Who and why need influencer marketing

Not all companies need influencer marketing. For example, suppose you're a local dry cleaner that has been around since the 1950s, and your shop is in a densely populated area. In that case, it's unlikely you'll be able to reach many people by partnering with an online influencer.

If your service or product isn't good enough, that's not something an influencer can help. It's easy to think of influencers as the solution to all your problems, but it doesn't work like that—influencers are just the mediators between you and potential customers.

If you're thinking about using influencer marketing for your small business, don't try to stretch yourself too thin. A few strategic partnerships with quality micro-influencers can do more for your brand than dozens of low-quality ones.

Influencer content is highly credible.

You can't fake credibility. Influencers have built a reputation through their ability to share advice, tips and tricks, and helpful ideas with the audience. The content they share is seen as authentic and trusted since influencers are experts in the field they speak. Brands that partner with influencers can immediately benefit from this association.

That's not all, though: research has shown that people are more likely to buy from someone they trust. Influencer-generated content acts as social proof for brands—people who see an influencer recommending a product or service will be more likely to purchase it themselves because of who is promoting it.

Micro-influencers are a good place to start.

These influencers have a following that ranges between 1000 and 10000 followers. They're generally easier to find and work with, as they specialize in a niche area or industry. Since micro-influencers are more relatable than celebrities and macro-influencers, their followers often feel more connected to them, resulting in higher engagement rates.

For example, celebrity Chrissy Teigen has over 37 million Instagram followers but averages only about 1500 comments on her posts, while the "average" micro-influencer usually has engagement ranging from 5% - 10% of their audience (which means if they have 10K followers, their posts will receive an average of 500 - 1000 comments). In addition to the potential for better engagement rates, micro-influencers are also less expensive to work with than mega influencers because they charge less per post and also require a lower upfront payment since they cost less.