Do you have dreams of becoming an influencer but lack the millions of social media followers to make it happen? Well, you are in luck. Micro-influencers are on the rise, and they are taking over influencer marketing. According to Shopify, 47.3% of marketers preferred micro-influencers in 2021. By 2022 that number is expected to increase by at least 50%.
So, how do you become a micro-influencer in 2022, and why is this profession becoming so popular?
What is Influencer Marketing?
Influencer marketing is a form of marketing that uses influential people to promote a product or service. These influencers can be celebrities, bloggers, or even just regular people with a large social media following.
The idea behind influencer marketing is that people are more likely to trust recommendations from people they know and respect. Therefore, if an influencer promotes a product or service, their followers are more likely to check it out. This can lead to increased sales and brand awareness for the business.
The Rise Of Influencer Marketing
Traditional influencer marketing began with “super-influencers” or those with massive audiences. At its inception, brands would pay influencers to promote their products, and often their audience was none the wiser. For example, celebrities like Kendall Jenner have received $250K for posting a single Instagram photo.
These days influencer marketing has shifted from only famous celebrities to everyday people who have carved out a niche for themselves. These type of influencers are called micro-influencers and typically have anywhere from 1,000 to 25,000 followers on social media.
What is a Micro Influencer?
A micro influencer is somebody with a smaller but highly engaged following on social media. They typically have between 1,000 and 25,000 followers, and their content is focused around a particular niche or interest.
The Value of Micro-Influencer Audiences For Advertisers
To be successful as a micro-influencer, you have to undoubtedly understand the value you bring to the companies you promote. The shift from super-influencers to micro-influencers is the result of three key factors:
1. Engagement rates are higher when marketing with micro-influencers
Instagram is an excellent example of this phenomenon. Compared to the average celebrity, micro-influencers have double the engagement rates. This means that their audiences are more likely to like or comment on their content.
Pages filled with bots or inactive users are not very appealing to businesses. By partnering with micro-influencers, they will expose the company to real people engaging with content related to your product or service.
2. A micro-influencer is more cost effective than working with a super-influencer
Don’t expect to be paid hundreds of thousands for a single post, like Kendall Jenner. Micro-influencers usually charge just a fraction of what super-influencers charge. However, this usually means a better ROI for the investing brand.
Remember, it’s about building a relationship and creating new income streams when you are a micro-influencer.
3. Micro-influencers often have the same target audience as their followers
Super-influencers can reach millions of people, enabling them to tap into a new audience temporarily, but they do not stick around long. Micro-influencers typically have audiences that are similar in size and demographics. This means, the company will be marketing to the same people, over and over again, a highly targeted and highly effective approach.
How To Become A Micro-Influencer?
You don’t have to worry about building a massive following overnight if you are just starting. Brands are looking for engagement rates and authenticity rather than follower counts.
Ready to start? To become known as a micro-influencer, follow these steps:
1. Find Your Niche
The first and most crucial step is to find what you are passionate about. You can’t be an influencer if your content does not align with something you enjoy. What types of products do you like? Do you have a favorite brand? Do certain things come up in conversation more than others?
All these questions should help narrow down your niche. From there, you can build a picture of your target audience.
2. Share Content Targeted In Your Niche
Here is where things get interesting. You can’t simply promote any company’s products in your niche; this will not be effective long term. Instead, you should create content that is targeted to your specific audience. It needs to be organic and authentic while still highlighting the product or service provided.
How you share content affects how your audience perceives you as a micro-influencer. Your goal is to be seen as an authority in your niche, and sharing relevant content will ultimately help you achieve this.
3. Find Brands That Are Also Targeting Your Niche
Once your target audience is established, it is time to find brands willing to work with you. As a micro-influencer, there should be room for flexibility.
It would be best if you aimed to form relationships with three or four brands within your niche. Those will allow you to focus on creating quality content rather than having a wide variety of random posts.
4. Tag And Create Targeted Content For Brands
Finally, you will want to tag the brands you are working on within your posts. You cannot do this excessively, or it will backfire since the whole point of becoming a micro-influencer is to build authentic relationships with your followers.
Also, keep business separate from pleasure. You should only tag the brands you partner with if relevant to the post.
Takeaway
Influencer marketing is a relatively new phenomenon, but it is rapidly gaining traction. It has also been transforming the marketing landscape, with micro-influencers introducing new opportunities for brands.
Businesses value small niche audiences because they tend to be more loyal and engaged, so you need to leverage this to your advantage.
It is essential to consider why becoming a micro-influencer would benefit you. Not everyone will have the time or will to invest in this type of marketing, so it probably won’t work for you if you lack passion. But if companies are willing to pay good money for these services, it’s worth exploring.
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