Advertising is shifting focus from celebrities to influencer marketing thanks to social media. People want authenticity, something organic. This isn’t the vibe large brand-sponsored celebrities give off and it shows. Statistics tell us that 62% of social media users trust influencers more than celebrities.
In fact, 80% of marketers are already utilizing the power of influencers in their campaigns and reaping the rewards. But before reaching out, you need to identify what type of influencer fits your brand best – Macro or Micro-Influencers?
Micro vs Macro Influencers: What’s the Difference?
In a nutshell, macro-influencers are more expensive. That’s justifiable since their reach covers more people. However, having more followers means lower engagement.
A Statista study suggests engagement rates decrease as followers increase. This is where micro-influencers come in. Engagement is higher despite the smaller audience.
Marketers need to weigh out the advantages and disadvantages and identify which type of influencer can give the best return on investment (ROI).
To help with the process, we’ve curated a list of pros and cons between micro and macro influencers.
Choosing Micro-Influencers for Your Brand: Advantages and Disadvantages
The majority of micro-influencers are seen as more grounded when compared to macro-influencers or celebrities.
They have that next-door neighbor-type vibe that you can easily relate to. They also express their passions or niche through content that gets you hooked.
The following are the advantages and disadvantages of utilizing them in your next marketing campaigns:
Micro-Influencer Advantages
Micro-influencers have a decent number of followers (2,000 – 50,000). It’s manageable enough that they can engage with a large chunk of their audience.
Research suggests micro-influencers have 319% more engagement than macro-influencers. But aside from engagement, they also have advantages in the following:
- Micro-influencers on Instagram are more affordable than macro-influencers (less than $250).
- Most are highly skilled and knowledgeable in a specific niche.
- Experticity studies suggest 82% of consumers trust micro-influencers with products.
- Micro-influencers are niche-specific, which better influences members of that niche.
- Micro-influencers produce quality content with a personal touch, making it more relatable to their audience.
Micro-Influencer Disadvantages
This type of influencer wins hands down in terms of affordability, relevancy, and trust. But they fall short when it comes to the following:
- Micro-influencers have fewer followers and less reach than macro-influencers.
- Because most micro-influencers do content in a specific niche, it’s harder for brands to find one that fits their image.
- To make up for their smaller reach, marketers usually get several micro-influencers during campaigns, making the process time-consuming.
- Micro-influencers can use bots to pad their follower count.
Choosing Macro Influencers for Your Brand: Advantages and Disadvantages
Macro influencers have a large audience ranging from 100,000 to millions. They can reach a more diverse group of people. Others might call these influencers mini-celebrities, key opinion leaders, industry experts, or content creators.
Here are the pros and cons of using macro influencers in your marketing campaigns.
Macro Influencer Advantages
Macro influencers have a larger reach. Statistics reveal that they can reach 2200% more people than micro-influencers. They give the following advantages:
- They provide better brand awareness due to the range and diversity of their audience.
- Macro influencers are typically handled by agencies or talent managers, making outreach more professional.
- Products associated with macro-influencers can become a trend amongst followers.
- A single social media post from macro influencers can potentially reach hundreds of thousands of people.
- Depending on the goal, macro influencers can give better ROI despite the increased price tag.
Macro Influencer Disadvantages
Here are the disadvantages of reaching out to macro influencers:
- Statistics show that macro influencer rates can range between $2,000 to $50,000.
- Audiences trust macro influencers less compared to micro-influencers.
- Reaching out to macro-influencers can be difficult as you have to go through talent managers or agencies.
- Macro influencers can promote products that aren’t within their niche, making them less authentic.
Micro vs Macro Influencers: Which One Should You Choose?
We’ve run through the top pros and cons for both influencer types. Now it’s time to decide which one fits your brand best. But before you send out outreach emails, consider the following:
Brand Objectives
Consider your brand’s goals when deciding to reach out to influencers. You need to balance out factors such as brand awareness, conversion rates, and engagement.
If you want to focus on brand awareness and visibility, go for macro. If you want engagement and better conversion rates, micro-influencers are your go-to.
Check if Your Target Audiences Align
Authenticity and trust are common themes in advertising. So, choose an influencer whose audience aligns with yours. It makes more sense that way.
Identify your target audience, and the influencer’s audience, and find your perfect match. You wouldn’t want to reach out to a beauty influencer and sell gaming apparel.
Consider What Works With Your Budget
No matter what industry or niche your business is in, your budget would ultimately decide which influencers you can go for.
If your brand can afford a macro-influencer and reaching out to one aligns with your campaign’s goals, do so. If you can’t afford to pay that premium, you should stick to micro-influencers.
There are even cases where big brands with more than enough of a budget for macro-influencers still go for several micro-influencers. But there aren’t any rules that prevent you from using both as long as you can afford to do so.
Key Takeaways
Both micro and macro influencers help brands immensely with their marketing campaigns. They can provide reach, engagement, and more importantly, authenticity.
Here’s a rundown of what you need to know when it comes to influencers:
- Using influencers in marketing campaigns results in higher conversion rates compared to celebrity endorsements.
- Micro-influencers are better for engagement, macro influencers for reach.
- Niche industries or businesses benefit more from micro-influencer advertising.
- Macro-influencers are low-risk investments thanks to their professionalism.
- You get more creative control with macro-influencers since they’ve already established their brand image.
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