Every business with an online presence has to put in a lot of effort to stay relevant on social media. Whether you’re in hospitality, retail, or any other industry, your customers are on social media — so you should be, too.
However, there’s no doubt that social media is changing how marketing is done. The rise of review sites and the popularity of influencers clearly show that consumers trust the opinions of real people more than elaborate marketing campaigns.
When you’re trying to promote a product, service, or offer a sweet deal, your marketing campaign will benefit from enlisting the help of a micro-influencer. Here are some of the advantages of working with them:
A Targeted Demographic
Micro-influencers tend to have a very defined audience of about 5,000 to 10,000 followers, which makes them an ideal fit for smaller businesses. When looking for a micro-influencer to work with, you’ll want to make use of their audience. However, to do that, you need to make sure that they would make a good ambassador for your brand.
Do some research on every potential candidate to find out whether they have credibility with their audience. If they do and they accept to work with you, you’ll gain access to a very targeted demographic.
An Engaged Following
Another benefit of working with someone who has a smaller audience than a macro-influencer is the level of engagement they get from their followers. Macro-influencers tend to gain new followers simply based on being popular. Most of them won’t be huge fans and might be following them out of the fear of missing out.
On the other hand, a micro-influencer has fans that are there for them and are interested in what they do. They get followers based on their original content and personality. What’s more, micro-influencers also tend to be trusted more, which can provide high conversion rates for the campaign you do with them.
Affordability
An influencer doesn’t need to have hundreds of thousands of followers to provide excellent ROI. Smaller influencers with their engaged following can offer a high return on investment. And it doesn’t have to cost a fortune, precisely because of their smaller audience.
For example, an Instagram post on a smaller influencer’s profile might only cost a few hundred dollars. Compared to the rates that some big influencers demand, it’s undoubtedly more affordable to work with a micro-influencer.
Buzz Generation
Micro-influencers can help put a face to your brand and provide some much-needed social media publicity for you. The way they generate buzz around a product or service is very natural.
Micro-influencers are great with starting conversations with their followers about brands, and also good at promoting them in the context of their everyday lives. That makes them a perfect candidate to collaborate with, especially for independent restaurants, boutique hotels, and other hospitality and retail businesses.
Takeaway
With social media presence so crucial for smaller businesses, any advantage counts. Working with micro-influencers can provide great ROI for your social media campaign and generate buzz that yields a high conversion rate.