Working with influencers is a great way to gain exposure for your brand or business. But can micro-influencers really bring in ROI? Let’s break down the benefits of working with micro-influencers.
In regards to social media marketing, an influencer is an individual who has established credibility, can have an effect on purchase decisions, and usually has amassed a large audience following.
A micro-influencer still has all the attributes of an influencer but with a smaller audience base. The parameters that define a micro-influencer can fluctuate depending on who you ask. I consider an individual a micro-influencer when this person has a following of 5,000 to 50,000 followers.
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There are many benefits to working with smaller influencers.
Here are some ways that micro-influencers can have a higher ROI.
To ensure high micro influencer ROI, the first step is to find the right influencers for your brand. Find influencers that relate to your product or service, with an audience that is engaged and responding to those influencers’ posts.
Dive in and quality check people liking and leaving comments to verify that they are your target audience. Make sure the micro-influencer complements your brand’s voice and visual aesthetic.
Here are some ways you can go about finding the right micro-influencers for your brand.
You may have some micro-influencers already interacting with you online! Browse your social media posts and take a look at who are the top users interacting with you.
Take a look at their profiles and notice their follower numbers, and see how engaged their audience is.
You can use a tool like the Twitter Report Card to see just how active a Twitter user’s followers are.
Another way to find micro-influencers that will get you a good return on your investment is to do a little research.
Remember that micro-influencers are usually dialed into specific niches. Research industry-specific hashtags or keywords. You can use built-in search tools like the Explore tab on Instagram to help you discover posts popular under your specific keyword. Once you find a good micro-influencer, take a look at that person’s posts to take note of what other hashtags being used can lead you to more influencers.
After you’ve found your micro-influencers, keep track of them and interact with their social media accounts regularly to start building a relationship. The process will help the influencer get familiar with your brand, so this won’t be a cold contact when you finally reach out.
Create an Excel or Google Sheets list or use a tool like Agorapulse to help you keep monitor micro-influencers and their posts. Tag users as “micro-influencer” to help you keep track of relevant accounts and conversations.
Reaching out to micro influencers can be really easy! You can send them a message on the platform you’ve been interacting with them on or send them an email. Many influencers will list their email addresses on their profiles or will have contact forms on their sites. When sending them an email or message make sure to introduce yourself, and let them know why you think they’d be a good fit for your campaign.
There are many different campaigns you can run to gain micro influencer ROI.
Here’s one takeover with micro influencer The Healthy Blond (approx. 8,000 Instagram followers)
Bringing in micro influencer ROI can be an easy way to grow your following and gain awareness for your business. it’s also a good way to ease into influencer marketing.
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Originally posted in 2017, this article has been updated in 2019.