Don’t be afraid of the word “influencer”! While most people immediately think of mega influencers, like the Kardashian's, there is an entire network of people out there who are more attainable, more trustworthy, and more in line with your audience. These are micro-influencers!
Who are these micro influencers specifically? Think about where you look for recommendations about where to eat, stay, and play whether in your own hometown or when traveling. How do you find out about new business, events, and services? Certainly not Kim Kardashian. It’s all in your social media feeds, making EVERYONE an influencer.
Social media has become the go-to spot for word of mouth recommendations and discoveries because people trust PEOPLE over brands. People have already established trust through community, friendship, and familial ties just by being their authentic selves!
There are a lot of different opinions about the actual numbers that define micro influencers, but the general consensus is that they are a person or organization with less than 100,000 followers. More important than numbers and labels, however, is that micro influencers tend to authentically inspire conversations AND are more accessible than mega influencers. The ultimate goal is to create discussion and excitement for your service, event, or organization.
So, if everyone is a micro-influencer, how do you narrow that down to find those who make sense for your industry or organization? We start the process by looking for people who are not only influential online but also influential in real life (IRL) because the word of mouth influence does not stop online!
“Someone who affects or changes the way that other people behave, for example through their use of social media.”
It’s only THEN that we start looking at numbers. Our preferred baseline is 500+ when hosting larger, “public” events and 1,000+ when we are hosting smaller, invite-only events because we need to be able to produce conversation AND reach/impressions. They also need to have public accounts, otherwise the analytic programs won’t be able to track and provide their data.
That being said, when someone creates conversation consistently on their posts, we do make allowances for less numbers than our standard threshold, because our main goal is to encourage discussion and endorsement about the client’s organization, product, or experience. Reach doesn’t mean anything if there isn’t proper messaging or engagement centered around the experience.
Let’s go deeper into what that desired discussion looks like online. What actually constitutes meaningful conversation? Is it “Cool!” or three “🔥” emojis? Definitely not. We are looking for actual conversation that is an exchange similar to what would happen in the offline world. We stay away from forced or blatantly “salesy” engagement tactics, instead preferring to work with those influencers who are able to convey their real experiences in a very organic way.
Why is this important? It’s important because we want our influencers to share their authentic self through the experience. It’s the most trustworthy way to message because they are sharing their truth. Again, people trust PEOPLE, so when someone posts positively it is an endorsement.
There are all types of ways in which an organization can work with micro influencers. Our unique influencer marketing strategy is to bring influencers together in large and small groups, so we need to feel confident that they are comfortable in a group setting, enjoy creating with others, and are supportive of collaboration over competition.
We also look for people who are appreciative of a unique opportunity, who are easy to work with, and are not ego driven. They don’t have to be “pro” but they do have to understand the opportunities offered aren’t insignificant and that there is a trade to be made. We want them to share their experience in a way that is true to their voice and also provide information about our client. We need them to convey the actual experience, not just selfies with hashtags.
The bottom line is that we are looking for people who are storytellers who can create conversation about the client and their offerings and encourage just enough FOMO to make others desire a similar experience!
