The basic identification factor of a micro influencer is that they will have between 2000 and 50,000 followers on a particular social media channel. They are usually endorsing a particular activity, lifestyle, or passion. The defining quality of micro-influencers that make them a prominent part of digital marketing is the engagement of their audience and the trust they have established with them. 

While big brands turn to celebrities and prominent personalities with over 500,000 followers, the real potential lies with these micro influencers with their higher engagement rates and approachability that makes them a new breed of brand ambassadors who can bring the brand closer to its consumers. Their modest audience size is compensated by the influence they exert.

Brand endorsements are seen strictly as commercial facades when done by huge celebrities and endorsing multiple brands further damages the credibility. Micro-influencers, on the other hand, have already fashioned a kind of impact over their limited followers with personable content and sincere shared interests.

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Some of the advantages exhibited by micro-influencers are mentioned below. The size of the company is no barrier to tapping into this potential. Emerging startups and even established brands such as Google and Chrysler are using micro-influencers to deepen their reach.  

• Reasonable pricing. Micro influencers are not celebrities per se and any campaign tends to work in favor of both the parties to expand reach. Macro influencers, on the other hand, tend to (and have the right to) charge comparatively higher. The ROI is also higher with micro influencers due to increased engagement with the target group.
• It is easier to gain customer trust and sustain loyalty. Micro influencers are already familiar with the taste of the audience. This makes it easier to find a link between the brand’s offering and the audience’s wants. The tone, personality, content style, niche, and their authenticity while interacting makes the audience much more engaged and drives conversions better. Celebrity influencers tend to have an engagement rate of 1% whereas it is 6% for micro influencers.
• Advantageous to both parties. One of the best outcomes from working with micro-influencers is that they tend to go out of their way to make things work. They appreciate working with brands that value their work and are keen to satisfy the client.
• Ad blindness. The online audience has become immune to banner ads. Most people cannot even see them anymore. Any resemblance to an advertisement and the element is ignored. Additionally, using Adblock tools have also reduced the reach of traditional advertisements. Marketers have to find new ways to reach their audiences and micro influencers tend to have a community so granularly targeted that further specifications are not necessary. 
• Finding the right micro influencer does half the job. Tapping into very specific niche markets is very easy with micro influencers. Unlike macro influencers, their micro counterparts tend to have an extremely focused audience who follow them only for the niche they represent. Thus further targeting is unnecessary when doing business with them.

Many emerging and established brands are turning to micro-influencers due to these advantages and the ROI it promises.  Two examples of an established and an emerging brand exploiting micro influencers are mentioned below.

• Amazon

Among the influencers promoting their audiobook, Audible, was Jesse Driftwood, a photographer with fewer than 100,000 followers. He promoted the item explaining how he used it to learn more about business while doing other activities. Amazon realized that his relatable content had garnered him a loyal and engaged fan following which could be exploited.

• F-Stop Gear

The camera accessory innovators had partnered up with Navaneeth Unnikrishnan. Navaneeth is an astrophotographer hailing from Kerala, India, and has an audience base of more than 93800 followers on Instagram. His works have been featured in magazines and websites including Nat Geo, BBC, and HuffPost. By utilizing his follower base of other photographers and photography aficionados, F-Stop gear had access to an extremely targeted audience pool.

The relationship between the micro-influencer and their audience is genuine. 82% of consumers are more likely to act upon directions from a trusted micro-influencer. They also drive 22.2 times more conversations when compared to other bigger celebrities. Blogs and Instagram are the primary grounds for any micro-influencer (89% on blogs and 80% on Instagram) making the two platforms an inevitable part of your marketing strategy. A micro-influencer conceptualizes your brand’s message and spreads it in a way proven to be most effective in converting their niche.

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