Working with influencers is a great way to gain exposure for your brand or business. But can micro-influencers really bring in ROI? Let’s break down the benefits of working with micro-influencers.
In regards to social media marketing, an influencer is an individual who has established credibility, can have an effect on purchase decisions, and usually has amassed a large audience following.
What Is a Micro-Influencer?
A micro-influencer still has all the attributes of an influencer but with a smaller audience base. The parameters that define a micro-influencer can fluctuate depending on who you ask. I consider an individual a micro-influencer when this person has a following of 5,000 to 50,000 followers.
Related Post: Social Media Marketing 101
Benefits of Working With Micro-Influencers
There are many benefits to working with smaller influencers.
Here are some ways that micro-influencers can have a higher ROI.
- They have higher engagement rates.
Many studies have shown that as follower numbers increase, engagement rates decrease. So, working with micro-influencers (whose audiences haven’t ballooned yet) might bring higher ROI for your brand. - They usually specialize in a niche.
Another way micro influencer ROI can end up being higher than when using a larger influencer is that many times, micro-influencers have very specific niches. This means a more highly targeted audience—which leaves you with higher conversions. - They are usually perceived as more authentic.
Micro-influencers are usually perceived as more authentic by their audience than larger influencers. - They are looking for opportunities.
Micro-influencers are most likely in an earlier stage of building their presence. That means they are more open and eager to work with brands to both build their credibility and begin to monetize their audiences. - They will cost you less.
Micro influencer ROI can outperform larger influencer ROI because it will cost you less to work with micro-influencers. Often, larger influencers have already started to monetize their following, which may mean they charge for endorsements on their channels. Because micro-influencers haven’t reached that point yet, they will be less expensive to work with requiring smaller fees or will be open to posting in exchange for a product or service. Devise your micro-influencer compensation package before reaching out.
How to Find Micro-Influencers
To ensure high micro influencer ROI, the first step is to find the right influencers for your brand. Find influencers that relate to your product or service, with an audience that is engaged and responding to those influencers’ posts.
Dive in and quality check people liking and leaving comments to verify that they are your target audience. Make sure the micro-influencer complements your brand’s voice and visual aesthetic.
Here are some ways you can go about finding the right micro-influencers for your brand.
Start with your own following
You may have some micro-influencers already interacting with you online! Browse your social media posts and take a look at who are the top users interacting with you.
Take a look at their profiles and notice their follower numbers, and see how engaged their audience is.
You can use a tool like the Twitter Report Card to see just how active a Twitter user’s followers are.
Put on your detective hat
Another way to find micro-influencers that will get you a good return on your investment is to do a little research.
Remember that micro-influencers are usually dialed into specific niches. Research industry-specific hashtags or keywords. You can use built-in search tools like the Explore tab on Instagram to help you discover posts popular under your specific keyword. Once you find a good micro-influencer, take a look at that person’s posts to take note of what other hashtags being used can lead you to more influencers.
After you’ve found your micro-influencers, keep track of them and interact with their social media accounts regularly to start building a relationship. The process will help the influencer get familiar with your brand, so this won’t be a cold contact when you finally reach out.
Create an Excel or Google Sheets list or use a tool like Agorapulse to help you keep monitor micro-influencers and their posts. Tag users as “micro-influencer” to help you keep track of relevant accounts and conversations.
Reach out and touch someone (but not in a sleazy way)
Reaching out to micro influencers can be really easy! You can send them a message on the platform you’ve been interacting with them on or send them an email. Many influencers will list their email addresses on their profiles or will have contact forms on their sites. When sending them an email or message make sure to introduce yourself, and let them know why you think they’d be a good fit for your campaign.
So How Can I Gain Micro Influencer ROI?
There are many different campaigns you can run to gain micro influencer ROI.
- Sharing Tips
Ask your influencer to share tips about their area of expertise with your following. Make sure they invite their audience to your channels to follow along. This campaign is great for growing your following with the targeted audience. You might want to enlist someone who already creates lists or tutorials for this kind of project. - How To’s
Work with a micro influencer to create content around innovative ways to use your product. - Announcements
If you want to make big splash announcements are a perfect reason to try micro influencers. Work with several to break news to so many new eyes! - Product Reviews
Micro-influencers care about the quality of the content they share with their audience, and their followers know it. Getting the right influencer to review and recommend your product can help with brand awareness and sales. - Giveaways
Partner with a micro influencer (or a few) to create or promote a giveaway for your brand, increasing the visibility of the campaign. - Content Partnerships
You can work with micro influencers to create content for your brand and share on their social media networks.
- Account takeovers
Account takeovers are another great way to gain high micro influencer ROI. Because micro influencers have very engaged audiences, they’re perfect for takeovers in which they influencer posts from your brand’s account for a day. The idea is that they invite their audience to your brand’s channels for the exclusive content.
Here’s one takeover with micro influencer The Healthy Blond (approx. 8,000 Instagram followers)
Bringing in micro influencer ROI can be an easy way to grow your following and gain awareness for your business. it’s also a good way to ease into influencer marketing.
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Originally posted in 2017, this article has been updated in 2019.
