The concept of online selling revolves around building trust and credibility.
Influencer marketing is one of the key pillars of a dropshipping marketing strategy. One of the influencer marketing surveys 2019 conducted by Mediakix reveals that more than 80% of marketers embrace the best influencer marketing practices to drive quality traffic and conversions.
Influencer marketing uses endorsements and product suggestions from influencers. At a fundamental level, influencers are people with a strong fan following on prominent social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. Also, these individuals are viewed as industry experts within their niche.
For example, if your brand deals with designer sports gear or shoes, you can contact any famous NBA star to influence your target audience and convince them to invest their money into your products.
If you’re planning to launch an influencer marketing campaign, the next step is finding the right influencers.
We can break the types of influencers into 6 types, including Mega, Macro, Micro, Advocators, Referrers, and loyalists.
Below, we make a detailed comparison of two of the most common types of influencers called micro-influencers and macro/high-profile influencers. Our goal is to help you identify which type would be a perfect fit for your dropshipping influencer marketing campaign.
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Who Are Micro-Influencers?
Gone are the days when people wanted to see Kardashians and Gomez in paid advertising campaigns. Present-day consumers are more aware and well-informed than ever.
Micro-influencers are everyday individuals with a strong social media following. The content they post on their social media channels usually revolves around a specific niche or subject.
The best part? The marketing engagements can be as high as 60% using micro-influencers than high-profile influencers.
Micro-influencers have emerged in almost every major sector. For instance, you can find micro-influencers working in the realm of health and fitness, beauty, travel, etc.
If you’re thinking that only small online businesses benefit from micro-influencers, then wait. Brands like Microsoft, National Geographic, and even Disney are now turning to these individuals to market their campaigns.
You must be wondering what made these brands trust these people to market their campaigns. The reason is pretty simple. These people create and share authentic content about the things and subjects they’re passionate about. They have a strong voice and a loyal following who believe their reviews and trust whatever they say.
Types Of Micro-Influencers
From offering makeup tutorials to advising people on budget travel, micro-influencers engage their followers in different ways.
Here, the key is to find the right personalities that can convey your brand message in the best possible manner.
Here are some of the basic micro-influencer types you should know before you start your hunt of choosing the best dropshipping influencers.
Entertainer
Entertainers are funny and outgoing personalities that persuade their audience through their witty yet powerful commentaries on trending things, such as events, movies, etc.
Adventurer
Adventurers are people who’re always on the move. People follow their advice while making travel decisions or planning any sort of skydiving or rock climbing adventures.
Disruptors
Disruptors are passionate about exploring unusual things and unchartered territories. Brands looking to take their influencer marketing campaigns to the next level can get in touch with these influencers to witness prominent results.
Instructors
This category involves DIY specialists, teachers, and fix-it experts who can use their social media accounts to help others achieve their goals.
Pros and Cons Of Working With Micro-Influencers
Pros
They Have A Loyal Customer Base
As mentioned above, micro-influencers have a loyal customer base. People trust them believing they’re everyday individuals who belong to the same consumer group as theirs.
Take a simple example here. If you love hiking and looking to invest in hiking gear, you’d probably follow the advice of influencers who have used the same products earlier.
They Have Highly Targeted Audiences
If your brand is looking to target a specific group of people then it’s better to have micro-influencers on board than celebrities. The main idea is to choose influencers whose audience matches up with your target audience.
They Have Higher Engagement Rates
Micro-influencers tend to have better engagement rates than high-profile influencers. Why? Because their followers can easily relate to their content.
They Can Help You Build Your Customer Base
If your goal is to build a customer base for your referral program, then micro-influencers can be your safest bid.
People are more likely to subscribe to your list when they see their favorite influencers are endorsing it.
They Are Affordable
That goes without saying that micro-influencers are more affordable than expensive celebrity influencers and high-profile industry experts.
Since micro-influencers are not too pricey, you can work with multiple influencers at a time. Make sure you choose an influencer who’s flexible and willing to negotiate on terms and conditions.
They Are Available
Unlike high-profile influencers, micro-influencers are easily available. They’re more responsive to their follower’s queries and can attend industry-specific events to further promote the products they’re marketing for.
Working with a micro-influencer enables you to communicate with them and build relationships with them.
They Produce High-Quality Content
The biggest perk of working with micro-influencers is that they can produce high-quality content along with top-notch photography to make it look more relevant and relatable to their followers.
Cons
They Have Limited Reach
The biggest disadvantage of using micro-influencers for your brand is that they have small audiences. This option isn’t for you if the goal of your business is to create brand awareness and reach large audiences.
They Are Difficult To Find
Brands that choose to work with micro-influencers generally look for affordable options that can produce high-quality content and have good engagement rates.
As easy as it may sound, finding all these attributes in a single influencer can be difficult at times.
May Use Unscrupulous Means
In an attempt to work with good brands, some influencers may use unscrupulous means. Make sure you carefully investigate influencers before you collaborate with them as sometimes they tend to have low engagement rates despite having huge followership.
