog, or a skilled blog (woodcraft, paper mache, embroidery, etc.) that you follow.
Benefits of Working with Micro Influencers
Extremely Connected Audience – Micro’s have an engagement rate between 4 – 8% with their audience, which is 4 times greater than Macro influencers and 7 times greater than Mega influencers. Since they have a small audience, they are more connected.
Trustworthy Influencer-Audience Relationship – Micro influencers and their audience share a more trustworthy relationship. Micros often share their lives and value-adding information with their audience, which makes them relatable as well as dependable. The audience of a micro influencer is more likely to act on a recommendation made by them.
High Value – Micro’s are very affordable, and they provide excellent results. Most brands hire several Micro’s to meet their objectives, which is more cost-effective than hiring one macro influencer.
Challenges of Working with Micro Influencers
Quality – For most micros, social media is a hobby or at least a second job. Therefore, the quality of their content is notably less than Macro influencers. Think in terms of amateur photo/video skills, lack of creativity, and reputation, etc.
Reach – Micros have a very small audience. Brands will need to work with several Micro influencers simultaneously to meet their objectives.
Non-Professional – Since they are newbies, brands must expect delays, multiple reviews, and editing cycles.
Micro Influencer Campaigns that Worked
Coca Cola – Coca Cola has an ongoing ‘coke ambassadors’ collaboration with hundreds of micro influencers worldwide. These micro influencers post regular photos of themselves drinking Coke or wearing Coca Cola Merchandise. The campaign has been successful in creating engagements across the board.
Cadbury – Cadbury has a similar approach- it increases its micro influencer marketing near holidays, especially Valentine’s Day. Micro Influencers post n social media, showing how they wished for valentine using Cadbury chocolate.
Which Brands should work with Micro Influencers?
Brands who are looking to create/increase brand engagement at an affordable price should opt for Micro-influencers.
Nano Influencers (<10K followers)
Social Media Blogs/Personalities with less than 10K followers are Nano influencers. Usually, niche blogs, Nano influencers are highly connected to their audience, create unique content, and achieve good engagement.
Benefits of Working with Nano Influencers
Credibility – Nano influencers know their audience intimately. The audience thinks of the influencer as their friend, and so they share a strong bond of trust.
Location – Most Nano influencers have a strong local presence; their audience is from a specific geographical location, which makes them attractive to brands marketing geographically.
Conversion – Followers trust Nano influencers, and so they are more likely to purchase something when the influencer suggests it.
Cost – Nano influencers charge very low bucks for good quality content; it is a productive relationship for businesses.
Challenges of Working with Nano Influencers
Experience – Nano influencers are the new kid on the block; they don’t have a lot of experience working with brands, so brands may face delays and longer run time.
Strategic Content – Nano influencers may not have experience in developing strategic branded content, and so the campaign may not be able to achieve its goals.
Nano Influencer Campaigns That Worked
Dunkin Donuts – Dunkin Donuts collaborated with many influential millennial Nano influencers to increase sales of its coffee beverages.
Naked Juice – A bottled smoothie brand, Naked Juice, collaborated with several Nano influencers in the healthy lifestyle niche to promote its product successfully.
Which Brands Should Work With Nano Influencers?
Brands looking to reach a specific niche in a specific geographical location should collaborate with Nano influencers. Local software development companies, apparel retailers, food & beverage retailers, and healthy lifestyle brands can utilize Nano influencers successfully.
Conclusion – The Influencer You Want
Now that you are familiar with every type of influencer, you must realize that each influencer offers unique opportunities and challenges. You must have clarity about your business and marketing objective to choose the perfect influencer for your business.
In 2020, Micro and Nano influencers are the trends because they are more connected to their audience. Followers of Micro and Nano influencers are more likely to make a purchase because they think of the influencers as their friends.
Brands must consider their marketing strategy and the evolving marketing trends to develop a winning campaign.
Your next brand ambassador is waiting
Discover creators of any size, location, age, or niche. Explore 65M+ accounts using advanced filtering features and make your next campaign your best yet.
Book your free demo now
