MICRO-INFLUENCERS: all the "huh's"? and the "wha..'s"? you need to know
Shot & Styled for Tuti NZ
Wanting to grow your business with social media but it’s just not cutting the mustard?
Consider engaging a micro-influencer. They're ideally positioned to grow your following in a loyal and engaged way and I’m about to tell you why.
For a while now, influencers have been the marketing strategy du jour - brands big and small have commissioned famous (or at the very least, popular) people to punt their products and services in return for a bit of cash. They have followers aplenty which drives their appeal, but therein lies the problem.
If you’ve spent any time tracking their engagement, you’d probably find that in many cases it’s relatively low. More than that though, it’s difficult to know whether their audience is organic or bought. Why is that an issue? A bought audience is a useless audience. So you’d be chucking money and product down the drain.
You’d be better off spending time putting together a micro-influencer strategy, one that involves commissioning people with a smaller audience but one that is super engaged with their content.
WHY?
They're the people sitting in your exact target market who’s audience (while smaller) is lapping up everything they post. They're providing credible insights, advice and information that is considered valuable by their audience. As a result, they're able to engage their following on a far more authentic, relatable level and their recommendations carry weight within their sphere of influence.
Customers are growing weary of mindless endorsement. To be effective, it needs to be authentic.
Continued below…
Shot & Styled for Tuti NZ
HOW DO YOU FIND THESE MICRO-INFLUENCERS?
It starts with knowing your target market intimately. You'll need to have a good grasp on their mindset, who they're following online and why. A great way to see who's holding their attention is to ask them for inspirational accounts to follow. Tailor your request to where your main buyers are (geographically speaking... There's no point getting UK-based micro-influencers if you're selling within NZ only, for example).
WHAT MAKES A GREAT MICRO-INFLUENCER?
- They're passionate about the industry you're operating in
- They're even more passionate about using the products or services that you provide
- Even better if they already follow you
- Better still if they've bought from you before
- They have a great eye and take beautiful, engaging photographs
- Their insights show an engaged following: get an insider's view by asking to see a snapshot of their analytics
- They've bought into your business values and will carry them over into the tone and messaging that they create for you in their posts
So if your social media activities just aren’t pulling in the sales, numbers, likes or followers that you’d like, put a micro-influencer strategy into play - if that starts to work, then you know where to focus your attention.
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It’s a monthly product photography retainer: fresh new imagery of your product delivered monthly for you to use across your digital platforms. Sound good? Find out more here.
