When it comes to influencer marketing, we have you covered on utilizing influencers' authority and trusting them to market your brand. But as we think about it you may not understand all the different types of influencers and the perks to using each one.
When someone says influencer what comes to mind? The Kardashians or maybe even the Jenner family? Well, the truth is, yes these are very famous influencers, but not all influencers are famous. For many brands that are searching for that right influencer, could find that partnering with influencers that have a smaller more dedicated following base could be more effective. One of the most common questions is, “what is the difference between nano, micro, macro, and mega influencers and would you want to use each?” So, let’s take some time and dive right in as each one brings a unique aspect that could be a potential match for your brand.
Nano-Influencers
A Nano-influencer has 10,000 or fewer followers. Typically, with nano influencers, you get someone more relatable to your brand. Yes, they may have a smaller following, but they can pack a punch and you see them posting content that reflects their day-to-day lives. A lot of times you see these influencers with a smaller brand as they can build more of a friendship. With them having a smaller following you typically will see a higher level of engagement on the posts they’ve created. Being smaller they have the time to act as a “friend” to connect and engage with their following to help influence a purchase.
Nano influencers would be a great place to start if you're just getting into influencer marketing. The interaction and overall experience will be more hands-on for your brand. They will spend the time to understand the ins and outs of your brand and can help it grow!
Micro-Influencers
A Micro-influencer has 10,000 to 100,000 followers. These influencers are among the most popular choices out there for brands to partner with. Very similar to nano influencers they’re more viewed as friends and their followers take their suggestions seriously. Their following is higher, and you may see a slight increase in cost. The increase in cost is worth it as they spend more time forming a relationship and delivering a high engagement rate.
Using a Micro influence will bring traction to your brand. When partnering with a micro influencer, they want the brands trust throughout the partnership. Along with trust, communication and understanding appropriate payment is key to having that perfect partnership. To help explain this a little more, here’s a quote from an influencer we’ve partnered with:
What is most important to you in working with a brand?
“Trust - When they trust that I have the best intentions for the brand, and they allow me to be creative and create content instead of giving us all the same prompt and we all post the same content.”
“Payment - when companies understand the price it takes to create content and the importance of a prompt payment.”
“Communication - when brands take 3+ week to get approval or to even respond to a question it throws off the excitement and eagerness.”
Macro-Influencers
A Macro-influencer has 100,000 to 1 million followers. When you think of a macro influencer, think of YouTubers, Reality Stars, and much more! When you reach this level, you will have plenty of choices and direction you could go for your brand as they have access to followers all over the world. You may see a slight decrease in engagement, and you will not have that friendship relationship like nano and micro-influencers.
So, if they don’t have high engagement, why work with macro-influencers? Well, the truth is you will see an impressive ROI (return on investment) due to the impact and awareness they create with sharing different brands. Each partnership is different for every influencer!
Here’s what one influencer has to say about working with a new business:
“When I partner with brands I like to be in control of creative direction. I love having direction on what to do but ultimately, I’d like to create the concept. That’s also something I don’t like about brands when they hire me to be the creator but give me no freedom in the concept.”
Mega-Influencers
A Mega-Influencer has over 1 million followers. This is the moment we all have been waiting for and where the big dogs come to play. When we say mega influencers think of sports stars, superstar influencers, celebrities, and the list goes on! Not only is the price tag high, but a lot of times the audience that they reach is out of the brand’s reach.
Not only will a mega influencer make a big impact on your brand, but they will also be great at generating sales and helping overall brand awareness. Be prepared, this larger audience comes with a much larger price tag!
Best Practices
Before we go, I want to leave you with some best practices when it comes to picking the right influencer for your brand. The best thing you could do is ask for is a media kit. This will allow you to see post examples, imagery style, and average posting rates. Next up would be collecting a rate sheet, this will tell you a price and what you will be looking at to have them on board. Lastly, make sure to ask if they would like free products, as some influencers tend to like to try the product out first before working with a brand.
Interested in finding out more about which influencer may fit your brand best? Check out this article: Utilizing Influencer Trust & Authority to Market Your Brand or reach out to start a conversation with an Account Manager to see how JH can help.
