In today’s digital age, building a powerful brand is no longer just about creating awareness and driving sales. It’s about building communities of loyal customers who are emotionally invested in the brand and become its advocates. One of the most effective ways to do this is by harnessing the power of micro and nano influencers.

Before we dive deep, let’s understand the reasons why macro social media influencers are not always effective.

Mindful Marketing cartoon that questions the influence behind the followers.

Macro social media influencers, also known as celebrity influencers, are individuals with a large following on social media platforms, such as celebrities, athletes, and politicians. They can be effective in raising brand awareness and creating a powerful brand perception, but they can also be ineffective for a few reasons:

1. Lack of authenticity: Macro influencers are often seen as less authentic and relatable to their followers. They may not have the same level of expertise or passion for the products or services they are promoting, which can make their endorsements less convincing.
2. High cost: Engaging with macro influencers can be expensive and may not provide a good return on investment. The cost of working with a macro influencer can be several times higher than working with a micro or nano influencer, and the return on investment may not be as high.
3. Limited targeting: Macro influencers often have a broad and diverse following, which makes it difficult to target specific demographics or interests. This can lead to a campaign that is not as effective as it could be if it were targeted to a specific audience.
4. Over saturation: As the number of macro influencers increases, the market becomes saturated, and the authenticity of their posts and the trust of the followers decrease.
5. Lack of engagement: Macro influencers often have a high number of followers, but their engagement rate (likes, comments, shares) is lower than micro or nano influencers. This means that their posts reach a lot of people but don’t generate as much engagement.

Macro influencers can be effective in raising brand awareness and creating hype, but for a more targeted, authentic, and cost-effective approach, brands should consider working with micro and nano influencers, who can provide a better return on investment and create a sense of community.

But who are micro and nano influencers?

Micro-influencers are individuals with a smaller but highly engaged following on social media platforms. They typically have between 10,000 to 50,000 followers and are often seen as trusted voices within their communities.

Nano influencers, on the other hand, have even smaller followings, usually between 1,000 to 5,000 followers, but their impact can be just as significant. They are niche influencers who have a strong connection to their communities and can help brands connect with the audiences deeply.

Reasons why micro and nano influencers could be effective

One of the key advantages of working with micro and nano influencers is that they are able to create authentic and relatable content that resonates with their followers. Sometimes, their followers have direct access to them. This is particularly important in today’s age, where consumers are increasingly sceptical of influencers with a huge following and are more likely to trust recommendations from people they perceive to be like them.

Nano influencers are product users and evangelists

Micro and Nano’s influencers are likely to be heavy users and evangelists of the products they promote, which can make their endorsements even more authentic and credible. Since they have a natural inclination towards the category, the content they create is of high quality and resonates with their audience.

My client, a company specialising in organic skin care products, needed an influencer marketing strategy to increase brand awareness and sales among their core target audience. After conducting market research and analysing their target audience, we decided to engage with a nano influencer who is a beauty blogger with a following of around 5,000 people.

This influencer not just had a strong interest in organic and natural skincare products but had been using our client’s products for several months, noticing positive changes in her skin. Yes, she was a regular customer and patron of the product.

We worked with her to launch a series of podcasts about the benefits of using organic skincare products and her favourite skincare products and discussed how they had improved her skin. We ensured the product mentions were a natural fit to her content than pushy.

After a period, she ended up with a sponsored post on her Instagram account, in which she mentioned that she was using our client’s products and explained why she liked them. The post also included a discount code for her followers.

The results were outstanding since the nano influencer’s podcast content was proved to have a high level of engagement, and her listeners trusted her recommendations and were influenced by her positive experiences.

Additionally, since she has a niche following of people interested in organic and natural skincare products, her endorsement worked in favour of the company resulting in increased sales.

What research says?

According to Gartner, micro and nano influencer campaigns deliver 11 times higher ROI than traditional celebrity campaigns.

A study by Influencer.com found that nano-influencers have an average engagement rate of 8%, micro-influencers have an average engagement rate of 4%, and macro-influencers have an average engagement rate of 1.5%.

This suggests that nano and micro-influencers are more effective at driving engagement than macro-influencers.

The Long tail of celebrity marketing

A better way to explain the power of micro and nano influencers is the concept of “the long tail” popularised by Chris Anderson in his book of the same name. Just like how the long tail of niche products and niche markets can be just as important as mainstream products and markets, micro and nano influencers can be just as important as traditional celebrity influencers. They may have a smaller reach, but their impact is just as significant, and their authenticity and relatability make them more effective at driving conversions and building brand loyalty.

Additionally, technology has made it easier for brands to identify and connect with micro and nano influencers and for influencers to connect with their communities.

Author-Rajesh Srinivasan