When brands prefer micro influencers to social media stars

One of the fastest growing social media trends is that of micro influencers overtaking macro or mega influencers in terms of marketing. Whether it is for a product review, event promotion or brand launch, companies seem to prefer micro-influencers because it has been proven that those with 1,000-10,000 followers seem to have a focused niche, connect on a deeper level with their audiences and generate greater engagement.

“The main difference between micro and macro influencers is the number of followers. For example, a fashion blogger based in Chennai may have a few thousand likes but the big guns can be anyone right from Tiktok and Instagram star S Ahmed Meeran (1,85,000 followers) to the Kardashians,” says Vijay, who works at a social media firm in city.

Of late, brands have begun to realise that as the number of followers go up, the percentage of engagement decreases. Thus, they prefer smaller influencers, explains social media marketing professional Roshini Saravanan. “Social media users don’t think of themselves as ‘fans’ of any influencer, but are seeking to engage with them on a personal level. An influencer with lesser followers can interact regularly with the audience, thus increasing relatability,” she adds.

Chennai has a wide range of bloggers, vloggers and influencers who are experts in different fields such as automobiles, beauty, books, fashion, food, investment, lifestyle, technology, parenting and travel. According to both Vijay and Roshini, what companies like theirs do is to connect brands with the right kind of influencers who fit their requirement and budget.

Affordability plays a huge role in choosing an influencer to do a paid partnership with — getting a person with 10,000 or less followers to post a product review will cost Rs 2,000 whereas it could go up to Rs 70,000 for someone with a lakh likes.

But, a downside to working with such influencers is professionalism. Kavya, who works for an eco-friendly home décor brand based in Bengaluru, says, “When we work with influencers who are experienced, we trust their expertise in generating content that is brand-centric and will appeal to followers. With budding influencers, the problem is that all the followers might not be genuine and this could take a hit on the reach of our product and impression it creates on the consumer.” Despite this, micro influencers are popular because they are effective. Take The Polished Girl for example, the YouTube nail art blogger who has 1,900 subscriptions. “Many upcoming cosmetic brands approach me to post a nail art using their polishes or tools. I charge between Rs 3,000-Rs 7,000 depending on how much of my online time and space the promotion will take. After viewing my vlogs, I can confidently say nearly 40 per cent of my followers have responded about trying the products,” she says.