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Are Micro Influencers Better?

Influencer Marketing
Are Micro Influencers Better?

In the world of influencers, there’s more variety than many people think. There are mega influencers with millions and millions of followers, but there are people with much smaller followings who also qualify as influencers — micro influencers.

As micro influencers gain more attention in the influencer marketing space, some marketers are starting to wonder, are micro influencers better than other influencers? Let’s explore what exactly micro influencers are and why many brands prefer to work with them. 

What Is a Micro Influencer? 

A micro influencer is someone who posts on social media and has a relatively small following, typically between 1,000 and 100,000 followers. Micro influencers can use their social media presence to promote brands’ products or services related to their content. There are micro influencers on every social media platform, but they’re especially popular on Instagram and TikTok. 

One of the distinguishing characteristics of micro influencers is that they focus their content on a specific niche/industry and are generally seen as experts in that area. Micro influencers’ followers respect their expertise in their content niche and trust their recommendations. 

It’s easy to confuse micro influencers and nano influencers. The most common nano influencer definition is someone with a very small following who still has the power to influence their audience. Nano influencers typically have between 1,000 and 10,000 followers, making them a subcategory of micro influencers. 

What Are the Four Types of Influencers?

In addition to nano influencers and micro influencers, there are two other main types of influencers — macro influencers and mega influencers. 

Macro influencers have more followers than micro influencers, between 100,000 and one million followers. Mega influencers have the largest followings of over one million followers. So, in summary, the four types of influencers are:

  • Nano influencers: 1,000 to 10,000 followers
  • Micro influencers: 1,000 to 100,000 followers
  • Macro influencers: 100,000 to one million followers
  • Mega influencers: over 1 million followers

Are Micro Influencers Effective in 2022? 

If micro influencers have fewer followers than macro influencers, why do brands prefer micro influencers? Are micro or macro influencers better?

Neither micro nor macro influencers are inherently better than the other, but there are some good reasons why brands are incorporating micro influencers into their influencer campaigns more and more often. Here are some of the factors that make micro influencers effective in 2023:

Cost Effectiveness

For one thing, micro influencers generally charge much lower prices for sponsored posts than influencers with larger followings. An Instagram micro influencer, for example, will typically charge between $100 and $1,000 per post, while a mega influencer on the platform (someone with over 1 million followers) could charge $10,000 or more per post. Working with micro influencers is a great way to bring down the overall costs of your influencer marketing campaign. 

Higher Engagement and Conversion Rates

Micro influencers are also very effective at influencing consumer behavior. Part of the reason why micro influencers make such great partners for brands looking to promote their products and services is that micro influencers have higher engagement rates and conversion rates than macro influencers. 

When you partner with an influencer and they publish a post related to your brand, you want their audience to engage with that post and interact with your brand. Because micro influencers have small, targeted followings, sponsored posts from micro influencers are more likely to generate the engagement you’re looking for. Their followers engage with the post, become more familiar with your brand, and hopefully become loyal customers. 

Greater Availability

Generally speaking, micro influencers have more availability to work with brands than mega influencers or celebrities on social media platforms. It may be easier to get in touch with micro influencers and receive a response about working with your brand when you choose micro influencers. 

More Authenticity

Audiences often perceive micro influencers as more credible and authentic than influencers with larger followings. They follow micro influencers closely and are invested in them, meaning they trust product recommendations from micro influencers much like recommendations from a friend. 

These are just some of the benefits of working with micro influencers. When you’re choosing the influencers for your influencer marketing campaign, carefully consider your goals for the campaign. If you’re trying to keep your budget low while also driving engagement and sales, working with micro influencers may be the best option. 

How Lionize Can Help 

Deciding what types of influencers to include in your campaign is just step one. You still have to select the influencers, contact them, set up and manage the campaign, and monitor the results. That’s a lot of work for an in-house marketing department, but luckily, Lionize can help. 

Lionize’s AI-powered influencer marketing platform simplifies influencer marketing for brands. We help you define your strategy, find and manage the right influencers, and track the results of your campaign. 

Book a Discovery Call to see how Lionize can help your brand.