Have you ever been surfing Instagram or TikTok and saw the profile of someone you don’t know at all but has hundreds or thousands of followers? Or, have you ever seen someone promoting a brand or product on Instagram, then when you peek at their profile, their followers are even less than two thousand?
These examples are living proof that this year (and the coming years) will be the year of nano and micro-influencers—and a sign that celebrity influence is on the decline.
With technology and the rapidly advancing digital world as we see it today, everyone and anyone has the same opportunity to become a creator if they want to. The emergence of “non-influencers” is becoming increasingly common on platforms like TikTok and platforms that have similar features.
These creators can be teachers, doctors, housewives, children to parents who are still literate in technology. They have skills that high-end influencers don’t necessarily have (the reverse can also be true), and audiences love them.
Then, what makes nano and micro-influencers trusted?
There are important reasons why nano and micro-influencers can be trusted more than influencers with levels above.
1. Nano and micro-influencers are more authentic.
In this case, nano and micro-influencers are those who appear as they are on a daily basis, interacting with followers who are mostly their own close friends and family so that when they promote a product or service, the level of trust that is raised is higher.
The same thing cannot just apply to influencers who are at the macro or mega level. They are people who personally rarely interact with followers, and to reach them must go through a manager—not directly.
2. Receiving payments other than money.
Not all brands or businesses can afford to pay influencers. Especially for macro or mega level influencers who have exorbitant prices. As an alternative to this problem, nano and micro-influencers are here to offer what influencers of higher levels will never offer: exchanging free products for reviews and exposure.
Not a few nano and micro-influencers are happy to give free reviews to brands that give them free products at no extra cost. And it will still benefit from both sides; brands and influencers.
3. The cost is relatively cheaper.
Even if you have to spend money to pay for nano and micro-influencers, it won’t be as big as when using mega- and macro-influencers. If you can pay one mega-influencer to promote your brand, then that same fund can get you working with at least 100 nano and micro-influencers.
4. Greater engagement.
If the goal of your campaign is to reach, we have to say that you should work with macros and mega-influencers. If necessary, celebrity. However, if the objective of your campaign is greater engagement, nano and micro-influencers cannot be ruled out.
A study from AdWeek shows that micro-influencers have 60% higher engagement rates than influencers at the top level. This means that the effectiveness of nano and micro-influencers in campaigns cannot be underestimated.
5. Audiences are more specific.
Similar to the first point, nano and micro-influencers have a circle of friends or followers that are not broad, but specific and authentic. This means that if you can choose the right influencers to work with, you can narrow down your target audience more specifically. As a result, measuring campaign results will be easier with satisfying results.
But what about macro, mega, and celebrity influencers?
The presence of big influencers is still needed by the industry. They still play an important role today. However, now there are nano and micro-influencers that are present as an alternative—especially for businesses and medium to lower enterprises who want to stay relevant in the market.
If the objective of a campaign is to spread exposure or reach a wide audience, big influencers are still very effective. But for other objectives, nano and micro-influencers are the right choice.
Nano and micro-influencers are the future of marketing
This is not only agreed by many experts, but also by brands and businesses who have tried and experienced the results of working with nano and micro-influencers.
For businesses or brands that are quite established, they will pair macro or mega-influencers with nano- and micro-influencers in every campaign they run. From there, they can compare the results. With the right strategy, this method will have short and long term impacts on the business.
Apart from the things described above, there are two other things that are no less important which are the factors why nano and micro-influencers are the future of marketing.
Easier to reach. To reach an influencer at the celebrity level, you usually have to go through several managers—you can’t go directly to the person in question. This makes the time used so inefficient. On the other hand, nano and micro-influencers manage everything on social media themselves, so the opportunity to negotiate directly is huge. They also tend to be more open when asked to discuss strategy.
Making them a Brand Ambassador is good for the brand in the long term. It doesn’t cost a fortune to turn a nano or micro-influencer Brand Ambassador into a business, and they’re very open to it. Even more so if they already know or have even tried the products and services of that brand.
Final PopStar Tip
Both influencers at the macro, mega, and celebrity levels still have their own market and will still remain relevant in the industry. The presence of nano and micro-influencers provides additional solutions for brands and businesses—especially for new brands and businesses, to win the hearts of customers and consumers in general.
Investing in influencer marketing is not always about short-term ROI. People don’t need to buy the products or services you offer right away, you just have to get them to know, explore, and like them first. If they are successful, they will be happy to make a purchase without being forced into it in the future. And, this method can be achieved through influencer marketing.
Send us a message or contact our Team at contact@pop-star.me for more information on how PopStar can help your influencer marketing here in the Philippines.