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Social media influencers have become a powerful force shaping consumer behavior and driving sales. With their large following and engaging content, influencers are often seen as the go-to source for product recommendations and lifestyle inspiration. However, a new type of influencer is becoming increasingly popular: the nano influencer.
We’ve been following influencers for a decade and in the beginning it was a common belief that the bigger an influencer is, the more beneficial it is for a brand to work with them. However, it eventually became clear that mega and macro influencers cannot reach every audience. They are also inaccessible to smaller companies with limited marketing budgets.
Another reason behind the increasing impact of nano influencers is that social media users are starting to trust big influencers less as people have become more aware of how influencer marketing works. In addition, there were some cases where mega and macro influencers compromised their audience’s trust through false promotional promises, making their followers more careful about the information they spread.
Related: 5 things to know before collaborating with an influencer
Who are nano influencers?
There are several definitions of a nano influencer. However, the difference mainly lies in the number of followers that a nano-influencer must have. The lower threshold usually starts with 100 to 1,000 followers and the maximum reaches 5,000 to 10,000 followers.
Nano influencers are everyday people who have built a small but devoted following around a particular passion or interest. Unlike traditional influencers, nano influencers are not celebrities or industry experts. On the contrary, they are relatable and authentic, with a strong sense of community and trust among their followers.
Why are they so impactful?
In 2017, Stackla investigated 2,000 adults in the US, UK and Australia to find out that 86% of them thought authenticity was very important to a brand. At the same time, it was found that consumers can distinguish authentic user content from content created by a brand and 57% of them do not see brand content as authentic.
So it seems that consumer-created content will be better received than brand-created content. It’s one of the reasons why nano-influencers are impactful.
Nano influencers are also seen as more authentic and sincere than other types of influencers. They are not seen as being motivated solely by money or fame, but rather by their passion for their niche and their desire to share their knowledge and experiences with others. This authenticity and genuineness are highly valued by their followers and make them more likely to trust their recommendations.
Because they have fewer followers, nano-influencers are also able to build better and stronger connections with the community around them. They can even be friends, relatives or acquaintances with their followers who share a common interest or passion.
Nano influencers get highly engaged with their followers and respond to comments and messages and ask for feedback. As a result, they are seen as recognizable and reliable. They are not seen as celebrities or influencers who are paid to promote products. Research shows that while the posts of nano-influencers have less reach than those of micro-influencers, their content has a higher engagement rate.
Another reason why nano influencers are so influential is that they have niche audiences. They often focus on a specific topic or interest, and their followers are interested in that niche as well. This means that when a nano influencer recommends a product or service, it is more likely to be relevant and useful to their followers.
Related: The Unexpected Rise of Micro-Influencers and Their Impact on Marketing
Why collaborate with them?
Because nano influencers have a more engaged following and can reach small niches and audiences, they are a great asset to any company. Because they are seen as more authentic, their involvement with each product will be perceived in a more positive way by their followers.
In addition, they are more cost-effective as they are often willing to post in exchange for free products or charge less than macro, mega, and mid-tier influencers while having higher engagement. Thus, nano influencers are a great marketing opportunity for small businesses that rely on moderate marketing budgets. Especially if they partner with local nano-influencers to save money on shipping their products.
Nano influencers are a must for brands that work within a narrow niche or want to reach a limited audience. They help to get branded content for people who are not interested in celebrity influencers or are not ready to trust these social media stars.
Moreover, nano-influencers are very efficient when mass advertising is needed because a group of nano-influencers is able to deliver stronger results than a large influencer can produce for the same amount of money. Social media celebrities are better when it comes to boosting a brand’s image, but they don’t perform as well as nano influencers when it comes to conversion.
As a marketing opportunity, nano-influencers could become the new black among marketing professionals. Especially with the world going through an economic recession mixed with people re-evaluating many aspects of their lives and being more aware of what celebrities have to say. Brands can gain many benefits from working with nano-influencers as they are more cost efficient and are perceived as more trustworthy by users.
