The Essential Guide to Micro-Influencers and How They Can Help Grow Your Business

There’s a good chance that you’ve come across the term “influencer.” At its most basic definition, the word refers to a person on social media that has followers. Have you ever scrolled through your feed and come across a celebrity recommending a product? That’s influencer marketing in action.

Influencers have a lot of power when it comes to helping businesses. Their followers trust them, and they’re much more likely to purchase a product or service when someone they trust recommends it.

Have you ever heard the term “micro-influencer?” They’re not big-name celebrities, but their followers still trust them and know them to be experts in their particular niches.

Instead, a micro-influencer could be a traveler, a food blogger, or a health and fitness instructor. They’re people like The Brothers Buoy, Brooklyn-based food bloggers, Uncommon Caribbean, two brothers showcasing travel in the Caribbean, and Seth Fisher, a health and wellness advocate with numerous delicious healthy food posts via his Kalefornia Kitchen platform.

Much like regular (or macro) influencers, micro-influencers can be another way for businesses to reach more people than they could with other marketing strategies. This is a different way to potentially bring in new customers.

If you’re looking for a way to expand your reach, working with micro-influencers offers a unique and effective solution. ‌

Micro-Influencers vs. Influencers: What’s the Difference‌?

With influencer marketing, you can partner with a top content creator, a person with a following, to promote your products or services. You essentially leverage the trust that person has built with their following. They recommend your business, and, in turn, you pay them for the plug or reward them a commission for any referrals they make with a link or tracking code.

When it comes to influencer marketing, you can work with influencers (macro-influencers) or micro-influencers. Influencers often have thousands, if not millions, of diverse followers on their social media platforms across the country and worldwide.

Micro-influencers have fewer followers than your traditional influencers, typically 1,000 to 100,000, but those followers are still highly loyal. As such, cultivating relationships with these individuals is still highly beneficial for many businesses.

Why Work with Micro-Influencers?

If you’re looking to get your name in front of more potential customers, influencers are an easy, effective way to achieve your goal. There are several benefits to working with micro-influencers as opposed to those with larger audiences:

They Engage More with their Audiences

When it comes to influencer marketing, more followers isn’t always better. While influencers with millions of followers will provide you with more exposure, you’re much more likely to see better results with those who have fewer.

Because micro-influencers have smaller audiences, they’re able to engage more with their audiences. They can react and respond to comments and answer questions their followers ask. Research shows that micro-influencers with 1,000 to 5,000 followers have the highest engagement rates, and the rate decreases the more followers an influencer has. Additionally, 82% of consumers have said they would follow a recommendation from a micro-influencer.

They Provide Exposure to a More Niche Audience

Overall, micro-influencers are more connected to the topics or interests these influencers represent. Many of the followers are part of a similar demographic, which can be highly beneficial for businesses looking to promote specific products or services.

Not only will you gain access to a more targeted audience, but most micro-influencers are experts in their particular niche.

Their Followers Tend to Trust Them More

In general, micro-influencers are seen as more trustworthy. They tend to promote products and services they believe in, making their promotions feel more genuine.

Micro-influencers are also more relatable. The people who follow them often do so because they feel the micro-influencers are people like them. They might see a bit of themselves and their struggles or circumstances in those micro-influencers. And, according to a Trust Barometer survey, relatability is almost twice as important as popularity.

They Offer a Greater ROI

Micro-influencers generally cost less than regular influencers with greater numbers of followers. And, if you work with multiple micro-influencers, you can expand the width and depth of your reach even further. As such, they often provide a high return on investment.

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What Types of Businesses Can Benefit from Working with Micro-Influencers?

Businesses with audiences active on social media platforms can benefit from working with micro-influencers. As they’re active on social media, they allow you to meet your audience where they spend a lot of their time online. B2C companies often see the most success from relationships with micro-influencers, but B2B businesses can benefit as well.

As far as specific industries go, some businesses do better than others with help from micro-influencers. They include businesses in industries such as:

• Travel
• Lifestyle
• Food and beverage
• Fashion
• Cosmetics
• Health and fitness
• Home and family

Whether you sell products or services, micro-influencers can help to promote them naturally. They don’t just say what you sell is amazing and leave it at that. They tell a story and show how your product or service fits into their lives. Their followers can then see how what you have to offer fits into their lives, too. If the story resonates with them, those followers may be more likely to check out your social media pages or website to learn more and perhaps make a purchase themselves.

For instance, let’s say you run a healthy meal delivery service. A parenting or health and wellness micro-influencer can show themselves cooking or eating one of the items on your menu. They can also include their thoughts and opinions, such as how easy the food was to prepare or how convenient it was to have the food delivered to their front door, saving them a trip to the grocery store.

Tips to Help You Find Micro-Influencers for Your Business

Now that you know what micro-influencers are and how they can benefit all kinds of businesses in various industries, you may be wondering how to find the right ones for your particular business. Here are a few things you can do:

Research Your Target Audience

One of the first things you’ll want to do is research your target market. This will help you ensure that a micro-influencer’s audience is right for you. Consider such factors as:

• Age
• Gender
• Location
• Occupation or industry
• Interests

You can also use your best customers as examples. Look at the types of pages they like or accounts they follow.

Look Through Your Current Social Media Followers

You can also scroll through the followers on your different social media accounts and look for micro-influencers within your existing audience. Keep an eye out for individuals with 1,000 to 10,000 followers, and then check their profiles to see what types of things they post.

If they post a lot about things related to your business, you might consider reaching out to them. People who already know and trust your brand are often some of the easiest to work with.

Use Keywords and Check Hashtags

Conduct some keyword research to find words and phrases relevant to your business. Then, take those keywords and start checking social media hashtags. That can help you find trending accounts and pages that may also be relevant. Make sure the keywords you choose are specific enough so that you get more actionable results.

For instance, if you’re a vegan cosmetics company, you’ll likely see better results with #veganbeautyproducts than #beautyproducts.

Connect with Local Bloggers

Another option is to search for local bloggers that work within your niche. Many bloggers have a social media presence that helps them promote their own content. Those that live or work in your geographical area can also be an excellent resource for promoting your business. Again, using specific keywords, including your location, is a great place to start.

Continuing with the same example from above, let’s say your business is in Atlanta. Your search might look something like “vegan beauty bloggers in Atlanta, Georgia.” Reach out to ones you feel would be a good fit for your business and see if they would be interested in working with you.

Are You Ready to Expand Your Reach?

Micro-influencers are a great way to expand your reach and bring in new business. They’re typically more engaged with their followers and offer more genuine promotions. And, since their followers are more likely to trust their recommendations, you’re more likely to see more traffic and increased sales.

Are you ready to start working with micro-influencers? An affiliate program is an excellent way to reward the micro-influencers who promote your brand and bring in new customers. LeadDyno can help. Our program management and tracking technology integrate with more than 25 platforms, many of which require a single click. And, our customer service team is available to help you through the process of launching your program and getting the most out of your efforts.

For more information and to get your 30-day free trial, visit LeadDyno today.