Influencer marketing has become a staple of any good digital marketing strategy in recent years - and it only makes sense to work with influencers with the largest followings and the broadest reach, right? Maybe not, as recent data on the growth of nano influencers suggests…
According to a new report from Influencer Intelligence,
Over the past 12 months, nano influencers have been in greatest demand and represent the most popular influencer segment for brand collaborations. According to the survey findings, over three quarters (76%) of respondents say they have worked with nano influencers in the past year, with micro and niche influencers following very closely behind (72%).
What is a Nano Influencer?
Nano influencers, or ‘nanos’ for short, have a more modest social media following than your typical macro influencers, who tend to have verified accounts and followings in the hundreds of thousands. Nanos are characterised by the smaller size of their following, higher engagement rates and their natural ability to influence their followers.
While definitions can vary, nano influencers generally have around 1,000-5,000 followers. Unlike their macro counterparts, nano influencers are not ‘famous’ with a broad global audience, but instead have a small, highly engaged following, often made up of users from their own community.
Why use Influencers with smaller followings?
Though it may seem counter-productive to use smaller, lesser known influencers in your ad campaigns, nano influencers may actually be the best choice for meeting your brand's specific goals.
Increased Follower Engagement
As follower numbers increase, user engagement rates drop - influencers with <1000 followers average a 7.2% engagement rate among their followers, whereas once follower numbers rise to >100,000, engagement drops to just 1.1%*. This means that the fewer followers an influencer has, the more likely their audience is to interact with the branded content they post by liking, sharing and following swipe-up links. This isn’t to say that macro influencers with large followings are no longer a useful marketing tool, rather that brands should be selective about the kind of influencers they use depending on their specific marketing goals.
If broad reach is the aim, influencers with followers in the millions can be great for spreading brand awareness. But if your goal is to drive up engagement and customer conversion, nano influencers may be better suited to your campaign’s needs. When surveyed, 68% of brands who used nano influencers in their marketing strategies reported increased consumer engagement with their brands as a result of nano influencer marketing*.
Brand Perception
With growing awareness and transparency around paid partnerships and influencer collaborations on social platforms like Instagram, brands may struggle to present an image of authenticity and transparency, to which nano influencers could be the solution. Nano influencers’ lack of fame in comparison to macro influencers makes them more appealing to audiences, because they have a level of ‘normality’ which increases their perceived trustworthiness and relatability among their followers*.
44% of brands surveyed* cited ‘a need for more authentic bond between influencer and audience’ as their motivation for working with nano influencers, with 45% also citing higher engagement rates as a motivating factor.
Cost Effectiveness
Working with influencers with smaller followings can prove to be a more cost-effective marketing strategy, as you are able to side-step the large fees attached to macro influencer deals. Using nano influencers can help your brand reach a specific concentrated, targeted audience who are more likely to engage with branded content than those who follow macro influencers, and often for a much smaller fee.
The landscape of influencer marketing is changing, with nano influencers predicted to increase in popularity with marketers over coming years*. Nano influencers are a cost effective, authentic and exciting new marketing tool which shouldn’t be overlooked when mapping out your digital and social strategy.
*sourced from Influencer Intelligence ‘The Rise of Nano Influencers’ Study
