In today’s saturated marketplace, influencer marketing is a powerful strategy for businesses looking to connect with their target audience and drive brand growth.
Influencer marketing is effective because of the trust and authenticity that influencers have built with their followers. Additionally, choosing the right type of influencer for your campaign allows brands to reach a highly targeted audience, increasing the chance of conversion.
Read on to learn about different types of influencers and how Skyline Studio can help you utilize them for your digital marketing strategy.
1. Nano Influencers (1K-10K followers)
Audience size is the first consideration when choosing which type of influencer you want to represent your brand. While you may be inclined to equate a larger follower count with a more successful campaign, more followers doesn’t always mean more conversions. Nano influencers may have a smaller follower count, but they offer brands a number of advantages due to their smaller size.
For one, these influencers often have a highly engaged and loyal audience. Their smaller base allows them to develop closer connections with their followers, making their recommendations and endorsements more authentic and trustworthy. Brands that collaborate with nano influencers can also tap into niche markets and reach highly targeted audiences.
Another great benefit of partnering with nano influencers? They are more budget-friendly than working with influencers with larger follower counts.
Example: Hexclad’s collaboration with fitness influencer Body By Bianca
Why it works: As a fitness influencer and coach, Body By Bianca’s audience consists of followers interested in health, fitness, and nutrition. This collaboration allows Hexclad, a cookware brand, to tap into Body By Bianca’s highly niche follower base, consisting of people looking to cook healthy recipes. Body By Bianca also provides in-person training with her clients, meaning that her influence extends beyond the digital space.
2. Micro Influencers (10K-100K followers)
Micro influencers have a slightly larger follower count than nano influencers, but they still maintain the same advantages of authenticity and close engagement.
Like nano influencers, their audience is usually more niche-focused, allowing brands to target specific segments of their intended market. Compared to nano influencers, micro influencers have a deeper understanding of their niche and can provide valuable insights and recommendations to their audience.
Nano and micro influencers are becoming more and more popular in both the B2B and B2C spheres, as companies opt for less expensive and more targeted campaigns over those offered by larger influencers.
Example: Zoo Snood’s collaboration with pet influencer The Iggy Squad
Why it works: Another example of marketing to a niche, Zoo Snood’s collaboration with The Iggy Squad allows their product to reach a highly targeted audience. The combined use of #snood, a hashtag with over 55,000 tagged posts, and #iggylife, a hashtag with over 530,000 tagged posts, allows Zoo’s Snood’s to tap into the highly niche market of Italian Greyhound owners and enthusiasts on Instagram.
3. Macro Influencers (100K-1M followers)
Macro influencers have a substantial following and often have established themselves as experts or celebrities in their respective niches.
They have a broader appeal, casting a wide net that draws a diverse range of followers.
While this wide net is excellent at increasing brand visibility and awareness, a larger audience does not necessarily translate into conversions. Macro influencers typically have a lower engagement rate compared to nano and micro influencers due to their larger follower base.
Example: Jackery UK’s collaboration with boat home influencer Adam Lind
Why it works: Due to his larger following, Adam Lind’s lifestyle content documenting his life living on a narrowboat home draws a diverse following. His audience ranges from those who are simply curious to those interested in narrowboat-living themselves. Power and electricity on a narrowboat appeals with both audiences, which is why this collaboration with generator brand Jackery is so successful.
4. Mega Influencers (1M+ followers)
Social media celebrities with more than a million followers are known as mega influencers. They often include celebrities, industry leaders, or well-known personalities.
Collaborating with mega influencers provides brands with unparalleled reach and exposure. Mega influencers have the power to make an enormous impression and raise a great deal of exposure for brands. This exposure comes at a high financial cost as they charge higher rates compared to influencers with smaller follower counts.
Example: Best Buy’s partnership with tech influencer Marques Brownlee
Why it works: Marques Brownlee, also known as MKBHD, is one of the most influential tech reviewers on YouTube, with over 18 million subscribers. Brownlee has done a number of highly successful sponsored campaigns with Best Buy, including this video with over 2.7 million views. This partnership is successful because Brownlee’s brand and status as a tech expert aligns with Best Buy’s brand as an electronics retailer. Additionally, affiliate marketing works seamlessly with his listicle-style content, with each affiliate link sending his audience directly to Best Buy’s website.
In short, there are three considerations to keep in mind when choosing the right influencer for your campaign:
- Campaign Objective
Are you looking to increase brand awareness and visibility? You may consider choosing a larger influencer for your campaign. Is your marketing goal primarily about conversions with a high ROI? Is your product extremely niche? Then you may consider choosing a smaller or mid-size influencer to represent your brand.
- Budget
Speaking of ROI, budget is the probably your biggest deciding factor when choosing an influencer type. The larger the influencer, the larger the budget needed to build out your campaign.
- Niche
Choosing influencers based on content or niche is also essential to building a successful campaign that actually reaches your intended audience. Popular niche categories include beauty, parenting, pets, fitness, travel, lifestyle, and even B2B. Aligning your brand with an influencer who shares the same aesthetics, values, and target audience will increase your success and lay the groundwork for long-term partnerships.
More and more, businesses are opting for long-term partnerships with influencers over short-term influencer campaigns.
This approach fosters deeper connections between influencers and brands, allowing for more authentic storytelling and brand advocacy. Long-term collaborations provide an opportunity for influencers to become true brand ambassadors, creating a stronger impact with their audience over time.
The success and popularity of influencer marketing campaigns proves that businesses and consumers look for guidance when it comes to choosing products and services. This type of marketing is one way for businesses to stand out in today’s saturated marketplace, where businesses face intense competition for consumers’ attention.
Looking to dive into influencer marketing but don’t know where to start? Book a free consultation with Skyline Studio to learn how influencer marketing can transform your brand.
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