As the saying goes, “big things come in small packages.” That holds true for the power of micro-influencers. As consumers mature and grow more savvy, the days of celebrity endorsed products are long gone. And, even on social media, where digital word-of-mouth rules, there is a new tribe of influencers, who are wielding the magic wand of influence and turning traffic into sales.
Who Are Micro-Influencers?
As the term implies, micro-influencers are people who have a smaller number of followers on social media. Unlike celebrities, who have millions of followers, the tribe of followers for micro-influencers is comparatively small.
Generally speaking, micro-influencers usually have followers on social media sites in the range of 1,000 to 100,000. Because they have a smaller number of followers, they have higher engagement rates and closer connections with their followers.
Micro-influencers are regular everyday people who have built their follower base organically by posting about their interests and passions on social media, at regular frequencies.
However, most are highly focused on a particular niche, thereby drawing huge engagement rates. Their followers appreciate their authenticity and credibility and see them as a sort of expert in their niche.
Today’s consumers don’t trust celebrity endorsed product recommendations as much as they used to. They perceive them as merely commercial partnerships. On the other hand, when a micro-influencer recommends a product, their followers are more trusting as they value the opinions of the influencer.
Mind-Blowing Micro-Influencer Statistics You Need to See
Let’s take a look at some of the most impressive numbers from various studies and surveys which illustrate the increasing power of micro-influencers.
82% of consumers are likely to buy a product recommended by micro-influencers. And micro-influencers have 22.2x more product buying conversations and recommendations every week than the average consumer.
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Source Expercity
Influencers with 1000 or more followers have an engagement rate of 4.5%. But influencers with over 100,000 followers have an engagement rate of just 0.7%.
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Source Mullen Lowe
The like rates of Influencers with less than 1000 followers is 8%, whereas the like rate of influencers with 10 million+ followers is just 1.6%.
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Source Markerly
These numbers indicate that bigger isn’t always better, especially when it comes to influencers and their influence on social media.
Brands Partnering with Micro-Influencers
Many brands across industries, irrespective of the size and nature of their business have partnered with micro-influencers with huge success. Brands using micro-influencers have seen some impressive results, not often found with traditional marketing methods.
Small brands realize that partnering with micro-influencers is the best way to increase brand awareness and boost sales without spending a fortune on marketing. Larger brands realize that they no longer need celebrities for marketing and micro-influencers add a human touch to the brand while also helping to boost overall sales.
Once you’ve created a list of niche influencers for your brand, the next step is to reach out to them.
Once you’ve brought micro-influencers on board, we come to the biggest step of the campaign – using your team of influencers creatively to increase brand visibility, boost brand awareness, and above all, to increase conversions and generate sales.
Top 3 Ways to Use Micro-Influencers Creatively to Boost Sales
1. Create Campaign Specific Hashtags
Instagram hashtags are one of the most effective ways to increase brand awareness and boost sales. They are an easy way to promote your brand and increase visibility among your target audience.
For example, take a look at how Lacroix, a sparkling water brand, does this. The brand regularly connects with micro-influencers who are into health and fitness.
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Source: @lovelyluccamae
Check out how the influencer in this post promotes the sparkling water brand creatively using her daughter as the model. This post belongs to @lovelyluccamae, who has just a few hundreds of followers, but some impressive engagement rates (over 1000+ likes and 100s of comments)
By using regular people for their campaigns, Lacroix is able to reach out to similar like-minded people who are highly likely to convert.
Additionally, Lacroix makes smart use of hashtags. They invite people to post pictures using the hashtag #livelacroix. A quick search of this hashtag on Instagram reveals over 12,000 posts. That’s some impressive traction.
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Source: #livelacroix
Why does this strategy work? Because it’s genuine and authentic. All micro-influencers who use this hashtag are into the Lacroix lifestyle – meaning they are people who actually drink the sparkling water and other products of the brand. This way, their posts appear authentic and credible, thereby inciting others to purchase the product.
At the end of the day, engagement rates are higher when using micro-influencers, and they can also add authenticity and credibility to your marketing campaigns.
2. Leverage the Power of User-Generated Content
Let’s illustrate this with an example. Aerie, the popular lingerie brand, has been using real people for all their campaigns since 2014. The brand has put an end to displaying their products on skinny models and instead uses regular, real-life social media influencers to showcase their collections.
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Source: @aerie
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Source: @Annamdavis
AnnaMDavis is a micro-influencer with just 600 followers. By using regular people who are social media stars for their campaigns, Aerie is able to bridge the gap between their brand and consumers.
People who come across this post are able to relate to the brand. They see that the images aren’t fabricated, and there’s no glossy photo-shoot involved. It’s all real. They believe that if another regular person (just like them) is able to feel confident wearing Aerie products, then maybe they too should give them a try.
As you can see, Aerie didn’t just create ads showcasing their products but uses pictures created by their users. This is a smart way to leverage the power of user-generated content.
This works wonders for the brand, as it leads to higher conversions, thereby boosting sales.
3. Sponsored Posts
This is one of the most often used techniques by brands who partner with micro-influencers. Here, you get your micro-influencers to post content on their own accounts.
Usually, the micro-influencer is given the freedom to design and create the content. It can be a video, tutorial, boomerang video, picture, or other type of content. The micro-influencer should let their followers know that it’s a sponsored post, but that the views and opinions are their own.
This helps to boost engagement rates, thereby creating a more authentic promotion of your brand.
Let’s take a look at an example.
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Source: @thedadlab
As you can see, here the influencer @thedadlab has mentioned that it’s a sponsored post. Yet, the post has gotten over 4,000 likes because it provides value to his followers.
Sponsored posts are one of the most common ways in which brands use micro-influencers to promote their products. If you’re partnering with an influencer for the first time, then you can send your products to the influencer and request that they provide honest reviews about the product.
Alternatively, if you already have a list of influencers with whom you partner regularly, then you can conduct a giveaway or other contests and ask the influencers to promote your contest to their followers.
Sponsored posts are one of the easiest ways to promote your products to your target audience, thereby driving sales and boosting revenue.
Yield the Mighty Power of Micro-Influencers
It’s no secret that influencers wield significant power in the purchase decisions of their followers. By partnering with the right micro-influencers, you can improve your brand’s presence, visibility, and credibility, thereby boosting conversions and improving sales.
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