In the age of authenticity, brands are turning to influencers that are
relatable and trustworthy. This means companies are embracing those with
smaller social media followings, such as nano and micro influencers for a
more genuine return on investment. Nano influencers are defined as having
800-10,000 followers, and micro influencers 10,000 to 50,000 followers.
Some, according to a report in Business Insider, are collaborating with
those who have as few as 100 followers.
“Brands are increasingly seeing the benefits of working with micro- or
nano-influencers. People with a few thousand followers generally seem more
trustworthy, authentic, and relatable than those with huge followings,”
says the report. Working with smaller influencers can also mean a brand’s
message is spread in a more natural-feeling way.
While it may seem an obvious choice for a sizeable brand to approach
big-name celebrities, often regarded as powerful influencers due to their
number of followers and reach, they may not be the best choice when it
comes to reputation, trustworthiness, likability or authenticity.
Nano influencer considered the most powerful
Nano influencers are considered the most powerful influencers because of
their high engagement rates. They might have a handful of followers, but
they reach deep into their niche markets and have the “influence”
needed for influencer marketing.
Word of mouth has the highest reverb
According to a report by BCG & Altagamma, Word of Mouth marketing has
become the number one source on impacting how customers in our
industries develop opinions or make purchase decisions, with nearly 40
percent of the influence coming directly from social media and online
blogs. As 72 percent of today’s customers take to social to interact with
their favourite fashion and luxury brands, it’s no longer a question of
“if” brands should be engaging with these new channels, but how.
Industry experts are becoming increasingly savvy when it comes to
influencer marketing, according to the latest influencer report by
Launchmetrics. This is evident in the fact they are placing more importance
on audience insights when choosing influencers, rather than looking at the
volume of followers.
Fashion brands favour micro influencers
Micro influencers continue to be the preferred tier for professionals in
fashion, luxury and cosmetics, representing nearly the same percentage in
2018 as 2019, according to data by Launchmetrics. 32.1 percent claimed that
micro influencers have a better connection with their target audience, when
companies were asked what value influencers brought to their campaign.
Instagram is the preferred platform
Instagram is the most relevant social media platform for industry
professionals for influencer marketing, seeing a 10 percent growth from 36
to 46 percent year on year. Facebook fell slightly by 1 percent to 15,7
percent, followed by YouTube and Blogs.
“In the journey to connect with the new, younger and digitally-savvy
customer, brands are looking for ways to not just drive engagement, but
also sales. These new “middle-men” use their trusted voices to help bring
highly engaged audiences to the front door of ecommerce sites, without the
brands needing to do the heavy lifting that that comes with traditional
channels such as advertising,” said Launchmetrics CEO Michael Jais.
Photo credit: Launchmetrics; article sources: Launchmetrics “State of
Influencer Marketing 2019,” Business Insider “Why brands are turning away
from big Instagram influencers to work with people who have small
followings instead.”
Photo: Pexels
