Micro-Influencers: The New Celebrities?

Is there even such a thing as being too popular? Apparently so. As the Influencer Marketing Industry is becoming increasingly powerful and brand campaigns frequently feature with bloggers, YouTubers and Instagram personalities, research into this type of marketing shows how brands can most effectively communicate with their audience. And the new buzzword seems to be: Micro-influencers!

4 Types of Influencers:

1. Celebrities (over 1 million followers or subscribers)

2. Macro-influencers (around 1 million followers or subscribers)

3. Middle-influencers (around 100,000 followers or subscribers)

4. Micro-influencers (around 10,000 followers or subscribers)

Unlike celebrities and macro-influencers who have a huge following, micro-influencers are considered to be more trustworthy and authentic by their followers, resulting in a fan base that is loyal and engaged. And we all know that engagement rates are the new hot topic, because looking at reach alone is not enough anymore. Growth rates and high engagement have become increasingly important and are what makes micro-influencers so desirable.

Statistics show that micro-influencers are seen as more credible and knowledgable about products, making consumers 82% more likely to follow their recommendations in comparison to macro-influencers or celebrities. And it’s cheaper, too! Betting on a micro-influencer is a more cost effective alternative to celebrities and YouTubers with millions of fans, so spending $25,000 to run a campaign with several micro-influencers will create a reach of approximately 5 million consumer followers (What a bargain!).

Top Reasons to work with Micro-influencers:

1. Micro-influencers might have a smaller reach, but have been detected to have two-to-five times more organic engagement per Instagram post

2. With a loyal and engaged following of 10,000 to 150,000 consumers, endorsements from micro-influencers are much more effective as they feel more trustworthy and authentic than superficial engagements from larger personalities

3. Instagram has recently changed its algorithm to favor quality content, meaning that micro-influencers will now become even more visible on the platform

4. High engagement and low cost campaigns attract brands to work with micro-influencers rather than with big celebrities

According to Daniel Saynt, co-founder and CEO of Socialyte, “you’re going to see an increase in spend on the talents who drive results, not just the girls who are famous on Instagram”- So watch out young talent!