For many years, the idea of a celebrity could be viewed as a famous, extraordinary human who lived a life of lavish, untouchable affairs – someone that had enough wealth and status to influence a large portion of society. While this is still relevant to a certain extent, the way in which influence is held and shared today, is very, very different.
With the rise and growth of social media usage over the years, access to interests, communities and knowledge has become almost endless. There is a place and community for everyone and anyone, no matter the demographic or interest. With this in mind, fame is now much more accessible as it’s no longer dictated by paparazzi followers, but rather social media followers. In this day and age, almost anyone with access to the internet (and a unique voice, of course) can influence feelings, views and even shopping carts.
But what exactly sets micro-influencers apart from macro influences, a.k.a celebrities? And why does it matter? Let’s dive deeper.
Simply put, micro-influencers, or nano-influencers, could be just about anyone with a following less than 50 000. But it is simply not only the size of their following that has put micro-influencers in the spotlight – it’s all about their high engagement rates. Because micro-influencers are often just regular citizens who believe in a passion and want to share it, their platform is usually born from authenticity, and their followers know it.
Whether the passion is in body positivity, acting, photography, fitness or a cause close to their heart – micro influencers have a way of using their social media accounts to spark interest and start conversations. Take a look at the variety of niches our Golden Nuggets hold if you don’t believe us.
These individuals know exactly how to create authentic content, and keep a consistent community of real followers – ones that care about the exact same passions as they do. The best part? Brands can tap into this already engaged, niche audience, using influencer marketing as the medium.
Micro-influencers certainly have taken the online marketing world by storm – so much so we built our entire business on micro-influencers alone! At People Have Influence, we sign anyone starting with 1000 followers, however, we will only put them forward to brands if they have a great engagement rate and are a good match for both parties.
We’d like to put emphasis on how unique micro-influencer audiences really are. Unlike celebrities who are often approached by brands that range in categories from cleaning detergents to chewing gum, micro influencers only affiliate themselves with brands who are appropriate and appealing to their followers. They want to stay true to their personal brand, and what this means for brand’s is that any paid campaign is ridden in authenticity, holding great power, and the chances of success are almost inevitable.
What often sets the two types of influencers apart is that micro-influencers put a huge focus on community and not a specific number of followers. This means real interaction, replying to DMs, comments and actively understanding their followers and engaging in meaningful conversations. This of course, further creates the niche and community brands are hungry to tap into.
Simply put: high quality engagement + loyal community = acquisition of customers.
Macro influencers, also considered to be ‘celebrities’, tend to have a following over 50 000 and even as high as 1 million followers.
Although their following might be high, don’t let this fool you. As followers increase, engagement rates often start to decline. This is because as the audience grows, it suddenly moves from a niche audience into a general interest category with followers from many different locations and with considerably different interests. Unfortunately for many influencers, this is when authenticity gets hard to manage when working with many people and brands. The “high following” can then become numb to this person’s marketing partnerships and trust gets thrown right out the door. And we all know that trust takes forever to build and seconds to lose.
That being said, there is a time and a place for macro-influencers, especially when it comes to top of the funnel marketing campaigns that promote products that aren't niche, and which please a broad range of audiences.
But the question brands still keep asking is surely the bigger the better when it comes to followers?
Let’s consider engagement, interaction and brand promotions to outline the pros and cons of both micro-influencers and celebrities to really see which triumphs.
Micro influencers
Pros: First and foremost, this is the more affordable option for brands and campaigns, not to mention the best value for money. Enjoy more personalised, authentic content and active engagement.
Cons: As audiences can be extremely niche, it’s often harder for brands to find the right influencers, but this is no problem when you have the right tools and team on your side.
Celebrities
Pros: Brands have the possibility to get their product in front of a large following – whether they are the right following or not will be the question here. A familiar face is also often easy to quickly associate a product with a person.
Cons: Campaigns can become less relatable to the average person and the cost of these campaigns are high. The brand’s image is always at stake and in the hands of the brand ambassador.
At the end of the day, it all depends on a brand’s goals and objective but in our opinion, micro-influencers are always the best type of influencer to align with as they have a niche audience that is fully engaged, meaning you’re targeting the right people from the get-go.
To sum it all up, the higher an influencer’s following is, the less their engagement is likely to be, and a low engagement rate is not something your brand wants to be throwing money at.
People Have Influence is a specialised micro influencer agency and we work with some of the top micro influencers in South Africa and only put forward the best of the best influencers suited for both the brand, and the influencer.
Perhaps you’re wondering how to become a micro influencer yourself or asking yourself “what is micro influencer marketing”, in which case, we have a whole host of other articles you might enjoy on our blog.
