When you’re scouting talent for your next marketing campaign, it’s easy to measure Instagrammers by their follower count. Millions of followers mean millions of eyes see any endorsement deal you strike with the Instagrammer in question.
While technically true, those views don’t translate into engagements.
Falling back into the old “bigger is better” mindset can actively harm your influencer marketing strategy. Mega influencers may have impressive numbers, but they rarely deliver engagement rates to back them up.
If you’re ready to open the throttle on your influencer marketing strategy, it’s time to shift gears and search for nano influencers. Find out why below.
What is a Nano Influencer Marketing Campaign?
First, let’s define what “nano” means. According to the Peersway influencer marketing agency, a nano influencer is a person who has less than 10K followers.
While this may be far from the millions you were dreaming of, these accounts offer more effective means of targeting audiences. They achieve greater engagement rates with fewer followers. That’s why the experts at Peersway have networked exclusively with nano influencers for the past five years and counting.
Why Bigger Isn’t Better
Peersway isn’t the only platform that makes use of this influencer marketing strategy. Why? Here are three simple reasons why you should skip macros:
1. They Lack Authenticity
Authentic endorsements are your meal ticket. It’s what gets people engaged with your brand and products, so your partnership must be a perfect match to be successful.
Strip authenticity from influencer marketing, and you’re left with a soulless post that clearly reads like an ad. Most browsers will see that the person behind the account doesn’t believe in the product, so they won’t explore the brand.
It doesn’t help when celebrities don’t put any effort into the ads themselves — like when Naomi Campbell got caught copying and pasting instructions from Adidas in a now edited post.
Nano accounts, on the other hand, create high-quality posts that interact with your brand with enthusiasm and authenticity. They also have highly engaged communities who value their advice.
2. They Have Lower Engagement
Macro accounts may have a wider reach, but they have inferior engagements rates. If you compare the numbers, nano accounts have higher engagement rates than any other follower tiers. That’s because your marketing agency will partner you with talent whose niche fits your products perfectly, so your brand will resonate more within these communities.
3. They’re Expensive
Sometimes, the number of followers you see mirrors the cost of doing business with the biggest Instagrammers. Wrestler-turned-actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has officially taken over Kylie Jenner as the most expensive talent on Instagram, charging over $1 million per post.
Cost is the biggest reason why macros aren’t worth your time. One post from an average macro influencer (who isn’t The Rock) is 15 times the cost of working nano talent. So not only are you getting lower engagement rates, but you’re paying a premium for it, too.
Bottom Line
Get out of the mindset that a million followers are necessary to make a splash with your campaign. It’s time to update your influencer marketing strategy for 2022 and beyond. Switching to smaller accounts is more affordable and produces real engagements.
Interesting Related Article: “Instagram Influencer Marketing Trends“