Looking At The Rise Of The Micro-Influencer: How To Become An Influencer, And Can Anyone Do It?

If you think of an influencer, you probably have someone in mind who has millions of followers on their socials, right?

Well, there’s another kind of influencer who’s rising in popularity: the micro-influencer. While there’s no exact definition of how many followers make a micro-influencer, it’s usually somewhere between 10,000 and 50,000. They’re often much cheaper to work with than macro-influencers and have a more genuine relationship with their followers. We look at the rise of the micro-influencer and what makes them successful!

What is a micro-influencer?

A micro-influencer isn’t usually a celebrity, expert or someone in the public eye. They’re usually passionate about their own interests and have a smaller audience that’s super engaged with their content. It’s like old-school word-of-mouth marketing, but that mouthpiece is online rather than in person. An employee or a customer may be considered a micro-influencer for example.

Working with micro-influencers

Authenticity, focus and niche audiences can make a micro-influencer a strong choice for your brand. You might find that although there are fewer people seeing the content, it’s considered to be more genuine and may actually generate higher engagement. A micro-influencer is much more likely to be living a similar lifestyle to their audience than a professional influencer with millions of followers.

According to retail platform Nielsen, 70% of customers prefer recommendations from their peers rather than paid ads, which is where the rise of micro-influencers may come from.

Why brands use micro-influencers

After a weird couple of years filled with influencer scandals, changing attitudes to retail and new ways to consume content, people are changing the way they view influencer marketing. People are looking for more genuine connections and influencers that they can trust.

Platforms like TikTok make it easier for content to go viral, even without huge follower numbers. This can mean that brands can get the reach, engagement and sales that they’re looking for without the costs, admin and investment needed to work with a more established influencer.

There’s also the perception that micro-influencers create more thoughtful, unique content. Also, they aren’t as scared to say what they really think. Influencing isn’t their career, and if people disagree with their opinion online, it’s not that big a deal and won’t have the sort of impact larger influencers might worry about. This again makes it feel like more relatable, trustworthy content.

Key takeaways for micro-influencer marketing

• 82% of people are highly likely to follow a micro influencer’s recommendation
• Micro-influencers discuss potential products and services 22.2 x more than the average consumer
• Some studies have found that micro-influencers can generate up to 60% more engagement than larger influencers
• Fashion, beauty and travel have the most promising future for micro-influencers
• Science, environment, education and business are some of the most under-utilised niches for micro-influencers
• 52% of micro-influencers have a goal of becoming full-time creators

77% of micro-influencers create content daily, with 48% posting twice a day

Looking to work with micro-influencers? Get in touch!