For many years, the idea of a celebrity could be viewed as a famous, extraordinary human who lived a life of lavish, untouchable affairs – someone that had enough wealth and status to influence a large portion of society. While this is still relevant to a certain extent, the way in which influence is held and shared today, is very, very different.
With the rise and growth of social media usage over the years, access to interests, communities and knowledge has become almost endless. There is a place and community for everyone and anyone, no matter the demographic or interest. With this in mind, fame is now much more accessible as it’s no longer dictated by paparazzi followers, but rather social media followers. In this day and age, almost anyone with access to the internet (and a unique voice, of course) can influence feelings, views and even shopping carts.
But what exactly sets micro-influencers apart from macro influences, a.k.a celebrities? And why does it matter? Let’s dive deeper.
Simply put, micro-influencers, or nano-influencers, could be just about anyone with a following less than 50 000. But it is simply not only the size of their following that has put micro-influencers in the spotlight – it’s all about their high engagement rates. Because micro-influencers are often just regular citizens who believe in a passion and want to share it, their platform is usually born from authenticity, and their followers know it.
Whether the passion is in body positivity, acting, photography, fitness or a cause close to their heart – micro influencers have a way of using their social media accounts to spark interest and start conversations. Take a look at the variety of niches our Golden Nuggets hold if you don’t believe us.
These individuals know exactly how to create authentic content, and keep a consistent community of real followers – ones that care about the exact same passions as they do. The best part? Brands can tap into this already engaged, niche audience, using influencer marketing as the medium.
Micro-influencers certainly have taken the online marketing world by storm – so much so we built our entire business on micro-influencers alone! At People Have Influence, we sign anyone starting with 1000 followers, however, we will only put them forward to brands if they have a great engagement rate and are a good match for both parties.
We’d like to put emphasis on how unique micro-influencer audiences really are. Unlike celebrities who are often approached by brands that range in categories from cleaning detergents to chewing gum, micro influencers only affiliate themselves with brands who are appropriate and appealing to their followers. They want to stay true to their personal brand, and what this means for brand’s is that any paid campaign is ridden in authenticity, holding great power, and the chances of success are almost inevitable.
What often sets the two types of influencers apart is that micro-influencers put a huge focus on community and not a specific number of followers. This means real interaction, replying to DMs, comments and actively understanding their followers and engaging in meaningful conversations. This of course, further creates the niche and community brands are hungry to tap into.
Simply put: high quality engagement + loyal community = acquisition of customers.
Macro influencers, also considered to be ‘celebrities’, tend to have a following over 50 000 and even as high as 1 million followers.
Although their following might be high, don’t let this fool you. As followers increase, engagement rates often start to decline. This is because as the audience grows, it suddenly moves from a niche audience into a general interest category with followers from many different locations and with considerably different interests. Unfortunately for many influencers, this is when authenticity gets hard to manage when working with many people and brands. The “high following” can then become numb to this person’s marketing partnerships and trust gets thrown right out the door. And we all know that trust takes forever to build and seconds to lose.
That being said, there is a time and a place for macro-influencers, especially when it comes to top of the funnel marketing campaigns that promote products that aren't niche, and which please a broad range of audiences.
But the question brands still keep asking is surely the bigger the better when it comes to followers?
Let’s consider engagement, interaction and brand promotions to outline the pros and cons of both micro-influencers and celebrities to really see which triumphs.
Micro influencers
Pros: First and foremost, this is the more affordable option for brands and campaigns, not to mention the best value for money. Enjoy more personalised, authentic content and active engagement.
Cons: As audiences can be extremely niche, it’s often harder for brands to find the right influencers, but this is no problem when you have the right tools and team on your side.
Celebrities
Pros: Brands have the possibility to get their product in front of a large following – whether they are the right following or not will be the question here. A familiar face is also often easy to quickly associate a product with a person.
Cons: Campaigns can become less relatable to the average person and the cost of these campaigns are high. The brand’s image is always at stake and in the hands of the brand ambassador.
At the end of the day, it all depends on a brand’s goals and objective but in our opinion, micro-influencers are always the best type of influencer to align with as they have a niche audience that is fully engaged, meaning you’re targeting the right people from the get-go.
To sum it all up, the higher an influencer’s following is, the less their engagement is likely to be, and a low engagement rate is not something your brand wants to be throwing money at.
People Have Influence is a specialised micro influencer agency and we work with some of the top micro influencers in South Africa and only put forward the best of the best influencers suited for both the brand, and the influencer.
Perhaps you’re wondering how to become a micro influencer yourself or asking yourself “what is micro influencer marketing”, in which case, we have a whole host of other articles you might enjoy on our blog.
We’d love to hear from you. For any enquiries, questions or conversations, feel free to contact us.
