Influencer marketing is one of today’s most effective campaign strategies. A 2023 Rakuten survey found that 86% of Filipino social media users follow at least one influencer. About 90% of that group prefer products or services promoted by influencers over the brands themselves.
Nano-, micro-, and macro influencers each have unique advantages. To build successful partnerships, you must navigate these differences. This article will help you explore each one and will also offer tips on how you can maximize them to boost your brand’s success.
Navigating the World of Influencers: Nano, Micro, and Macro Explained
1. Nano-influencers
Nano-influencers are considered to have anywhere between 1,000 to 10,000 followers. Their range of followers may be small, but that actually gives them a leg up when it comes to engaging with their communities. Their content, specifically tailored to their tight audience, makes them more relatable and reachable. Because their content is so relatable, their trust ratings are higher, too. Brands who are also new to the market and want to build consumer trust can turn to nano-influencers, as they have a closer personal connection with their audience and more likely to engage with their posts. Nano-influencers are a more affordable option for brands looking to dip their toes into influencer marketing for the first time.
Pro tip: Know your brand’s target audience like the back of your hand, and filter your nano influencer prospects as meticulously as possible so you can see the best results. Just because your influencer investment is “smaller”, and their reach isn’t as big as other influencers, doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice significant results.
2. Micro-influencers
Micro-influencers have bigger communities than their nano- counterparts, with their numbers hitting over 10,000 to up to 100,000 followers. These influencers have established a stronger foothold as being familiar or associated with certain niches and themes as opposed to up-and-coming influencers still testing out their preferred niches. Thus, they are more effective for brands with specific target audiences with the goal of building trust as the foundation for encouraging consideration and conversion.
Another benefit of engaging micro-influencers is harnessing the returns of their higher engagement rates. The personal, interactive, and signature style of creating content boosts engagement since their posts typically gets more comments, likes, and shares—and encourages people to keep coming back for more.
3. Macro influencers
Macro influencers are every brand’s dream collaborator. They boast anywhere around 100,000 to 1 million followers. They are often established personalities and celebrities with a strong social media presence.
The main benefit of working with macro influencers is their wide reach. They can introduce a brand to a large audience in a single reel—even better of it’s a product or service featured in a lot of their content. Macro influencer collaborations are perfect for more impactful brand awareness or product launch campaigns. As a brand, you’re also tapping into their storytelling expertise and strategy. You’re leveraging their voice that significant number of people have come to trust as a sort of authority. As a bonus, you’ll also benefit from the fanfare—avid fans and followers of macro influencers tend to repost content for free, simply because they’re excited or interested by their idol’s recent promo. That’s completely free repurposed content that will circulate the web for years!
Suffice to say, macro influencers are almost always worth the investment.
Maximize their expertise, their voice, and their multi-platform reach by giving them flexibility to produce content. Trust their output! This is assuming you’ve held up your end of due diligence: you’ve done your research on all the relevant influencers in your industry, you’ve filtered your picks well, you provided them a concise brief, and you were transparent about your asks and expectations. Pro tip: document everything!
Picking the Right Influencer for Your Brand
Choosing the right influencer for a campaign depends on various factors. These include the goals, audience, and budget. We have provided a quick guide for you to see what suits your brand:
- For Brand Awareness: Macro influencers are the best choice. Their broad reach can amplify a brand’s message to a wide audience in a short time. As mentioned, their credibility helps to gain more trust and loyalty.
- For Niche Engagement: To connect with a specific, engaged audience, use micro-influencers. They have smaller following counts but that makes them perfect for campaigns with strict and specific targets.
- For Building Trust: For campaigns to build relationships, nano influencers are best. Their smaller audience allows for more engagement. It helps customers connect with the brand and feel it’s relatable.
Maximizing partnerships with nano, micro, and macro-influencers
Here are some strategies for partnering with nano, micro, and macro influencers:
1. Set clear campaign goals and KPIs
To get started, you must define clear objectives, define your target audience, and set your KPIs first. Objectives set the entire campaign. They are the backbone of your project and the outline for your partnership with your chosen influencers. Meanwhile, setting Key Performance Indexes (KPIs), like engagement rates or reach will help clarify expectations from the start.
2. Choose influencers who resonate with your branding
Each influencer has their own niche or area of expertise. As we’ve said multiple times in this article alone (because we can’t stress it enough): filter your list. Choose influencers whose content and strategy align with your brand. This will make it feel more authentic and relatable to your audience.
3. Foster long-term relationships
Strong relationships with media, including influencers, can yield authentic collaborations and stronger brand loyalty for the long-term. These lasting connections benefit both the influencer and your brand over time—a win-win situation that makes it easier for impactful campaigns to come to life.
4. Use User-Generated Content (UGC) for greater reach
UGC is a powerful marketing tool that banks on authenticity and relatability. This content type, usually seen in the form of reviews and stories of actual applications and experiences, reflects real life. This can help cultivate trust in your brand. Pro tip: don’t be tempted to post UGC content on your own page natively. Instead, repost it in your stories or highlights for greater authenticity.
5. Measure and analyze campaign performance
Measuring an influencer campaign’s success reveals the strengths and weaknesses of your campaign. Moreso, key metrics show the campaign’s progress and help brands improve future campaigns.
Related: 3 Ways to Maximize B2B Digital Influencer Marketing
Campaigns We Love
Watch all our favorite campaigns below. From a bevy of different industries, these influencers and creators have shown that, no matter how big or small your reach is now, there will always be an audience willing to watch; there will always be a brand willing to collaborate.
@videogapz You’ll have TOCI this easy and tasty CHICKEN TOCINO PARMIGIANA! 🍗😋🧡 #TOCIisToBelieve #fyp #foodieph #viralfoodtrend #cookinghacks ♬ Cooking Time – ZydSounds
@aencille May HPV Vaccine ka na ba? If wala pa, take this as your sign! ✨💉 Visit your doctor to learn more about HPV vaccine eligibility and follow Guard Against HPV on social media. #HerStoryHerStrength #DiscussionsYouDeCerv #CervicalCancerDiMoDeCerv #OneCommunityAgainstHPV ♬ original sound – aencille ❀
Leveraging Influencer Strengths to Drive Success
Hopefully, you already have a clear grasp of the differences and the unique strengths of nano, micro, and macro influencers. Selecting the right influencer for your brand can control your campaign’s impact. With clear goals and smart strategies, influencer partnerships will succeed.
If you’re still unsure, we’re here to help. NGP IMC, a public relations agency in the Philippines, can help you find the right influencers for your campaigns. We can help you choose the best mix of influencers to partner with, provide more valuable insights on how you can better leverage these partnerships, and ensure that your business and campaign goals are aligned. We’re collaborating to win!
Contact NGP IMC today.
Amy Ruth Valenzuela is a graduate of Far Eastern University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication. With a strong passion for communications and media relations, Ruth has developed a diverse skill set that includes journalism, scriptwriting, events and production management, risk management, social media marketing, and layout and graphic design. Her experience in these areas has shaped her approach to storytelling and content creation, driving a commitment to excellence in every project. Ruth is dedicated to leveraging her expertise to create impactful narratives and foster meaningful connections in the industry.