I'm a huge believer in the micro-influencer and this article from B2B Marketing is spot on explaining why (in many cases) the micro-influencer is more powerful than the popular influencer.
We're partnership with Onalytica (leader in understanding influencers) to work on mapping out authentic relationships between company employees and external influencers. It's amazing, insightful and hugely powerful. We love it so much we're doing it at Tribal too.
Most companies go wrong with influencer marketing for a number of reasons.
- They focus on the number of followers of their influencer. The more followers they have, the more reach they get. True, but are they the right followers
- The spend little time analysing the quality of the influencers followers. Who does your target influencer attract? Are they the right people? Do they fit your brand?
- They pay for influence. It's obvious when an influencer isn't "all-in" on your product/solution. A influencer marketing campaign based on a PO is less authentic than building a long-term relationship with them.
- Short-term with quick wins. The mind-set of influencer marketing needs to be long-term. Select just a few influencers and work to build a relationship rather than ad-hoc engagements with many influencers
- Think macro and micro. Influencers with a huge following will give you reach but micro-influencers with smaller, niche followers will give you incredible feedback and insight to learn from. Feed your content plan and co-create content with them!
What is highlighted by Motor Trend’s approach is that it is not the number of followers that’s the key to success, it’s the connection they have with their audience. A micro-influencer with a very connected, engaged target group of followers can be just as powerful – if not more so – than an influencer with limited engagement but a mass general following. As it’s the connection that counts, working closely with a micro-influencer to understand what drives and motivates their network will undoubtedly pay dividends when it comes to delivering return on investment. The micro-influencer knows his audience well, so always seek their active input when creating content rather than simply supplying content that you want them to share.