Who Are High-Profile Influencers?
High-profile influencers, on the other hand, are known people who have large audiences. These people are trendsetters in their respective niches and they enjoy diverse audience demographics.
Collaborating with high-profile influencers will allow your business to position itself in front of large audiences, gain more exposure and grow your ecommerce store.
Pros and Cons Of Working With High-Profile Influencers
Pros
Better Reach
One of the obvious benefits of using high-profile influencers for your brand is the fact that they have many subscribers/followers.
When you partner with celebrities, you get an opportunity to convey your brand message to thousands of people. It increases your chances of getting more exposure and increasing sales.
They Are More Professional
Unlike micro-influencers who at times indulge in unscrupulous activities, celebrities remain professional throughout the process.
Also, these people are generally handled by marketing agencies who need to deliver their best to maintain their rankings.
High-profile influencers have already worked with several brands, making it easier for businesses to collaborate with them.
Makes Your Brand Look ‘Cool
When a brand is represented by a known celebrity, it becomes exclusive. The connection with a high-profile influencer will make your brand look cool and credible in front of diversified audiences.
Less Risky
There’s no risk of fake followership when you choose to work with high-profile influencers. These people are genuinely popular in their respective industries and their followers truly admire them based on the things they do.
Cons
Expensive
High-profile influencers tend to be extremely expensive. While the cost depends on the type of content they’re offering, the number of subscribers they have, and the type and size of the platform they use, the total cost range between $25k and $55k.
Inaccessible
High-profile influencers are busy people. Also, you’re not the only one looking to partner with them.
That is why it can be difficult for the brands to stand out among plenty of other brands.
Irrelevancy
You must have seen many media celebrities promoting products that are unrelated to their field of specialization. Remember, you won’t be able to convey your message the right way if people can’t find the link between your products and an influencer.
Lack Of Credibility
People only trust recommendations coming from unbiased sources. When they see paid promotions, they may not trust the fact that the person who’s endorsing a product is actually using it.
Micro-Influencers VS. High-Profile Influencers
Micro-Influencer VS. High-Profile Influencer - who is perfect for your dropshipping influencer marketing campaign.
In Terms Of Engagement
What sets micro-influencers apart is the fact that they have much higher engagement rates than high-profile celebrities.
They don’t have as many followers as celebrities but they have time to better engage with their audience.
Also, micro-influencers receive 13✕ more comments than high-profile influencers. So, if you have a product or a service that needs higher engagement, then micro-influencers can help you get your desired results.
In Terms Of Reach
As mentioned above, if your objective is to create brand awareness, then you must pick an influencer with a massive reach.
Micro-influencers do not have as many followers as macro-influencers. Unlike micro-influencers who have up to 2k to 10k subscribers, high-profile influencers have millions of followers.
You may have to collaborate with multiple influencers if you want to reach large audiences.
Have you seen a video created for Ancestry by Jack Douglass (a popular YouTuber with more than 2.6 million followers)?
That one video generates more than 1 million views and 26k+ comments. The brand would likely have over 15 micro-influencers to achieve the same level of reach.
So yes, if you’re looking to enhance your brand visibility in front of the masses, high-profile influencers can be your safest bid.
In Terms Of Affordability
The cost of working with high-profile celebrities is much higher than working with micro-influencers.
So if you’re on a tight budget, you must choose to partner with micro-influencers to get better engagement without needing to break the bank.
Did you know popular Snapchat influencers like Shonduras were charging online businesses more than $10k for a single story?
Micro-influencers, on the other hand, charge no more than $500 for a sponsored post.
In Terms Of Relevancy
Unlike high-profile celebrities that have a diverse audience, micro-influencers can target highly relevant audiences.
Micro-influencers are usually experts in their area of specialization. If you have a cosmetic brand, you can collaborate with a beauty blogger to get your message across. Similarly, if you offer any food-related products, you can work with food bloggers or YouTube Vloggers to let them talk about your brand.
In Terms Of Credibility
Influencer marketing tends to generate better ROI than conventional advertising tactics. Customers are more likely to invest in brands that have been endorsed by others.
Interestingly, people prefer buying from businesses that have been endorsed by everyday people. In fact, only 3% of customers would consider purchasing from an online business that has been recommended by a celebrity or a media star.
Who Is Better For Dropshipping?
Well, it depends...
If you carefully examine this article, you’d come to know that working with micro-influencers and high-profile influencers come with their challenges.
Choosing the best dropshipping influencers for your business depends on your brand goals, marketing budget, and targeting preferences.
Here are a few tips you must consider before you choose an influencer for your brand:
- Carefully examine the content on their social media profiles
- Carefully examine the engagement they’re having on their posts
- See if they’re also working with other brands
- Take your time and be selective
Want to learn more? Feel free to go through this case study for a better understanding of this concept. You can also drop your feedback and queries in the comments box below. We’d love to hear back!
Did you know that you can also learn from LinkedIn? Please check out the best LinkedIn influencers.
Llouela Asim