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Influencers are a smart way to grow your biz, but you’ve got to find the fit right. But not just any influencer will do for your campaigns—did you know that not all influencers are the same?
There are so many different types of influencers to choose from! You need to know how to spot the different types so you can find the right influencers for your campaign.
Not sure which influencer type is a fit for your campaign? Learn about the four types of influencers and follow our tips to help you get the most out of your relationship with them.
1. Nano Influencers (0-1K)
You might need a magnifying glass to identify nano influencers, who have a range of just 0-1,000 followers. But don’t let their small size fool you: The intimate size of their following means nano influencers tend to have an engaged audience and loyal fanbase.
Because of that, nano influencers come off as more authentic than, say, a celebrity like Selena Gomez. Nano influencers usually focus deeply on more specific niche topics, too. They might not be a fit if you need mass appeal, but if your brand caters to a very specific hobby or industry, nano influencers are a great fit.
The big upside to partnering with nano influencers is that they usually cost less than other influencers but still have high engagement rates. In fact, nano influencers have a 5% average engagement rate, which is pretty high if you compare it to mega influencers’ 1.6% engagement rates. If you’re on a limited marketing budget, nano influencers are a great way to get into influencer marketing on the cheap!
Tips for Working With Nano Influencers
While nano influencers are a budget-friendly option, there are a few things you need to know about this type of influencer.
Nano influencers aren’t used to partnering with brands. It’s likely that you’re their first brand partnership, so the influencer might need more hand-holding. Because of this influencer’s small size and inexperience, they’re often happy to work in exchange for free product.
You also need to make sure your nano influencer is legit. Their smaller size makes it harder to verify their presence, so look closely at their other social media accounts and verify that their follower count is real, and not full of spambots. Since nano influencers have such a small following, you want to make sure that the people you’re reaching are, in fact, real people!
2. Micro Influencers (1K-100K)
Micro influencers have 1,000-100,000 followers and are arguably the most popular type of influencer for digital marketing campaigns. They have a larger following than nano influencers and touch on more niche topics than macro or mega influencers.
However, thanks to their larger audience size, their followers tend to see micro influencers as opinion leaders on a certain subject. Micro influencers have 60% higher engagement rates and 20% higher conversion rates than macro-influencers, which makes them a powerful option for influencer campaigns!
Oh, and by the way: They’re 6.7% more cost-effective than other influencers, too. Honestly, if you need to reach a larger target audience without busting your budget, micro influencers are the way to go.
Tips for Working With Micro Influencers
Micro influencers tend to be more experienced with brand partnerships than nano influencers. Fortunately, micro influencers are still small enough that you can execute campaigns relatively quickly with them—unlike mega influencers, who require six months’ notice for anything.
To get the most ROI out of this partnership, make sure you’re a fit for the influencer’s audience demographics. There needs to be a direct link between your brand and the influencer’s content. For example, if you’re a makeup brand, it makes sense to hook up with a fashion influencer instead of, say, an athlete.
The thing is, micro influencers want to work with brands they care about. If you want to partner with a particular micro influencer, forge a relationship before you come in with an offer. Follow them on Instagram, leave a few comments, and get to know their content. You can also use a platform like Markerly to connect with social media influencers in less time.
3. Macro Influencers (100K-1MM)
The next type of influencer is macro influencers, who have 100,000-1 million followers. At this point, the influencer is probably internet famous and has a reputation for being a high-quality content creator. It’s not unusual to see a lot of big-name TikTok creators at this level.
Macro influencers are much more experienced, so they know their way around a brand partnership. They might even approach you with their own contracts, requirements, or content calendar.
Macro influencers tend to be more in-demand than nano or micro influencers, so you need to get on their radar well ahead of time. There are no last-minute holiday campaigns with these folks!
It’s also important to realize that, although macro influencers have a bigger following, their engagement rates aren’t as great. This isn’t always a bad thing, though: Even a 2% engagement rate with 500,000 people is awesome — that’s 10,000 people seeing your content! If brand awareness and general appeal are what you need, go with a macro influencer.
Tips for Working With Macro Influencers
Get more traction out of your macro influencer by collaborating with them on content. Since multimedia content, like video, gets 135% more reach (but takes a ton of time to create internally), ask macro influencers to make it for you.
But you should always let the macro influencer be in charge of the content. If you’re too heavy-handed with your brand requirements, the influencer’s followers won’t respond well to the partnership at all.
Always give macro influencers your brand guidelines and let them have creative control. You can check in with them during the process and provide feedback along the way. Always ask to see outlines or video scripts before they actually make the content to balance their creativity with your campaign needs.
4. Mega Influencers (1MM+)
Few brands pursue influencers at this tier, but the final type of influencers is mega influencers. These folks have well over 1 million followers, so you’re usually talking about celebrities at this point.
Mega influencers don’t have one-on-one, hyper-personal relationships with their followers. That’s why they’re better suited for generic mass-appeal campaigns.
The huge downside to mega influencers is that they’re outrageously expensive. For example, rumor has it that Kylie Jenner charges $1 million for a single Instagram post. Mega influencers usually partner with large brands that have millions of dollars to throw at influencer marketing.
If you can stomach the price tag, mega influencers can still give you a great amount of exposure. It’s a pretty common practice for brands that are trying to launch a new product, especially if they’re backed by investors.
Tips for Working With Mega Influencers
If you partner with a mega influencer, you probably won’t speak with the influencer yourself. Chances are good that you’ll work with their representative, agent, or creative team because the influencer is more of a company than an individual at this point.
You really need to have your ducks in a row before you partner with a mega influencer. Reach out to them before your campaign launch dates, because most of them plan their content promotions at least a quarter in advance. Come with all of the campaign information, including your goals, budget, and creative direction.
Mega influencers receive a lot of offers and are choosy about who they partner with, so the more put-together you are, the better your chances of a successful partnership.
Choose the Right Types of Influencers
Influencer marketing is a great marketing strategy that builds buzz for your brand, but not all influencers are the same. There are four types of influencers and their costs, reach, and engagement figures should influence whether you work with them or not. Regardless of who you work with, the tips we shared will help you get the most out of your relationship, whether you hire a nano influencer or big-name celebrity.
But where do you find these influencers in the first place? Instead of sifting through Instagram on your own, go with a platform like Markerly. See how we can help you kick off your influencer marketing campaign in less time.
