What are nano/micro-influencers and how can they help your business?

Introduction

An influencer is an individual who can impact the purchasing decisions and behaviours of their followers on social media or other online platforms. Influencers are seen as experts or leaders in their respective fields or niches and have a large following of people who trust their opinions and recommendations. They may specialize in various topics such as beauty, fashion, food, travel, fitness, or technology. Brands often collaborate with influencers to promote their products or services to their followers in a more authentic and engaging way than traditional advertising methods. The level of influence an individual has as an influencer is often measured by their reach, engagement, and overall impact on their followers.

Typically, influencers who have hundreds of thousands of followers can be paid 4 figure sums for a single post, while those with millions of followers with charge even more than that.

Introducing the different types of influencers:

While most people who spend any time online know what an influencer is, they may be unaware that there is more than one type of influencer, and it is not just those with huge followings online.

Different types of influencers can be placed into categories as per their number of followers:

Nano Influencer: 1,000 – 10,000 Followers

Micro Influencer: 10,000 – 50,000 Followers

Mid-Tier Influencer: 50,000 – 100,000 Followers

Macro Influencer: 500,000 – 1,000,000 Followers

Mega Influencer: 1,000,000 + Followers

Which influencer to target if you’re a small business:

If you own a small business, then the nano and micro influencers can be very beneficial to growing your business and reaching a whole new set of customers without the large spend on something like Google or Social Media Ads.

Even though nano and micro influencers have lower follower numbers they usually have much higher engagement percentages on their posts. If someone has developed a really tight knit following of like-minded individuals and have established themselves as a bit of an enthusiast within a specific niche, then these people are much more valuable to your business than the mid-tier influencer who has a following of bots or random people from all over the globe.

Nano and Micro influencers can also have a higher degree of authority and trust with their audience. Usually these types of influencer may not have regular brand deals or be reached out by brands outside of their specific niche, this means their audience knows exactly what kind of content they post and will respect their opinions more.

For example, you are a small coffee shop in a major city, and you want to get your name out there online what I would suggest is utilising social media apps like Instagram or Tik Tok. Use the search function to search for different hashtags relating to the city you are in. Spend an hour or two looking through different Instagram accounts until you find a few people who have these followers and quality engagement rates on their posts. An example of an Instagram account could be an amateur food blogger who on weekends likes to try new places and posts her reviews and recommendations to her Instagram an Tik Tok.

The great thing about micro and nano influencers is that due to the lower number of followers, brands and companies reaching out to them may be quite rare. This means they will be more reciprocal to small businesses approaching them to do some sponsored content.

Using the example of the coffee shop, we would recommend they approach this nano influencer, offer them and a friend, a free coffee/cold drink of choice and a free cake each if they are willing to do an Instagram post about their experience at the café. If you are the café, you only had to pay for the cost of goods which will be less than £10 but you’ve managed to reach hundreds of people who have liked the post.

All it takes is 3-4 people coming into the café from this post recommendation for reaching out to the influencer to be worth it.

Conclusion

Nan/micro influencers typically charge lower fees compared to larger influencers, making them a cost-effective option for brands with smaller budgets.

Nano/micro influencers have a smaller but highly engaged following, which means that their followers are more likely to trust their recommendations and act on their posts.

Nano/micro influencers often have a niche audience that is highly targeted and relevant to specific industries or interests, making them ideal for brands looking to reach a specific audience.

Nano/micro influencers are often seen as more authentic and relatable than larger influencers, as they have a closer connection with their followers and are more likely to engage in authentic conversations with them.

Due to their lower fees and higher engagement rates, working with a nano influencer can provide a higher ROI compared to working with larger influencers.