The winds are changing again for the influencer marketing industry as Unilever, Samsung, eBay, and other household brands announce that they’re taking a stand against influencers that purchase fake followers and falsify their engagements.
While brands should have been doing this all along, this increased attention should compel brands to dig into the backgrounds of their influencer partners with a fine-tooth comb. And as they move away from some influencers, they’ll be embracing new relationships with influencers who have stayed true to their roots and their audiences.
This is where micro-influencers begin to become an essential part of every brand's influencer marketing strategy. If you remember from one of our previous posts, the 5 types of social media influencers are:
Of those five, we’re going to see micro-influencers playing an increasingly central role. Why? It goes back to the purpose of influencers marketing.
Influencer marketing was first created because consumers began to feel that branded content was too forced and was no longer resonating. Instead, their attention turned towards bloggers that they personally related to and sought out for advice and inspiration. Once brands caught on to the power of these content producers, they began to make deals with these bloggers to help influence audiences to use their product or service.
There you have it – influencer marketing exists to influence. And what better way is there to influence someone then to partner with a trusted resource who can authentically promote your brand in a unique and personal way that the audience can relate to. Their micro-audience gives you advantages that you can’t get working with other types of influencer.
You’re able to more accurately tell that their audience matches your target audience and that your messaging will be well received.
The influencer is more likely to be open to having a real dialogue with their audience by answering questions and addressing comments that provide you with meaningful insights that can inform your campaign.
Their story is going to be unique and easily relatable to followers. And what’s best if that they’re not afraid to turn down work if they feel your brand isn’t the right fit for their audience. Ambassadors – Micro-influencers are also fantastic candidates for ambassador programs. The longer that you work with the influencer, the better their content becomes and the better their messaging becomes causing engagement rates to regularly increase.
Finally, micro-influencers are a more cost-effective solution. Throughout campaigns, we’re able to partner with multiple micro-influencers that produce hundreds of pieces of content versus spending the entire budget a single celebrity post.
The obvious downside of micro-influencers is that they don’t have the same reach as influencers with more followers. After all, if nobody sees the branded content, they certainly can’t be influenced by it.
This is address two ways. First, by having multiple influencers for the same budget and second, by syndicating the best of the content to the exact right audience. That’s one of the main principles that Carusele has been built around.
So, as you continue optimizing your influencer marketing strategy for the remainder of the year, consider incorporation micro-influencers into your campaigns. If you need help identifying the right ones and making sure that you can accurately measure your campaigns, contact us today.