Why Do Social Media Micro Influencer Partnerships Work?

Partnering with social media influencers to promote a product has become the norm. It is now common to see celebrities posting pictures of their favorite face mask or teeth whitener. Large celebrities such as Kim Kardashian offer a huge audience of followers to companies looking for brand partnerships. While celebrities do garner huge social media interest, there is also a pay-to-say element which can feel less than authentic. So how can you tap into the power of social media influencers that have the quality of genuineness? Enter “micro influencers” or up-and-coming influencers with smaller follower counts. Micro-influencers are powerful allies because they don’t feel commercial. They have more trustworthiness with their followers because they have yet to become a household name.

---

Who Are They?
Micro influencers tend to offer a more targeted audience with between 1,000-50,000 followers. While their following base may seem modest, it allows micro influencers to capitalize on niche interests and deliver high follower engagement. Celebrities may have millions of followers, however only a small percentage of their audience may be a part of your target market and/or have interest in your product.

How Can Micro Influencers Benefit Your Brand?
For instance, a fitness social media influencer focused on digestive health with 10,000 followers is an ideal partner for a digestive supplement company because of the relevancy. This is much different than if the supplement company partnered with a famous celebrity with no interest in or connection with the digestive health field.

Micro influencers, like other social media influencers, wish to partner with brands that support their ideals, values, and interests. If not, they risk turning off their fan base or appearing to “sell-out” which is a legitimate fear for social media stars. As a result, a supplement company is far more likely to attract the aforementioned partnership than say a household cleaning product company because of the alignment with the influencer and the brand.

Moreover, micro-influencers are excited about what they specialize in, their audience and promoting products that benefit their niche. Because of this, their followers are also enthusiastic about their posted content. The end result for the brand partner is increased engagement rates and conversion rates, albeit with a smaller, more narrowly focused reach.

Another benefit of working with micro-influencers is that they tend to be more cost effective. Partnering with a micro influencer costs significantly less than with a well-known, high-demand celebrity. Not only is the investment less daunting, the return on investment can prove more significant.

Finding Micro-Influencers to Partner With
Convinced that working with a micro-influencer is right for your brand but not sure where to find the right influencer? A great resource is simply searching relevant industries and terms with the social media networks themselves. Another great tool is the website, https://influencermarketinghub.com/micro-influencers-vs-celebrities/. Within this platform, you are able type in the Instagram handle of the influencer and compare their engagement rate, general cost and rate of return to a celebrity influencer.

Remember micro-influencers expect you to know them, their passions, interests, and audience before approaching them with partnership opportunities. Like all things social media, don’t start with the sales pitch. Instead, start with building a relationship with the influencer – slowly and over time, be prepared to share your product through samples, trials or other freebies, and aim to create a win-win relationship which aids the influencer as well as your brand. 

Treat micro-influencers like the brand ambassadors that they can become, but allow them to determine how and when they work with you. That will ensure that they remain relevant and trustful to their fans.Build a true and valuable partnership with these up and coming influencers and your brand will reap the benefits of engagement, reach, leads and conversions.