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What are Nano-Influencers?

If you’re at all familiar with influencer marketing, you’ve probably heard talk of mega-influencers, micro-influencers, and other subcategories of social media celebrities. These people have a varying follower count on the social media platform they produce user-generated content for. What typically separates one influencer from another is their audience size.

A mega or macro-influencer will have follower counts ranging from hundreds of thousands to millions of followers. They are the big-name influencers that often have real-life celebrity status. A micro-influencer is a social influencer with a follower count typically in the thousands. Forbes defines a micro-influencer as someone with 10,000-50,000 followers.

Nano-influencers are smaller influencers, typically defined as having below 10,000 followers. They are most often everyday people, not major celebrities. They’re real people that often work other jobs and aren’t specifically full-time influencers. Yet, with a follower count typically ranging from 1,000-10,000 followers, they still are influential people that make for a key part of social media marketing strategies.

Let’s explore nano-influencers, their role in an effective influencer marketing strategy, and more in this guide to influencer marketing with nano-influencers.

Benefits of Using Nano-Influencers in a Campaign

Marketing with nano-influencers has become more and more popular in recent years because it is effective. Many companies think mega-influencers will provide a higher ROI because of their massive audience size and potential customer base. Still, nano-influencers also provide a very significant value for brands. Let’s explore the biggest reasons why.

Cost: If you’re going to work with a massive, well-known influencer, chances are it’ll cost you. Influencers with millions of followers often have agents and representatives who negotiate with brands for an influencer post. If you’re working with a nano-influencer, chances are they don’t have an agent. Companies with smaller budgets for influencer marketing can afford these influencers, and even if brands have a high budget, nano-influencers make sense. Brands can afford more posts from a larger number of people for less money. This gives businesses access to a higher volume of user-generated content. Nano-influencers are less costly meaning brands can afford more of them, meaning more social media content for less. Nano-influencers will often post for products, which allows companies to maximize their budget.

Engagement: The important metric that defines an ideal influencer is their engagement rates. HootSuite defines engagement rates as the metric that measures the number of interactions influencers’ social media posts get relative to their audience and reach. Essentially, it shows how active an influencer’s following is. Nano-influencers tend to have much higher engagement rates. Their reach is smaller, but their impact on buying decisions is high because they have a strong connection to a small group. This makes their cost per engagement extremely low. An active user base is what brands are looking for, making nano-influencers an extremely cost-effective component of a content marketing strategy.

Drawbacks to Nano-Influencers

All types of influencers have different benefits and drawbacks that companies need to consider based on the goals and constraints of their influencer marketing program. Nano-influencers are no different. While they should be a part of many successful influencer campaigns, understanding their limitations is important.

Smaller Audience: If you’re spending thousands of dollars on a large influencer marketing campaign, chances are you want to reach as many people as possible. That is why macro-influencers are such a popular choice for brands. Even micro-influencers have a larger follower count than nano-influencers. Some brands want the simple assurance of using influencers with major followings to reach a larger target audience. Even though nano-influencers have a higher level of engagement, they’re not going to have the same reach as someone with a million followers.

Risk of a Lack of Professionalism: When working with an experienced influencer, you typically know what you’re getting. They’ll have agents, as well as experience as a brand ambassador. They know how to utilize discount codes and affiliate links. Nano-influencers likely have had less experience partnering with businesses and may lack the professionalism that macro or micro-influencers have. Brands emphasize professionalism and reliability with influencer partnerships, and while many nano-influencers are still extremely reliable, there is an increased risk that inexperience will impact their value.

Key Takeaways

When choosing a fit for your influencer marketing, there are a lot of decisions you’ll have to make. Many businesses simply aim for high follower counts and believe that will lead to the highest ROI, but that isn’t necessarily the case. Nano-influencers have social media accounts with moderate followings but often have an engaged core. They are a more cost-effective way to conduct influencer outreach than with larger influencers, leading to a profitable campaign.

When finding the right influencer fit, making sure you’re partnered with a team of experienced industry experts makes sense. Influence Hunter helps businesses create customizable and scalable influencer marketing campaigns that have proven results. Influence Hunter helps brands work with all types of influencers, including nano-influencers. Find out more about how Influence Hunter can rapidly progress your influencer outreach marketing.

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