The Value of Micro-Influencers & Why Your Business Should Use Them

What is a micro-influencer? I consider a micro-influencer someone who has 10,000 to 100,000 followers on a social platform. In some cases, even fewer followers can count as a micro-influencer if the fan base is particularly dedicated.

I’m a huge fan of Kevin Kelly’s essay on 1000 True Fans. If you haven’t read it, here’s a Tl;dr version: to make a living in any business, you only need 100o true fans. A true fan is defined as a person who will buy anything you produce. You don’t need a million of customers, clients, or admirers to be financially stable.

The micro-influencer is a great thing for the influencer and the brand alike. It’s “word of mouth” marketing for the social era.

If you are on the business or brand side, influencer marketing is not only undervalued, but highly effective. You don’t need to have the marketing budget of a large corporation to capitalize on using influencers for campaigns. (I also think it’s wise for large companies to play in this space too).

While paying top dollar for an influencer with millions of followers may seem like a good idea to reach a higher number of impressions, that does not necessarily translate into quality impressions or sales. Why? That influencer may not have the pull with the right audience for your product or brand. There’s no guarantee at that level of a following that the right people will see it.

Numbers matter to some extent, but influence matters way more.

The beauty of a micro-influencer with a rabid fan base is that the attention is there, and more importantly, the trust. You want to find the influencers who align with the audience you are trying to reach, but are also authentic in the products and recommendations they make. They can tell your story in a way you might not even have thought of. If your product is good and the influencer genuinely likes it, it is worth the minimal investment to get in front of their audience.

Right now is the time to get more than you pay for.

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Originally published on my blog at brittanykrystle.com

*Feel free to ask me your personal branding, influencer marketing & social media questions. Whether you’re a business looking to use micro-influencers or a micro-influencer looking to work with businesses, don’t be afraid to reach out.