Similar to basketball players, influencers are in the same game but have varying skill sets to serve different purposes. In this article, we’ll be breaking down the types of Influencers and how brands can go about choosing the best candidates to achieve their marketing objectives.
Mega Influencers
Celebrity endorsements which ride on the star’s fame have been well-received by the public since its beginning, eventually resulting in the birth of influencer marketing. With the highest reach out of the 4 influencer types, mega influencers are essentially celebrities. According to Staista, 98% of in-house marketers in the UK found that celebrity marketing campaigns on social media were effective.
Image: fannaiaiwong
Due to the steep price tag that comes with engaging celebrities, only a certain tier of brands are able to use them. In doing so, it gives the brand a certain level of lux in comparison to regular brands, and with that celebrity association, it can help drive in the sale. It is especially evident in certain industries like beauty and fashion.
Macro Influencers
Macro influencers are individuals with a following of 30,000 and above. Bloggers, content creators and industry experts who have been around for awhile generally fall under this category. They are a great alternative to mega influencers and generally do well at raising brand awareness. The engagement rate for this tier averages between 1% and 3%. While Partipost predominantly works with nano influencers, we do collaborate with macro influencers as well.
Image: sophiewillocq
Micro Influencers
As a platform for influencers across all tiers, Partipost engages a number of micro influencers too. These are individuals with 5,000 to 30,000 followers on social media. The engagement rate for this tier is slightly higher than the macro influencers, averaging around 3% to 5%. Micro influencers usually have a specific niche that is highly relevant to their followers, resulting in a higher engagement rate. They also have the ability to foster a community vibe as they are able to talk to their followers in the form of responding to direct messages via the various social platforms. On top of that, they are also a cheaper alternative as compared to the mega influencers and the macro influencers.
Image: minicolee
Nano influencers
As mentioned earlier, the bulk of Partipost users are nano influencers with up to 5,000 followers. These are the most relatable of the lot as they share a similar lifestyle as the mass public. They are what we would also call the everyday people. The engagement rate of nano influencers averages between 7% and 10% in general. They have the highest engagement rate across all tiers as their followers are usually made up of friends and family.
Image: yiuxinting
Influencers under this tier are usually doing this as a pet project or for side income. Majority of these influencers share their thoughts because they genuinely want to and not because they are obliged to or for professional reasons. This also helps make their post more authentic and genuine. At Partipost, these influencers are not contractually obligated to join a brand’s campaign. Instead, they are able to make their own call to decide if they would like to share about a brand.
How To Select The Best Type of Influencers For Your Marketing Needs
As aforementioned, there are 4 tiers of influencers brands can work with and each of them have their own strengths and weaknesses. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach. Going with the same influencer-type as other brands because they seem to be performing well is a big no-no as brands have varying marketing objectives to achieve and different target audiences.
Mega influencers
Pros: This group is perfect for brands who wish to get their name out in the fastest possible way to people of differing interests. Since these influencers have the highest following count and have their names out there, they can provide the highest brand recall. In addition, mega influencers are the most experienced in partaking in marketing campaigns; saving time for your brand.
Cons: On the flipside, engaging them does not come cheap and some may be bent on having things done their way. Their reputation and behavior greatly impacts the brands they work with and sales may drop if they are seen negatively. In addition, their followers may not necessarily share the same interests as them, making it hard for brands to execute targeted campaigns. Authenticity is another prevailing issue; do they genuinely like the product they’re promoting or are they motivated by money?
Recently, Kendall Jenner received backlash for promoting Fyre Festival in an Instagram post for USD 275K. The public was enraged because the festival was postponed at the last minute, leaving excited event-goers stranded and thousands of local workers unpaid without food.
Macro influencers
Pros: They are able to relate across various industries as they are relatively well known and have made a name for themselves via social media, some would call them instafamous even. They are able to reach out to a diverse range of audiences for the brands. This is great for general brand awareness as the brand is able to ride on the association with the influencer. This gives brands more flexibility to switch up their ad-targeting and expand their product offerings at any time.
Cons: That said, working with them generally comes at a high price too, though not as much as mega influencers but they are also considered celebrities in the influencer realm. Their engagement rate is also on the lower side as only a portion of their followers share the same interest. For instance, a follower that identifies with being a foodie might not take interest in a post sharing about makeup.
Micro influencers
Pros: They are more affordable to collaborate with as opposed to macro influencers and have a pretty aligned group of followers e.g. females aged 18 to 35 who shop online often. Influencers with 10,000 followers and above have access to functions like the “swipe up” link on Instagram which definitely makes it easier for them to push the call-to-action to their followers..
Cons: They have a lower reach as compared to the previous two tiers. Therefore, to achieve a similar reach, a group of micro influencers will be required. This means that more manpower might be needed in terms of negotiating rates and handling the collection of submissions. On top of manpower, there’s also a need to search for the right influencers for the campaign.
Nano influencers
Pros: They’re the most trustworthy of the lot because they are everyday people like your friends and family. Influencers in this tier share a stronger relationship with their followers from their constant interaction and trust built over time. As such, they have the highest rate of engagement. Based on our data, influencers with 5,000 followers and lower brings in about 7% to 10% engagement rates on average. Those with under 2,000 followers can even soar up to 20% in engagement rate.
Moreover, they are the most cost-effective influencer-type. Think about it - the same budget meant for 1 macro influencer can be used across 50 nano influencers who can garner a much higher rate of engagement.
Cons: For one campaign, you might require at least 30 to 50 nano influencers to achieve the desired reach. To manually manage 30 to 50 people, in general, is going to be a nightmare. Vetting through the content is also equally time-consuming. Nano influencers are not your traditional influencers with years of experience creating content for brands. In terms of content curation, nano influencers are definitely the least curated. Most of the content will actually look very achievable - something that most people can recreate. However, that adds on to the authenticity and organicness of the content. And of course, nano influencers do not have access to tools like the “swipe up” function on Instagram due to their smaller number of following.
With Partipost, a lot of the back and forth can be minimized. Be it with your macro influencers or nano influencers. Partipost can execute influencer marketing campaigns for brands at a scale and with speed, with the fastest growing base of influencers.
All in all, it is recommended that brands utilize a mix of all influencer-types at different stages of their marketing campaign to achieve specific marketing objectives. Mega and macro influencers do a great job at raising awareness thanks to their high levels of reach, but nano influencers are the ones who excel in getting their followers to take action. They are also great for building a sense of loyalty as they are generally cheaper to engage. Thus, brands are able to engage them for multiple campaigns to act as a constant reminder to their followers. Local Government bodies have turned to influencers to promote initiatives such as a contest encouraging Climate Change and Budget 2018. If you have been on the fence, what are you waiting for?
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