Influencers might sound intimidating... especially if you think about how much they cost. But it's one of the most effective digital marketing strategies.
So, you need to have an effective influencer marketing strategy to make it work.
But do you want to know one of the common misconceptions about influencer marketing? You need to break the bank to make it work.
Well, what if I tell you that's not always the case? You don't! Because you don't need to work with influencers with millions of followers to reach your target audience.
You only need the right influencers to reach the right audience— even if they don't have a million followers.
And that's through working with micro-influencers!
If you're curious, I'll give you a glimpse of what you can learn from this blog:
- What are influencer marketing and the types of influencers?
- Why should you collaborate with micro-influencers?
- How to find micro-influencers for your eCommerce store?
Let's get started, shall we?
What is influencer marketing?
Influencer marketing is a form of marketing that involves "influencers." These are people with significant influence on social media. How? Through their expertise or within their niche.
For example, an influencer has a great sense of style. Usually, the influencer's followers are interested in the same thing.
You need to collaborate with influencers who have followers who trust them. That influencer has followers who think they're reliable in their niche.
And you might be wondering, "what are micro-influencers?" That's why here are the different types of influencers according to numbers:
- Mega-Influencers: (1 million+ followers)
- Macro-Influencers: (100,000 - 1 million followers)
- Micro-Influencers. (10,000 - 100,000 followers)
- Nano-Influencers. (1,000 - 10,000 followers)
Since we're talking about micro-influencers, let's discuss the benefits of working with them.
Why should you collaborate with micro-influencers?
Micro-influencers have...
1. Engaged audience
Since micro-influencers have fewer followers, it's easier to engage with them. And it's more of a community instead of followers.
Their followers engage with their posts. In fact, micro-influencers have better engagement rates than mega-influencers.
This proves that despite not having millions of influencers, they have a great engagement rate. And that's important in choosing the influencers you need to work with.
Also, micro-influencers are...
2. More trustworthy
This doesn't mean influencers with huge followers are not. It still depends on who the influencer is and how their work ethic.
But micro-influencers protect their authenticity by working with brands they genuinely love. Because some influencers only use their social media platforms to promote brands.
And if they do that often, that reduces their authenticity because it's all about business. While for micro-influencers it's still important to connect with their followers.
Not only that... but some micro-influencers share products they use even if they're not paid or required to do so.
And, of course...
3. Increase brand awareness
They might not have millions of followers... but micro-influencers will still expose your brand to thousands of people within your niche.
That means more people will be aware of your brand, and that's a great help in increasing your brand awareness!
Since you already know the benefits, you're probably wondering...
How to find micro-influencers for your eCommerce business?
Here are some ways to find micro-influencers for your eCommerce business:
1. Use social media channels
Since influencers are primarily on social media... it's one of the first things to check when looking for relevant micro-influencers to work with.
There are different ways to do this.
First, know your goal and where you're promoting your marketing campaign. Is it on Instagram? TikTok? Facebook? That way, you'll know which channel to prioritize.
Once you know the channel, you can start looking with a hashtag search. Let's say you're working with fitness influencers.
You can use relevant hashtags that fitness influencers can use, like this one:
As you can see, there are almost a million posts under the hashtag #fitnessinfluencer on Instagram. From there, you can check each profile to see if it fits your criteria.
Once you see a micro-influencer that suits your needs... it's easy to contact them because you can send them a direct message or email.
So, that's one way to find micro-influencers on Instagram. But you can do the same on any social media platform you prefer.
You can also use hashtags on other social media platforms. Say TikTok, where you can use keywords and hashtags.
Or, you can scroll on your FYP or For You Page or newsfeed because sometimes, algorithms will make you discover a lot of content creators based on your niche.
The next thing you need to do to find the right creators for your influencer campaign is...
2. Utilize influencer platforms
Influencer marketing platforms are another way to connect with influencers. These platforms connect brands with potential micro-influencers to work with.
You can discover different types of influencers in any field. Also, you can manage the project within the platforms.
It depends on how the platform works, but usually... they allow brands to close the deal and make payments within the platform.
This makes it easier for you to manage your micro-influencer marketing campaign in one place. And some platforms you can check are:
With these platforms, managing your marketing campaign and ensuring smooth progress will be easier.
Another way to find micro-influencers quickly is to...
3. Check the followers of your competitors
The followers of your competitors are already interested in your niche or industry. Who knows? Maybe there are hidden gems on their social media accounts.
You can check their social media accounts, like Instagram. See the followers that engage with their posts and follow them. That's one way to find Instagram micro-influencers.
But the thing is... this might take time. Why? Because you are doing it manually and checking on them one by one.
Don't worry, though! Because doing so allows you to filter and research the potential micro-influencers you'll work with.
And speaking of checking followers, you can also...
4. Check who engages with other influencers
Sometimes, influencers are friends with other influencers. Or some micro-influencers support mega-influencers by leaving comments or liking their posts.
This is another way for you to find prospective micro-influencers. But again, you're doing it manually. So, you need to go to relevant influencers in your niche.
For example, you're selling beauty products. You can visit influencer accounts that review beauty products and see who supports their posts.
And, of course, one of the most accessible ways to kickstart your micro-influencer marketing is to...
5. Use keywords on Google
Yep, you can use Google. But again, you need to use the right keywords to get the desired results.
So, why Google? Since Google is a search engine, there will be a lot of results when you search for specific things. Here's an example:
I searched "micro-influencers in beauty," and here are the results. There are different articles listing the best influencer picks, which will be helpful for you.
Also, Google shows different results aside from articles or web pages. You can also check videos and images, making it less hassle for you.
So, you already know how to find influencers... now, it's time to...
Make a solid influencer marketing strategy for your campaign!
Because it doesn't stop at finding micro-influencers. It's just the start.
A robust strategy that will guide you is the foundation of a successful influencer marketing campaign. You must determine your goals, KPIs, and other essential things to achieve your goal.
You also need to know how to send a proper influencer outreach to get them to work with you. It might be a lot of work, but it's worth it.
But don't worry! Because here is...
Ricky Hayes
