The term ‘influencer’ is nothing new in the marketing world. Influencers can enhance your brand, product or service by showing it to your target group. Picking the right influencer for your cause can, however, become a bigger challenge than one would expect. 

When is the right time to use influencers’ services? 

Are seeking to increase your exposure and reach as many people as possible with your brand or your product? Then it is the time to use the services of influencers. By choosing the right influencer not only you can reach a higher number of potential customers but also target their interests more precisely. Such targeting can bring relevant visitors ready to use your services and purchase your product. The selection is immerse, from well-known celebrities and famous online-figures to parents or their ‘kidfluencers‘.

The most common ways how influencers share your products to their followers is based on interaction. This can be portrayed as using products in competitions, giveaways, swipe-ups or tagged mentions in their content. 

So how does the ideal collaboration with influencers look like?

When you get to the point when ‘hiring’ an influencer is the right next move – firstly, think it through. What do you expect from the collaboration? Increasing sales or brand awareness? Or for instance introducing a new product? Both sides should have clearly stated terms and conditions of the collaboration such that both parties are happy.

If you have already seen their work and liked it, you can give your influencer a free hand – after all, it’s them who knows their followers the best.

Categorizing influencers

Influencers are categorized into several groups based on their reach on a single platform

Next to the reach, the level of expertise when it comes to working with brands and the record of their past campaign success will also influence the rate the influencers will charge.

Nano influencers

Those are the influencers with 1,000 to 10,000 followers. Don’t get turned off by this relatively low number. The power of nano influencers lies in the strength of the relationship with their fan base. This close relationship comes with bigger trust and which can ensure a very successful reach of the target group. Partnering with Nano influencers is relatively cheap ($10-$100 per Instagram post) or can even work as barter trade. Being a ‘hobby influencer’ means, there is no pressure on them what products or brand they select to promote.

Micro influencers

Secondly, the Micros are a group of influencers with a follower base ranging from 10,000 to 50,000 on a single platform. They are often focused on a certain field or a range of products. They connect brands with potential customers. ‘Specializing’ on a particular product line, their followers often directly turn to them rather than a concrete brand itself. As their channels likely already make up a considerable part of their income the Micros are interested in further boosting their account. To ensure its growth they are likely to take extra steps with your products. 

Mid-tier influencers

Mid-tiers have around 50,000 to 300,000 followers. They have more experience than Micro or Nano influencers which means better content overall. Mid-tiers provide a middle-ground. They give your brand the benefit of collaborating with influencers with large and engaged audiences and effective reach while remaining cost-effective ($500-$5,000 per Instagram post).

Macro influencers

Another group are the macro influencers ranging from 300,000 to 1,000,000 fans. These often already include celebrities, who have a large reach and offer greater diversity of audience. This group stresses the importance of the quality of the product and the brand image. Macros are way more selective than mid-tiers or micros when it comes to choosing what brand or product to collaborate with. For Macros any collaboration can largely impact their public perception. Collaboration with Macro influencers is generally more expensive ($5,000-$10,000 per Instagram post). 

Mega influencers

And lastly, the group with the largest reach are the Mega influencers with 1,000,000+ followers. Influencers with such a large audience have difficulty maintaining a close relationship with their followers. They have their own people to engage with the audience through their channel. Therefore they lack the connection brands may be looking for. Mega influencers are therefore great for mass campaigns, typically when introducing new products to the market or increasing brand awareness. 

Still unsure?

If you are still hesitant about working with influencers, don’t be! Starting small with Nano or Micro influencers and using their close relationship with your relevant target group can be a first step into the world of influencers. If you are still unsure about the benefits of influencer marketing, check our post on 4 Reasons to Adopt Influencer Marketing!

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References

Espinoza, S., 2020. Influencer tiers: The 5 Main Types Of Instagram Influencers. [Blog] The Shelf, Available at: <https://www.theshelf.com/the-blog/influencer-tiers> [Accessed 1 May 2021].

Formost, K., 2021. How Much Do Influencers Cost?. [Blog] Tagger, Available at: <https://www.taggermedia.com/blog/how-much-do-influencers-cost> [Accessed 1 May 2021].

Influencer Marketing Hub, 2021. Influencer Rates: How Much do Influencers Really Cost in 2021?. Available at: <https://influencermarketinghub.com/influencer-rates/> [Accessed 1 May 2021].