The Rise of the Micro Influencer

The world of the influencer is not a new one

For generations we have had individuals of influence promote or talk about a brand, cause or product in exchange for cash. Companies have long known the value of getting someone with a reach and reputation to push a message. From Marilyn Monroe to Boris Becker, it was always the case that the bigger the name, and the price, the more reach you had.

But not anymore.

Now we live in a time where the many have taken the influence from the few. Across all social platforms you have individuals who have cornered their niche and have a band of loyal followers who are highly engaged, have a genuine interest in what they have to say and share. These are the micro influencers and they may well be the key to unlocking your brands future.

The influencer market has seen huge growth in the last few years with spend topping $1bn worldwide. Allow me to tell you why.

Consumers are smart, they don’t want to be sold to and that is evident with the rise of advert blocking software that stops adverts being seen and as many as 65% of audiences skipping ads on platforms such as YouTube. No matter how great your marketing content is or how large your advertising budget, if people aren’t seeing it you may as well throw it all in the sea.

The other huge advantage to working with an influencer is the rate of engagement. You could have your message, brand, service or product seen by every living soul on Earth, if they do nothing about it then it is a wasted opportunity. Engagement rates amongst influencers is on average 5.7%, a notable increase on the 2.7% brands enjoy. All this means that by utilising a number of well chosen micro influencers, you can share your message with a large audience who have a genuine interest in how you can help them and being delivered by someone they trust.

But how can you make the most of what these influencers have to offer?

Well the good news is that getting your influencer campaign off the ground is getting easier all the time, there are however certain elements that are a touch counter intuitive and I implore you to run with it.

1. Pick your niche; consider what interests your audience and choose influencers that talk about that area. You can of course pick a number of topics but if you are selling a food product, there is little point approaching a property blogger.
2. Allow authenticity; one of the hardest things to do, particularly with your own brand, is to give up an amount of creative control to another. In this case you have to trust your influencer and let them introduce your brand in their style, it is scary but the way they approach content is the reason they have an engaged audience. Work with them to figure out the best approach and build that two way relationship whilst retaining the essence that makes them successful.
3. Don’t expect results in the short term; sure enough this is a sweeping statement as you may well see results straight away but I’ve always employed the approach that building brand engagement takes time. You need to build a relationship with your wider audience and also those who will help you promote the brand. Planning an engaging campaign with your chosen influencers allows you to explore unique ideas to grab attention and eventually see the benefits of that in a sustainable way.

This is but a brief introduction to the world of how micro influencers can positively impact your marketing campaign, if you’d like to find out more, contact Dodgems and Floss.