What is micro-influencer marketing?
Before we answer that question, let’s understand who micro-influencers are. They are defined as “individuals who have gained influence over an audience through their niche expertise, area of focus, and personality”.
So what is a micro-influencer marketing strategy? It is a strategy that businesses use to build a better relationship with their customers by tapping into the networks of nano and micro-influencers instead of relying on big stars and celebrities to advertise their products.
According to Statista, as of 2022, the estimated number of social media users worldwide has reached 3.96 billion people. And there are hundreds of thousands of small content creators who have managed to create a niche for themselves out of the 3.96 billion. And micro influencer marketing strategy hopes to tap into the influence of these content creators.
Why do you need micro-influencers to boost your brand?
If you are looking to get your brand in front of the right audience for relatively little money, then micro-influencer marketing is the way to go. Micro-influencers usually have a tight-knit niche community consisting of less than 100,000 followers, which means that they will create more authentic, relatable content. This is why a lot of companies are turning to micro-influencers to reach a specific target audience.
They have a higher engagement rate than any other form of influencer. There’s still some confusion about what exactly micro-influencers are and what type of business they’re best for. One thing is certain though: if you want to grow your brand and reach your target audience online, you need to start working with micro-influencers.
But how do you create a successful micro-influencer marketing campaign? That’s exactly what we are going to see next along with some influencer marketing tips.
How to Boost Sales With Micro-Influencers
1. Curate a list of dependable micro-influencers
Micro influencer marketing’s impact on sales is almost entirely dictated by whether you identify your target market and figure out how to reach it. To do that, first, you need to search for influencers who work in the niche which you want to target and create a list of potential micro-influencers.
One of the primary reasons that brands do not pursue influencer marketing is because they cannot put together a scalable influencer program. Before starting, it’s important to curate a dependable group of micro-influencers that can be deployed whenever you have a new product or service to promote.
To do this, you can find an influencer marketplace that can facilitate the searching and hiring of influencers, or you can manually search through platforms like Instagram and TikTok using the native search function.
2. Use micro-influencers to create organic social media content
When we say social media content, we don’t just mean random posts that shout out your brand or product from time to time. Sit down with them, and come up with creative ideas to sell your product through their social media channels.
With platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels offering insane amounts of organic reach, it’s well worth your efforts to brain storm viral content ideas with micro-influencers.
The reason why micro-influencers are a great fit for this is because their less expensive than larger influencers, therefore it’s easier to turn a positive ROI, and they know what they’re doing. Micro-influencers regularly create content for their audience, and if there’s anyone that understands what type of content performs best with their audience, it’ll be them.
Keep in mind that as a brand, it is your responsibility to guide the micro-influencer and align expectations. It is not your role to micro-manage the influencer every step of the way, be sure to provide some creative freedom. It’s best to include an influencer campaign brief when working with influencers, as it gives them a central document that outlines the expectations of the campaign.
3. Ask them to do paid ads for you.
Paid ads on Instagram and Facebook work like a charm when you are looking for some quick traction for the content you put out., and when you combine them with the existing reach of the influencer you are collaborating with, you could reap double the benefits.
Also, it’s a much better proposition to ask influencers to create the ads for you because…
- It saves you precious time and resources.
- They know their audience better than you, so it’s always better when they are allowed to come up with their content. Albeit, with a few inputs from your side to make sure they stick to the image of your brand.
- With paid ads, you get clear analytical data that helps you gauge influencer marketing’s impact on sales so that you can work towards creating an even better campaign the next time around.
4. Use micro-influencers to create product tutorials
It doesn’t matter if you are selling a product that has complicated mechanisms or if you are just selling a face mask. Tutorial videos go a long way in helping your target audience choose to buy your product or service. The idea is that you do not burden your potential customers with the task of having to learn how to use your product by themselves.
Tutorials also increase conversions, because they handle common questions and objections that might otherwise prevent customers from placing an order.
A great tutorial video with a micro-influencer helps your target audience better know your product while at the same time helping them to place their trust in your brand.
Influencers are great for this because they are approaching your product from the perspective of a consumer. They also understand how to keep audiences hooked and entertained.
5. Use micro-influencers to promote sales, discounts, or promotional offers
Who doesn’t like a discount? Find local influencers to help promote your discounts and offers. Another great idea would be to run a campaign offering exclusive discounts to the fans of the influencer you are collaborating with. This helps their audience form a special relationship with your brand, and hopefully turn them into your customers.
6. Collaborate with micro-influencers on social media contests
This is a great way to get your brand in front of a larger audience and generate some buzz around your products or services. After all, who doesn’t like a fun game that also comes with a prize?
We find that contests work especially well for local businesses that have a presence in the local community. This is because people immediately understand the value of the offer, since they have most likely interacted with the business or heard of it in the past.
For example, let’s say you’re a restaurant in downtown Vancouver, you can run contests with local foodies to drive awareness for your restaurant. Whether or not people win, your restaurant will gaine thousands of impressions and remain top of mind for many people that entered the contest.
7. Have micro-influencers participate in a product or service trial
Some micro-influencers are willing to give products or services a try and tell their followers about them. While this might seem like a pretty simple way of promoting your brand, it is quite easily one of the most powerful. There is nothing better than a video testimonial from a trusted face telling your target audience that your product is great.
After all, human beings are naturally inclined to follow what other human beings do. So, when an influencer with a considerable following says that your product is something they use, a considerable section of their audience is bound to follow suit.
This tactic involves sending influencers free product with no expectation of anything in return. Naturally, if you’re sending product to the right micro-influencers, you’re going to have some that post about your product because they genuinely love it. Now rinse and repeat this method.
8. Ask micro-influencers to help you shoot customer testimonials
Every business understands the power of testimonials, but it can be hard to get customers to record a video testimonial that they’re willing to have listed on your website for everyone to see.
This is where you can leverage influencers. Find influencers that genuinely enjoy your product or service, then pay them for an honest review. Tell them how you will be using the content, and once you’ve come to an agreement you can post the content to your website.
This is a great way to get testimonials when you’re struggling to acquire them in other ways.
9. Repost. Again. And again.
Reposting the content you create with influencers is the key to getting the maximum return on your investment. Failing to repost content is equivalent to buying an outfit and only wearing it once before throwing it out. Content is meant to be repurposed, what doesn’t work on one platform might go viral on another.
Reposting also helps you recycle older pieces of content so in the meanwhile, you have the time to come up with ideas for your next phase of promotions.
Be sure to re-use the content provided by your micro-influencers.
10. Have Patience
When micro-influencer marketing’s impact on sales is not what you hoped to be, patience is the key. It’s important to understand that these are people with a considerably smaller audience size, and they’re not going to guarantee you any outcomes.
At the very least, micro-influencers should leave you with high-quality content that you’re happy with. Anyone promising you followers, millions of views, or hundreds of sales is not guaranteed to follow through, since that is up to the algorithm.
When it comes to micro-influencers, the monetary investments are usually very small when compared to the potential gains, so patience is key.
Conclusion
Micro influencer marketing is a great way to boost sales with a minimal budget. It does come with both its pros and cons, but as far as we are concerned, the pros massively outweigh the cons. And if you are a small business owner, you should take a leaf out of other brands that collaborate with small influencers and consider hiring a nano or micro-influencer the next time you want to do a promotional campaign.
