Marketing Video

How to Work with Micro Influencers

How to Work with Micro Influencers

“MICRO INFLUENCERS ARE IT THESE DAYS.”

Micro influencers are the next big deal. Editors and bloggers are taking a look at micro influencers to see what they’re posting and what they’re turning into trends. Let’s address how to work with micro influencers, how to negotiate rates, and ultimately, the best ways to engage with them.

“EDITORS ARE PAYING MORE AND MORE ATTENTION.”

I did a recent panel at Conde Nast with the editors of Vogue and W Magazine. They were telling me they were actually paying more and more attention to micro influencers, and the reason why is micro influencers have a much higher conversion level than their large-scale influencer counterparts. Micro influencers are those who only have maybe a couple thousand followers. Maybe they actually only have about a 2% engagement, but possibly it’s even higher because these people are in more focused atmospheres.

Tip: Micro influencers tend to get more conversions than larger scale influencers.

It’s important to understand that some micro influencers are not even sure they can be charging money, or really how much they should be charging. One of my favorite things to do when working with them is to simply send an email asking, “Hey, can we collaborate? Is there an opportunity to trade, or can we see how we can work together?” As opposed to saying, “Can you send me over your rate sheet or your ad sheets.” Those are obviously assets we’re used to requesting from larger influencers.

Tip: Collaborate or trade to get the best deals.

Naturally, micro influencers are going to be growing just as their large-scale counterparts did about 5-7 years ago. They’re going to be growing in size as well as in what it is they’re asking for in terms of payment. If you can get in on the ground now and start to activate with micro influencers, you might find you’re going to get a better rate, better exposure and better conversion than you would if you jump on the bandwagon a year from now.

“WORK WITH MICRO INFLUENCERS TODAY TO SAVE MONEY.”

The next question is how to evaluate and discover micro influencers. It’s very important to take a look at smaller cities where micro influencers might actually be able to have much more visibility in their markets. Places like New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles can be oversaturated. Look to smaller cities and think about going global. Think about all the different places where your product might actually reach a more targeted audience that might convert better.

“LOOK TO LESS COMPETITIVE MARKETS.”

Next, analyze conversions. Look at their likes and who’s commenting, and do a little extra digging. See who these people are and make sure they’re real people- not just bots. Again, micro influencers do not have millions of followers, they might have 5,000 or less, so keep that in mind as you’re perusing.

This is a hot new marketing strategy, something that’s not going to be around in the next few years as these micro influencers continue to grow. Certainly there will be more and more that will be entering the space, but get in on this trend before it blows up.