The Power of Micro-Influencers on Instagram
Influencer: “Individual whose effect on the purchase decision is some way significant or authoritative.” (Dictionary.com)
Influencers, in the social media world, are known as individuals who have a large following and the power to impact those that see their posts to potentially buy the product they are sponsored to advertise.
In this article, “The Power of Micro-Influencers on Instagram” by, Brett Farmiloe, in Social Media Today, Familoe goes into the changing demographic of social media influencers. It used to be those with a generally large following no matter what the specifics were. “Influencers” were getting paid to post sponsored posts from said brands. This article explains how micro-influencers are more influential than just normal “influencers”.
Micro-influencer are those, “individuals with average follower counts, but with strong levels of influence over said groups within niche geographic or virtual communities.” (Social Media Today)
Those that may have a lower follower count may have a better actual impact on their community. These authentic relationships with their followers, are highly credible sources. These micro-influencers follow those they know and have followers that trust their opinion. It’s not random fans, rather individuals in the geographic area that genuinely listen to what the said influencer has to say.
Probably the most important factor which separates celebrities and micro-influencers is engagement rates. While celebrities may have a couple million followers, those that actually follow their posts and listen to what they have to say isn’t all of the millions “following” them. Rather a sponsored post may get some touchpoints and get those to actually go out and buy the product, but they are only doing it as a fad. A micro-influencer has a more influential impact on the consumer decision journey. Those that are more closely following a micro-influencer trust that person’s opinion more and have a better chance of buying the product being advertised again.
Lastly, this article goes into detail of what one should to do have successful sponsored posts.
“Maximize your budget — don’t concentrate all your money into one post with a short lifespan when you can invest in dozens of posts that will last longer.” (Social Media Today)
Instead of paying those with millions of followers to post about your product, you should reach out to actual users who have a tighter niche fan base.
“The best case scenario is that you’ll create a strong bond with a particular influencer, and he or she will start posting without any incentive.”
For businesses, this means reevaluating their focus groups and reaching out to those who are significant in the community to talk about their product. Instead of going straight to those with a large following, companies are now going to have to do deeper research into their fan base and find who amongst their consumers has a powerful say.