For years the focus of luxury brands has been working on finding celebrities that will endorse their products. While there are some obvious advantages in taking this route, it can be a costly form of advertising, but it might not be the most effective option. Social media has brought us another option—the micro-influencer.
What is a micro-influencer?
There are different levels of influencers in social media.. When it comes to influencers there are mega-influencers, like celebrities, then there are macro-influencers, and finally micro-influencers. The latter group has online followings of between 500 – 10,000. Working with mirco-influencers can be a lucrative avenue that is worth pursuing as a luxury brand.
Why you need to connect with micro-influencers
You might be wondering why you would want to focus on the influencer level with the smallest following. Here are a few reasons why:
They have a targeted audience – Mega and macro-influencers have a large and usually very mixed demographic of followers. Micro-influencers tend to have a very targeted audience that is following the individual based on their experience or expertise in a certain area. For example, they might be an influencer in the fashion industry or travel industry. As a luxury brand, your target audience is smaller and it will serve you better to connect with influencers that have your target market as their following.
Higher levels of engagement – Celebrities may have a large following but they typically do not engage with their followers. They post on social media but rarely interact with the comments on their posts. However, micro-influencers are engaged with their audience which means that their audience is more engaged with them. Their followers trust them.
A great example of this success is found in Sperry. Their newsfeed is filled with posts created by micro-influencers. The brand has found success by connecting with these influencers who provide them with high-quality images in exchange for simple recognition. One influencer they found worth connecting with has fewer than 5,000 followers.
What to look for
When looking for the right micro-influencers to connect with look for ones that are considered experts in your industry. Make sure that they are active on social media and engage regularly with their following. Then, follow-up by monitoring your media coverage through these outlets to assure that you have made an effective connection.
Stay Tuned! Editorial Link is working on a new service that will help connect your luxury brand with the right micro-influencers for your location and brand. These services will include strategy development, local market activations, and most importantly measure your results on how the micro-influencer brought sales or drove traffic to your brand you’re your brand would like to learn more, contact Editorial Link today to discuss your options.
