What Are Micro-Influencers and Why Are They Important?

In this new digital age where influencer marketing has taken the world by storm, it’s important to understand the various aspects of this powerful marketing tool. When it comes to social media, influencers come in a wide variety of niches and audience sizes. If you work in the digital marketing industry, the term “micro-influencer” is an important one to know.

As a global PR agency that works closely with influencers all over the world, our team at The Chi Group has learned a lot about the power of the micro-influencer. In this short guide to micro-influencers, we will break down what the term means and explain why it’s something you need to know about. 

What Are Micro-Influencers?

To understand what a micro-influencer is, you must first know what an influencer is. Influencers are defined by the Cambridge Dictionary as people who affect or change the way other people behave. In 2021, these are the people with thousands of followers on social media. Influencers regularly partner with brands to market their products, a term labeled as ‘influencer marketing.’ 

In the most basic sense of the term, micro-influencers can be described as influencers with under 10,000 followers. At first glance, you might wonder how someone with such a limited following can be called an influencer when compared against people with follower counts that feature two or three extra digits. However, the power of the micro-influencer is not to be overlooked. 

Why Micro-Influencers Are Essential in Marketing

Many brands put their focus into working with the influencers who have amassed hundreds of thousands of followers, passing over micro-influencers in the process. This is a mistake. Not only can you cut back on significant costs by partnering with micro-influencers rather than big-name influencers, but data shows that micro-influencers get far better engagement across all platforms. 

Because micro-influencers have smaller platforms, they have the unique ability to connect with their followers on a deeper and more personal level. This equates to a stronger level of trust and higher engagement. In fact, a 2018 study showed that influencers with just 1,000 followers generated 85% more engagement than influencers with 100,000 followers. 

One of the main reasons why influencer marketing works is that it’s built on trust and authenticity. Personal interaction goes a long way in developing a connection between follower and influencer. Major influencers with hundreds of thousands of followers aren’t able to interact with their follower base in the way that micro-influencers are, which is what makes the voice of a micro-influencer so powerful. Their follower counts may be significantly lower, but they’re made up of loyal people who trust their opinions. 

Takeaways 

If you’re looking to promote your brand presence and increase profitability, partnerships with micro-influencers can be an invaluable tool for success. You can pay X amount to work with an influencer who has a 10% engagement rate, or pay a fraction of the price to team up with a micro-influencer with an 80% engagement rate. 

This is not to say that there aren’t benefits of working with large influencers, because those partnerships can be wildly beneficial in getting your brand in front of a huge audience. It simply means that you should not underestimate the power of the humble yet mighty micro-influencer. 

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