According to 92% of marketers, influencer marketing is one of the most effective forms of marketing. Almost every successful brand has influencers all over social media promoting their products and services. The enormous benefits make brands continuously increase their investments in this strategy every year. Although it has been a part of the mainstream of digital marketing, some people still have doubts regarding the basic concepts. Given that influencers and their recommendations are predominant in today’s world, it’s time to learn all about them. In this article, you’ll learn about influencer marketing and the different types of influencers.
Definition of Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing is currently the most popular social media marketing strategy. Brands can have different aims for pursuing this strategy. However, most are looking for effective ways to raise brand awareness and boost sales. They do this by partnering up with prominent social media influencers. In return for appropriate compensation, they promote products or services on their platforms, influencing their audience to become customers. Through paid sponsorships, brands tap into the vast audience and reach their aims.
Influencers
In the past, companies reached out only to celebrities to promote their brand. As social platforms gained popularity, influencers started to slowly emerge. Anyone with a large following on social media or the web can be an influencer. Every industry and niche has individuals that stand out, attract and engage a great number of followers on any platform. For example, they can be makeup artists, photographers, gamers, mom bloggers, or marketing executives. Unlike celebrities, they’re ordinary people who pursue their passion or make a living in a digital world. All marketers have to do is avoid some of the biggest mistakes in doing influencer marketing by finding the right people.
Influencer Types
Social media influencers can be distinguished based on several factors. First, marketers usually consider the number of their followers or the audience size. Therefore, some influencers can have a few thousand followers, while others might have hundreds of thousands. When audience size is used as a factor, it’s possible to divide them into four or five groups.
Nano-Influencers
Active social media users with up to 10,000 followers are known as nano-influencers. Such content creators might have just started building their personal brand or belong to a specific niche. Brands with limited resources can largely benefit from this partnership because they get made-to-order content. While it may not reach wide audiences, it’ll have a high engagement rate. Given their low following base, some mightn’t charge for sponsorship. Instead, they might look to build a long-lasting and supportive relationship with the brand as they grow.
Micro-Influencers
Micro-influencers have between 10,000 and 100,000 followers. Most brands like to do business with them because of their authentic marketing approach. Influencers of this type tend to connect with their followers on a personal level. They also focus entirely on their chosen niche. Although they have a large audience, they aren’t considered celebrities but ordinary people. Since they care about their followers, they can be picky when teaming up with brands. Once they earn their trust, brands can expect trustworthy and authentic content.
Mid-Tier Influencers
Influencers on the verge of achieving celebrity status have between 100,000 and 500,000 followers. They’re doing great work in content creation since so many people follow them online. Unlike previous types, this group of influencers can offer brands a wider reach and diverse audience. Also, they make sure to share polished and captivating content while staying in touch with their followers. More importantly, most of them know how hard it’s to make a brand stand out. They draw on this experience when creating content and promoting other brands for greater authenticity and connection.
Macro-Influencers
The influencers from the following two types have established themselves as celebrities. An athlete, spokesperson, actress, TV host, or anyone with one million followers is a macro-influencer. They owe their reputation to having such a huge follower base on social media. As a result, their marketing services come with a high price. Although brands get a much wider reach, they lack engagement because of the ratio. Brands looking for a more professional approach to marketing usually consider hiring these influencers. Their reputation and popularity might suit their products and services better than others.
Mega-Influencers
The last type of influencers are celebrities with over one million followers. Owning to their follower base, their online presence is constantly on the rise. They’re always active, so engaging the audience isn’t a problem for them. What draws followers to them is their visually alluring content and profile aesthetics. Also, they regularly start up conversations and keep them going for higher engagement. That’s why brands compete for their attention and don’t mind digging deep into their pockets to hire them for an ad.
Conclusion
Brands with influencers by their side never fail to outperform their competitors. Their visibility, reach, and engagement constantly rise thanks to this marketing strategy. The best part is that even small businesses can collaborate with them and evolve gradually. On the whole, every business has the chance to improve its presence and bring its products closer to its target group.
You may also like: Social Media Marketing Strategies to Increase Your Sales
Image source: Depositphotos.com
