If you’ve spent any time scrolling on the internet, chances are you’ve come across a post or two from who you think is a “Youtuber” “Tiktoker” or some other social media user out there. But these people are in fact what we call social media influencers, a strategic middleman brands team up with, to reach a targeted audience, or in social media terms followers. 

While this may sound like a very easy strategy for business, the influencer industry can get complicated. Because the type of influencer varies and for brands with campaign goals, a lot comes down to one big question – macro or micro?

Influencer Category: Macro or Micro

There are different types of influencers out there on social media; i.e Mega influencers, Macro influencers, Micro influencers, Nano influencers. Each influencer class is shaped by the number of followers they have, the value they provide brands and the amount they charge sponsors and brand partnerships. 

For brands this sounds like a small distinction to make when building campaign timelines, but knowing which influencer pool to choose from actually matters, from campaign goal, budget, brand messaging down to who ends up trusting the product enough to buy it. 

The Influencer Pyramid

Macro influencers

A Macro influencer is technically any influencer with followers ranging from 100K to 1Million spread across platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. Think lifestyle influencers like Ama Burland, Gisela Amponsah, K Sane, sports influencer, Berneese and food influencer like Chef Abbys. 

These are the types of influencers people recognize right away, have massive reach, may likely produce quality content and get brands the visibility they want overnight. 

Who is a Micro influencer? 

Micro-influencers, on the other hand, usually sit somewhere between 10K – 100K followers. For these types of influencers, chasing viral fame isn’t yet the goal, they’re more concerned with building a loyal community around specific interests like skincare, home cooking, fitness, personal finance, or vintage thrifting. Also on their spectrum of following, the audience is very engaged compared to Mega or Macro influencers. Since followers have a closer “reach” to these influencers, they tend to have a high level of trust and loyalty to them. It’s simply like how you’d trust a friend’s recommendation over a billboard ad. Brands see that and are likely to buy into that when choosing the right influencers for a campaign.

Benefits of Micro influencing to brands 

For brands, campaigns and advertisements form the backbone of their existence (among other things). So it’s becoming increasingly important to choose the right influencer who can deliver exactly what they need for a product launch, brand awareness, conversion etc. Leaning into partnerships with micro influencers carry a lot of benefits for brands. 

  • Small or medium sized audiences tend to comment, share, and actually interact with posts from their favourite influencers, instead of just scrolling past. Brands typically pay for this type of high engagement posts when they are looking to make a connection with an audience. 
  • Micro influencers have a defined niche they produce content on, so when a brand chooses to work with them, they have a targeted audience in mind, and  know exactly who they’re reaching instead of casting a wide net.
  • Micro influencers typically have niche expertise in a subject and followers see them as knowledgeable and trustworthy, when it comes to certain recommendations. This credibility is a strategy brands can bank on when partnering with these types of influencers.
  • With  micro influencers brands are often assured long-term partnerships, creating consistent messaging instead of one-off shout-outs and sponsored posts bigger influencers tap into. 
  • The content is authentic when it comes to micro influencers. Unlike Mega or Macro influencers who likely have production teams, content created by smaller influencers isn’t very polished and script-like, you get to engage with the “raw” online personality and even relate with them. 
  • Brands looking for a cost effective campaign can partner with micro influencers. Macro influencers are usually on the expensive side, and not all businesses can afford them or are willing to splurge, if that’s the case a better alternative would be to use micro influencers, who provide a better ROI. 

Macro vs Micro? Which one wins 

Choosing between a Macro influencer or Micro influencer depends on what a brand actually needs. If the goal for a campaign is product visibility for a  launch or to create  more brand awareness, macro influencers have an unmatched reach and should be the go. 

However, if a brand is looking to tap into a niche industry, choosing a micro influencer with a long-term loyal community gets better results with engagement, conversions and brand trust.

The influencer world is no longer a popularity contest like it used to be. At each level of an influencers’ journey, brands are now willing to collaborate. Since smaller influencers also offer trust, real engagement, and loyal community or conversions.

If you’re a smaller creator wondering whether your following is “big enough” to work with brands, know that brands are not all about the numbers anymore. They’re also after connections, and that’s something micro influencers definitely deliver naturally. 

So use your size to your biggest advantage.

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@sparkmag
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