THE POWER OF MICRO
Social and Digital Media have changed how we do so many different things. for example, the way people shop today is so dramatically different than twenty years ago. Even my mother (mid-60’s) goes straight to the internet when she wants to buy something new. She meticulously pours over the various online reviews of different brand, on different sites, to determine that delicate balance between quality, customer service support, and price point. Traditional television, newspaper, and radio advertisements just don’t cut it anymore. The fact is, this is not the media spaces where people are living.
In the past, before expensive cable packages and satellite or digital radio, we accepted that the price for free entertainment were commercials. But a few things happened — many of us spent more time online in digital spaces; we decided to ‘Cut the Cord’ and were either willing to pay to eliminate advertisements or we found alternative ‘ad free’ ways and means to be entertained. So because of this, we have become more critical of the classic advertisements that have crept into our new media spaces, because like a break in a TV show they just don’t fit and they standout. So what is a brand to do? Well back in the ‘golden age’ of television and film, advertisers turned to product placement. Some of it was very overt and in your face, but the most effective was subtle and fit into the surroundings. So how to leverage this idea in a social media space, where audiences are retaliating against advertisements? Cue the Social Media Influencers!!
Influencers are truly nothing new. The sponsorship of celebrities and athletes has been going on for decades, so naturally as they migrated to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc, so did their sponsorship’s. But at the same time social media created a new type of celebrity — Youtubers, Viners, Instagrammers! They may not have the celebrity status of a professional athlete, a movie star, or a famous musician, but many of them have followings that are just as devoted, and some might say more loyal. This is because the interactions between these new social media celebrities and their communities are often viewed as more genuine(Source). Which truly makes these social media personalities — Influencers.
Social Media Influencers are divided into tiers based upon their number of followers. As displayed in the graphic to the left, Influencers on Instagram are tiered from Mega (1M+ Followers) to Nano (1–10K Followers). And it is the number of followers that drives how much it costs for brands to advertise with these influencers. Obviously the more followers, the larger reach, the more expensive the brand campaign.
But there is something very interesting about the communities that are built and curated by the smaller tier of influencers — they actually drive higher engagement rates(Source). In fact, some of the highest engagement rates exist in communities with less than 50K followers. There are multiple reasons for this (Source):
- Communities are based upon a common interest. So the smaller the community, often the more niche the interest.
- The members of these very niche communities have chosen to follow these people because they are viewed as thought leaders, so the level of trust is often very high.
- With smaller communities the interactions between the infleuncer and the members are more personal or intimate, which increases the value that followers place on the relationship.
So how can a brand leverage micro-influencers? Well the most important part is understanding who your target audience is; where are they are online; and, what communities are they apart of? The answer to these questions will form a picture that will enable you to better understand who your potential consumer or customer is, and how and through who can you communicate to them. Besides their higher engagement rates, one of the great things about micro-influencers is that it levels the playing field for smaller brands. Most brands can’t afford a ‘Kardashian’ level of influencer, nor would that help their business, instead they have the ability to leverage minor social media celebrities to potentially better effect (Source).
Well let’s say that your business is a brick-and-mortar company or service like a local restaurant or gym. Could you leverage micro-influencers? Well I say sure! Again, it is all about understanding who your audience is, where they are online, and who within that space are they listening to or following? But in this case it should probably include a geographic component. Perhaps it is:
- Finding the fitness-guru in your local area with a small engaged following, and arranging for them to film their daily workouts in your gym
- Having a culinary artist with a small yet dedicated fan base, be a visiting chef at your restaurant
- Inviting a minor/local celebrity who is active on Twitter or Instagram to a four-week fitness challenge at your gym
- Engaging the brew-master at a local craft brewery to do food and beer pairings at your restaurant
The truth is there are so many ways to effectively employ micro-influencers. In fact, many of them will have ideas about the development of an influencer campaign, because they have already have a solid understanding of the community they have created and/or are curating.
