Micro–influencers – small but mighty? You don’t need influencers with tens of thousands of followers for successful influencer marketing. It is now known that micro–influencers are popular cooperation partners for brands and companies. We will now explain why this is the case and how to find the right micro–influencer for a brand or an online shop.
What is a micro–influencer?
Micro–influencers are influencers who have 5,000 – 50,000 followers on platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and other social media platforms. This puts them far below the “big” macro–influencers with a million followers or more. Some definitions differ even more precisely since the range of follower numbers is quite large. Fact is, it’s difficult to give an exact definition and these numbers will continue to shift in the future.
Micro–influencers are characterised by their high level of commitment. They usually reach more followers with their posts and get more reactions on them than macro influencers. The reason is simple: the more manageable the community, the better the connection to the followers. Sharing via comments or DMs is easier with 15,000 followers than with 1.5 million. The ratio of the number of followers to the number of likes and shares is higher for micro–influencers than for large accounts. Since the engagement rate is the currency of social media, so to speak, and is particularly important for cooperation with companies, micro–influencers often have brighter conditions.
Micro–Influencers: Experts of the “niche”
Micro–influencers can be found in all areas, from lifestyle or fashion bloggers to influencers who belong to a specific niche. They all address a specific target group and at the same time are part of this target group. Through this affiliation and the strong interaction with the followers, they are very close to their fans. This not only makes them popular but also authentic. The topics of niche influencers are widely ranged: from vegan fitness accounts to influencers who campaign for those affected by a certain disease.
Micro–influencers are particularly common on Instagram, such as Leanne Stewart (@leanne.db) with around 17,000 followers, who provides her followers with content related to motherhood and fashion. Another example is the fashion and lifestyle blogger Rachel Ivie (@imrachelivie), who has 49,000 followers and focuses on classic styles with a modern twist.
For such micro–influencers, the focus is on the community and thus the added value of their content. They are often very creative when it comes to the design of their posts, stories, and videos. This makes micro–influencers particularly attractive for brands and companies because this high-quality and authentic content is ideal for the purpose of reposting and reusing.
It is typical of micro–influencers that content creation is often not their main job, but a hobby and passion. They do not earn their living exclusively as influencers but usually have other jobs or study.
Cooperation with micro–influencers: the advantages for companies
The advantages for companies when cooperating with micro–influencers are obvious: a high engagement rate and the strong trust of the followers make them an attractive part of the marketing strategy. The followers and thus also consumers trust micro–influencers more than macro influencers or prominent people. There is a real exchange with the community. In addition, micro–influencers do not accept every cooperation indiscriminately but attach great importance to presenting their followers with high-quality products and content with real added value. Because micro–influencers are so close to their target group, they represent an interesting market research tool for companies to get even closer to potential customers.
Micro–influencers are characterized by the fact that they have a great interest in long-term partnerships with brands. At the same time, cooperation with micro–influencers is cheaper for companies than with macro–influencers and star influencers.
How does a company find suitable micro–influencers for cooperation?
In order to find micro–influencers for cooperation and campaigns, companies can look around on the appropriate platforms. At stylink, we not only offer influencers the opportunity to earn money with content on Instagram, YouTube & Co., but we are also the ideal contact point for online shops to find influencers for their campaigns and open up new sales channels.
The biggest incentive for Instagram users to sign up with us is the ability to share links as link stickers on Instagram Stories. The influencers receive compensation for each unique click on their links through stylink. The link sticker function is now available to all influencers on Instagram, so there are numerous micro–influencers on stylink who can now utilize this new feature. Recommendation links can also be placed in the info box on YouTube. The advantage of this is that the content and thus also the recommendation links to the products are long-lasting.
With campaigns, we actively draw attention to our opportunities to bring influencers and shops together for collaboration. We regularly announce collaboration opportunities between shops and influencers in our newsletters and on social media. It is not just the possibility of receiving the per-click commission from stylink that makes our compensation platform attractive for micro–influencers. In addition to this commission, selected influencers receive vouchers or an outfit of their choice as part of special campaigns, which they present to their followers. This allows influencers to select products themselves and actively help shape the content. As part of a strategy for marketing, companies can rely on this form of marketing and find the right micro–influencers at stylink.
Recently, stylink is also offering pop-up campaigns. In addition to the big, well-known brands, we also work with smaller or less well-known brands. There too, we are always looking for micro-influencers for the right niche. If you are interested in the concept of pop-up campaigns by stylink, feel free to check out the website.
In addition, we have the option of suggesting shops for cooperation with our registered influencers. We are always in personal contact with our influencers and can therefore respond to their needs. In this way, online shops reach new influencers and, with their followers, a new target group.
Have we sparked interest in stylink? Or are there any questions about the possibilities of cooperation with micro–influencers? We at stylink are happy to help! Here is the contact for shops.