How to Leverage Instagram Micro-Influencers for Your Small Business
If you need any additional proof that bigger isn’t always better – it’s time to study up on the importance of micro-influencers.
Micro-influencers on Instagram have a small, but sizeable following. There is some discrepancy as to the exact figures, but typically they have anywhere between 10,000 and 100,000 followers.
Considering that well-known influencers tend to have massive followings – like Zoë Sugg with 9.3 million followers, Huda Kattan at 45 million followers, and Caspar Lee with 2.3 million fans, it is easy to overlook the value of micro-influencers.
Over the past few years, micro-influencers have been increasing in popularity for a number of reasons. Here’s everything you need to know about working with micro-influencers as a small business owner.
The rise of the micro-influencer
When social media platforms like Instagram started to gain credibility, marketers began to take note. Celebrity endorsement is nothing new, but suddenly access to affordable talent, without the middleman (agent) opened up a whole new world of possibilities.
This saw the rise of influencers as we know them today, being paid to endorse products and demonstrate their use. Some influencers with large followings can command up to $10,000 a post.
But as with all things commercial, influencer marketing started to come under fire when followers demanded greater transparency. Instagram introduced a feature allowing people to tag business partners in branded feed content and stories, and encouraged users to include #Ad and #Spon to be more upfront with followers. Here, micro-influencer @simomeandherbooks shares some #sponsored content:
It was around this time that marketers started to review the way they partnered with influencers, and the rise of the micro-influencer came to be.
Why use a micro-influencer?
On the outset, you’d be right to question whether you’d get enough value out of a micro-influencer. After all, they have a much smaller reach than bigger influencers.
But there are many compelling reasons why using micro-influencers can be beneficial for your business. Here are a few:
Niche reach
Gone are the marketing days of mass-communications. Instead, to break through the noise on social media, you need to really know your audience. In fact, the more targeted your approach, the more likely you’ll be to experience better engagement.
One of the reasons why ‘micros’ have become so sought after is because they can speak to your audience directly. So, if you’re a beauty brand it makes sense that you would want to work with a micro-influencer in the beauty space. Or, if you’re a lifestyle brand, you’d want to partner with someone that reaches your specific fanbase.
Sure, an influencer with millions of followers will reach more people, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they will influence the right people.
Value for money
Few small business owners have endless budgets. Instead, every penny is measured and accounted for, with return on investment high on the agenda.
Instagram has an average price of $10 a post, per 1000 followers (source). With this in mind, you’ll want to get the most ‘bang for your buck.’ Not only are micro-influencers much more affordable than bigger influencers, but they may be willing to go the extra mile for you, as they value the opportunity to work with a business.
In some cases, there may be little or no financial requirement either. Target your product carefully to an enthusiastic fan, and they may even feature it for free, as a piece of user generated content.
It’s not all about numbers
As already highlighted, mass marketing has had its day. Today, marketers are much more focused on making the right connections with the right people to reach the right audience.
And it’s not just the smaller brands and startups working with the smaller-scale Instagram influencers. For instance, big brands like Audible have partnered with micro-influencers like Jesse Driftwood (@jessedriftwood, 164k followers):
Plus, gourmet food brand Harry and David partnered with mommy blogger Peace Love and Mommy (@peaceloveandmommy, 17.7k followers):
If you’re curious about reach, engagement rate calculators can provide a good idea of how engaged a user is with their audience.
People trust micro influencers
Nearly half of all social media users trust the influencers they follow. They hold them in high-regard and are influenced by the decisions they make and the brands they endorse.
If you’re looking to build a long-term following, a micro-influencer might just provide the in-road you need. This is particularly true of a younger audience – 6 in 10 teens trust influencers over celebrities.
Build relationships
As a final but important point, building relationships is important in marketing. Finding influencers in their growth stage and developing a true partnership with them is one of the best ways to invest in your business for long-term growth.
4 steps to finding the right micro-influencer as a small business owner
If you’re a small business, startup or micro business, you already know the importance of creating content for your followers on social media.
Even in these challenging times, there’s still lots of ways you can carry on engaging with followers on Instagram.
Partnering with the right influencer is a great way to get your product or message out there. So, how do you go about finding the right micro-influencer match? Here are 4 helpful steps:
1. Follow your competitors
Figure out who your competitors are and follow some of the influencers that they have worked with. You can also extend this to other brands that are in a similar space.
For instance, TesseMae’s (@tessemaes) sauces teamed up with Physical Kitchness (@physicalkitchness, 78.6k followers). The result was 911 likes and tens of comments. Not bad for brands that are well-aligned!
2. Follow the right influencers & hashtags
You should aim to work with micro-influencers in the same space as you. One way to do this is by following others that use hashtags relevant to your business. Let’s say you work in the baby food niche. Follow relevant brands like Ella’s Kitchen (@ellaskitchenUK, 166k followers), and follow the hashtags that they use, such as #babyledweaning and #fingerfood.
3. Look at recognitions
From Vuelio to the MAD blog awards, take a look at some of the lists of award-winning bloggers and influencers. Some of them may currently be on the rise, making it a great time to collaborate.
4. Search through your followers
This one will take some time, but it’s worth going through your followers and seeing who is already engaging with your business. This will make it even easier to partner with them, since they will already be receptive to your brand.
Brand partnership examples
To date, there are over 12,448, 276 #Ad posts on Instagram and growing, proving that the influencer movement is truly here to stay.
If you’re a small business, it may be time to up your Instagram game and scout out those relevant accounts.
For inspiration, we’ve picked out some of our favourite micro-influencer partnerships:
For a mouth-watering treat
Dedicated to London foodies, Feast London (@feastlondon, 25.5.k followers) conjures up drool-worthy snaps of all your favorite foods. Even with just 25k followers, she was chosen by Cheeky Burger to bring their product to life.
Small is big
Even with just 1k followers, Butterfly Robyn (@butterflyrobyn) is already receiving products from a wide range of brands, including Dermalogica. Expect to see this influencer grow!
A sweet deal
In the Philippines, Jeff Ong (@iamjeffong, 36.5k followers) is one of the rising male stars in local influencing circles. He has worked with brands including Cadburys chocolate on posts:
