Businesses, both established and startups, are looking for ways to leverage influencer marketing to contact their audience. But for small businesses, there is one question that is quite common – which influencer will be most effective, micro influencers or nano influencers? Both are great in their own ways, but they are uniquely different in their approach and influence.
In this article, we will examine in detail the difference between micro influencers and nano influencers to determine the best strategy for small businesses.
The Background of Influencers
Influencer Marketing is a must-have for small business marketing strategies.
The biggest issue for small businesses will always be budget and resources. Conventional advertising like TV, hoarding advertising, or influencers promoting a branded company costs boatloads of dollars, which isn’t a possibility for all small businesses. When influencers promote a product or service in front of their audience they view it as a real recommendation.
Micro Influencers Explained
Micro influencers building communities in specific niches or categories like fashion, fitness, food, travel, finance, etc. When the audience of followers is very engaged and they think these influencers are the experts or guides, a key reason to collaborate with micro influencers is that their reach is larger than that of other influencers, like nano influencers. If a small business wants to engage a larger audience with its product, micro influencers will be a good option.
Nano Influencers: A Quick Summary
Their audiences are small, but they interact directly with them. Their audiences see them as a friend or person they know; they see their suggestions as coming from someone they trust personally. As a result, nano influencers have a greater engagement rate as their followers engage more through likes, comments, shares, etc. Nano influencers are a very affordable and high-trust option for small businesses because the odds are higher for conversion.
Influence of micro influencers on small businesses
When a small business partners with a micro influencer, they receive a fair amount of value, not just engagement, but somewhat more reach. For instance, if a local skincare brand chooses a micro influencer who regularly shares skincare tips, hacks, and tricks, they can get exposure to a broader audience to share the brand’s products.
The content produced by micro influencers is also generally higher quality, because they are subject matter experts in their field, not just social media “influencers“. Because of this, the promotional content they produce comes across as natural, and their audiences perceive the content to be a real recommendation rather than a paid chain link promotion.
Influence of nano influencers on small businesses
Nano influencers’ best strength for small businesses is trust and authenticity. Their audience size is smaller, but the relationship is stronger. When nano influencers or micro-influencers advocate for a small business’s product, their audience views it more like a real recommendation.
For example, if a local bakery sends cakes to a nano influencer for review, then many of their 5,000 followers may be influenced to visit the local bakery directly. In this instance, the audience’s geographic targeting is automatically strong because nano influencers’ followers tend to be in their own city/community.
Budget factor: What should a small business choose?
However, for a small business with a limited budget, nano influencers are an easier and better option. Nano influencers can allow collaboration for a smaller price tag, and there is also a better conversion ratio. However, if more exposure is needed and the budget is slightly flexible, micro influencers are an ideal option for long-term brand awareness.
Engagement vs reach: What should you think about first?
This is a timeless question that is posed to small businesses just about every time: If you are looking strictly for sales and direct conversions, then a nano influencer’s highly engaged audience is going to work better for you.
If your goal is brand awareness, brand recognition, and perhaps to reach a slightly larger audience, the impact of a micro influencer is going to be very strong. A hybrid strategy where we work with some micro influencers and some nano influencers at the same time could also be beneficial for small businesses.
Future Direction for Small Businesses
Influencer marketing will not only grow in the future, but it will also become more accessible for small businesses. Nano influencers are gaining traction, as people now prefer more authentic and relatable content. However, the role of a micro influencer will still be strong when businesses are looking for awareness, scale, and recognition.
Small businesses need to be clear with their goals. If your goal is sales and community building, then your best bet is to work with a nano influencer. If you’re establishing bigger exposure and a little professional branding, it would be more beneficial to use a micro influencer.
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Conclusion:-
Both micro and nano influencers have their unique perks. You can only come to a perfect solution for a small business after considering the audience type, budget, and marketing objectives first. Nano influencers achieve high-trust, lower-cost campaigns, while micro-influencers achieve additional exposure and niche-specificity.
If you strategically execute a combination of both, it gives a small business an opportunity to have a strong digital presence with a small budget. Finally, the magic of influencer marketing delivers value to a business when it knows its audience and produces relevant, authentic content for its audience.
