This is the first post in a series based on a new ebook we co-authored with AP and Alison Chew. For early access to the rest of the book click here
When you think about creating your influencer campaign – whether you’re new to influencer marketing or you’ve run dozens of placements – the first thing to consider is the type of influencer you want to work with and their size.
At the top of the influencer, spectrum are celebrity influencers. These are the Kim Kardashians, Michael Jordans, and Justin Biebers of the world. The people you see on TV and in the movies. They have millions of followers and are known across the globe. These are the A-list influencers and come with an A-list price tag.
Next you have macro-influencers. These are the celebrities of the social media and influencer world. While you may not recognize them from TV, you will notice them all over YouTube, Instagram, and every other social media platform. Take Brian Kelly for example, better known as The Points Guy. He travels the world using points and miles and documents it all in his blog. He has millions of followers that are constantly curious about where he is going and how he is doing it.
The old way of influencer marketing was to use macro-influencers to broaden your reach to millions. Over the years companies began to debate whether this method was driving the right results and the focus switched to engagement. Were people engaged with the content? Did people comment, like, and share it? This is where micro-influencers have come in to play.
Micro-Influencers usually have between 5,000 and 50,000 followers. They have more specialized niches and very active and engaged audiences. Followers want to know where they’re going, what they’re doing, what they’re wearing, or where they’re eating.
In comparison to celebrity influencers and macro-influencers, where you could pay tens of thousands (if not more) for an Instagram post, micro-influencers are incredibly cost-effective. They have better engagement rates, they’re smaller, target a niche-specific audience, and because their audience trusts their opinions, they have higher conversion rates. This has repeatedly been shown in studies on the effectiveness of working with micro-influencers.
So why wouldn’t a brand work with micro-influencers? In the past, it all came down to the cost of time. Small audiences meant that for every influencer post or placement, you now had to do it a dozen times. Time to find them. Time to track whether the post happened. Time to aggregate engagement rates and record it all in Excel. Lots and lots of time. Fortunately, with platforms like Mediarails that can now all be automated.