Influencer marketing is only effective if the influencer is actually influential

"A social media personality's audience is just one aspect of an influencer campaign's success. You also need to take into account how trustworthy the influencer is, how passionate they'll be about your product, and how likely their audience is to aspire to be like them. The rise of the micro-influencer It's no longer a secret that influencers with more modest followings have the potential to reap far greater results than those with tens of thousands of followers."

"The boundaries are blurred, but generally, a micro-influencer tends to have fewer than 10,000 followers and these figures are made up of loyal and devoted fans with a genuine interest in what the person has to say, rather than hate-watchers or those clicking 'follow' because they've seen the influencer in the news and they're wondering what all the fuss is about."

"Micro-influencers can see 60% higher engagement rates with campaigns that are 6.7 times more efficient per engagement than influencers with larger followings. Authenticity is crucial The majority of social media users know an ad when they see it, even if the influencer in question doesn't disclose that they've been paid. As a result, users are beginning to favour influencers with an air of authenticity, honesty and believability about them."

Large follower counts do not guarantee sales because follower composition and intent vary. Celebrity influencers can attract many followers who are not potential buyers. Influencer campaign success depends on audience relevance, trustworthiness, genuine passion for the product, and aspirational influence. Micro-influencers, typically under 10,000 followers, tend to have loyal, genuinely interested audiences rather than passive or curiosity-driven followers. Micro-influencers often produce substantially higher engagement and greater efficiency per engagement than larger influencers. Perceived authenticity, honesty and convincing enthusiasm for a product increase the likelihood that followers will respond positively to promotions.

Read at The Drum