Influencer marketing is a phrase 99.9% of marketing professionals know, a phenomenon built on the idea that, rather than targeting a whole demographic group, sometimes the best way to raise brand awareness is receive promotion from a social media trendsetter.
But, like any marketing trend, particularly in the digital age, influencer marketing is continuously evolving. In fact, it’s time to re-evaluate who we consider “influencers” altogether.
Types of Influencers
Not all influencers are created equal. A lot depends on the size of their followings and their level of engagement. Typically, influencers are separated into three groups:
Macro: These influencers are generally household names. Think Kim Kardashian, a woman who made her fortune working as a fashion influencer. Macro influencers have millions of followers, which explains why it costs so much for companies to have them promote their products. For example, Kylie Jenner, arguably social media’s biggest star, receives $1 million for each branded post.
Micro: These influencers typically have followings ranging from 10,000 to several hundred thousand. They’re the creators, bloggers and social media stars. Maybe they’re a fitness celebrity, an activist, or a well-dressed dog. Either way, they set digital trends and earn accordingly.
Nano: These are the everyday, ordinary people on social media. Maybe they have 10,000 followers or less than 100. The bulk of their followers are friends and family.
In the past, the emphasis has been on macro influencers and celebrities. Why? Because, logically, the more followers someone has, the more views an advertisement gets. However, over the years, advertisers and brands have begun focusing more on micro influencers: they still have large followings, but they typically have higher rates of engagement and, of course, are more cost-effective.
But in the year 2019, a new type of influencer is poised to reign supreme — the nano-influencer. If you don’t yet consider average users influencers, it’s time to start.
Why Nano-influencers are the future
Yes, nano-influencers have smaller followings, but, they also come with two major benefits no other influencer group has: specificity in their targeting and close relationships with their followers.
Specific audiences:
Because nano-influencers have such small followings, their audiences tend to be more homogenous, giving advertisers the ability to be much more specific about who they reach. A nano-influencer may only have 1,000 followers, but all 1,000 might meet the brand’s ideal targeting criteria. On the other hand, while large influencer do have larger followings, their followers tend to have fewer similarities, providing no guarantee that your message will reach the type of person it’s intended for. Nano-influencing puts the focus on the quality of the advertising rather than the total number of views — and studies show that quality goes further.
Authentic communications and close relationships
Because of their smaller followings, nano influencers are able to interact with their audience in a much more real and intimate manner. Unlike big celebrities (accounts with millions of followers), or micro influencers (accounts that are still quite popular), nano influencers generally know who is following them, what their audience expects, what they like. They are more likely to interact with their followers directly, through comments, likes, and personal messages which translates to higher rates of engagement per post — including paid posts. When they promote a product or brand, it comes across as a genuine recommendation rather than a forced advertisement. Ultimately, brands can either spend $10,000 for a couple of celebrity influencer posts or pay the same amount for thousands of different posts by users with smaller but tight-knit followings and get 4x more engagement. What’s more, since recommendations from nano influencers carry more weight — people are more likely to follow the suggestion of a friend rather than a celebrity — such recommendations bring in more new clients than celebrity-based ads.
Some brands have already started utilizing nano influencers and are seeing great results, but, at MNFST, we’re taking this up-and-coming trend to the next level.
Where MNFST comes in:
MNFST opens up the exclusive world of influencer marketing to all — brands and users alike — by turning everyone into an influencer. As the world’s first crowd-promotion platform, MNFST connect brands with the world’s 3 billion social media users. They find their future brand ambassadors, and the users, in return for their loyalty, get fairly paid.
Think about it. Everyone at some point has recommended a product to a friend that he or she has then bought or suggested a restaurant to a family member, which they then visited. That’s the very definition of influencing. Why shouldn’t these same people be promoting your brand? Why shouldn’t they have the opportunity to be rewarded as celebrities are? The future pay-off is immense.
With MNFST, users can realise the value of their voice online and monetise their creativity and influence, while brands can harness the full potential and power of these nano influencers. It’s a win-win.
Welcome to the future of influencer marketing. Join the MNFST movement.
