Influencer marketing via social media platforms like Instagram has become a prevalent digital strategy for both large corporate brands, and smaller boutique brands alike. I personally first heard of influencer marketing around 2012 when Instagram was beginning to gain traction, and the adoption rate was increasing exponentially each month.
I remember reading some articles five years ago in various newspapers which interviewed Instagram models, fitness instructors and market mavens etc., on how they were paid by large corporate brands for individuals posts. These posts either reviewed the product or utilised ‘product placement’ in a duplicitous method in order to influence their followers into a purchase decision. Previously big brands would only connect with what is termed a ‘macro-influencer’, someone having over 150,000 followers. However, now brands both small and big are seeing the value in partnering with ‘micro-influencers’.
In an article last year from Forbes contributor Sarah Boyd, Sarah outlined that brands are moving away from ‘macro-influencers’, and are focusing on ‘micro-influencers’ as a part of their digital marketing strategies. She says a ‘micro-influencer’ has between 10,000 to 150,000 followers, and the reason brands are turning towards ‘micro-influencers’ is due to their engagement and niche markets. Another article in ADWEEK, found that the more followers an influencer had, the less engagement each post would receive, brands believe that ‘micro-influencers’ are the most cost effective strategy. And in turn can provide highly targeted posts to potential consumers of their products, with the engagement aspect being the key, as opposed to metrics like social media reach.
Let me know your thoughts, and feel free to comment. Do you think a ‘macro-influencer’ with a million followers is more beneficial for a brand? Or do you think 10 or 15 ‘micro-influencers’ with high engagement would be better to increase overall ‘brand engagement’ and in turn sales for a company?
Thanks for reading,
Eddie Amiet
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http://www.watchanish.com/category/lifestyle/
Hi! Really nice article about influencers. I share your opinion that they truly are essential in our society as we all spend most of our time on social media and increasingly on Instagram. I think that micro-influencers are a good alternative for small to medium brands as they don’t always have the possibility to afford the ones with millions of followers. This is a win-win partnership as bloggers gain money and it increase their visibility. Looking forward to read your next posts 🙂
Thanks for commenting, I certainly think micro-influencers are a viable option for small to medium based enterprises. I also believe larger corporate firms will benefit from micro-influencers due to their highly targeted and engaged audience. However, the cost is it is much more resource intensive to juggle and partner with multiple influencers and run multiple branding campaigns with them. Time will tell if this is a cost effective strategy.
Hi! I personally agree that a micro influencer is the right way to go. Big celebrities such as kim K and selena gomez just have every person under the sun following them with very little care involved. Whereas smaller pages have followers who actually support them and pay attention to the posts they make.
Yeah, that is very accurate, I think it depends on the product or brand, but in todays market and with changes such as the ‘long tail’, brands and products are so niche, so it makes sense to use micro-influencers. Not just from a finance standpoint, but from a targeting standpoint.
Interesting post! I think it’s worthwhile for brands to engage with micro- influencers, they have a platform that is noticeable enough that brands can utilise to gain recognition and at the same time they are more likely to accept the offer than celebrities Instagram. Micro-influencers can be easily contacted than macro influencers and have more loyal followers which means that what they have to promote carries more weight.
Very true, there is also a hefty price tag regarding some macro-influencers and a lot of times you could be exposing your brand to people who do not wish to purchase it.
I think if the goal is purely brand awareness a relevant macro influencer with greater reach is likely better suited. However in terms of converting awareness to sales and brand liking and engagement I would absolutely agree that micro influencers generate greater engagement through what seems to be a better level of authenticity.
But I do wonder if there will come a time within the next 5-10 maybe 20 years when we start to see through influencers altogether as just another marketing stunt the way we see through banner ads and such today.
Great Post!
Great analysis, I have changed the title of the blog to ‘brand engagement’, and absolutely agree with you on this point. Certainly creating brand awareness has its benefits, i.e., the mere exposure effect, and better customer recall. But in terms of converting leads into sales and customer targeting, this shift towards micro-influencers is definitely the right direction. I think people are already seeing through certain instagram influencers, I believe that is why micro-influencers are receiving so much engagement.
Thanks for commenting.
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