Did you know there are mega-influencers, macro influencers, big-influencers, micro-influencers and nano-influencers? As a hair and beauty business, they can help spread the word of your work in all kinds of ways… but micro-influencers are perhaps the most important for a small but growing business. We share why and how they can help your business boom!
What is a micro-influencer?
If a mega-influencer is an A-list celebrity, a macro influencer has one and seven million followers, and a big influencer has between 100,000 and a million followers, then a micro-influencer has somewhere between 10,000 and 100,000 followers… and nano-influencers between 1,000 and 10,000. Sometimes, a micro-influencer and nano-influencer are grouped together because they work in much the same way.
Why partner with micro-influencers?
Micro-influencers may have less followers, but their engagement percentage is way higher! For example, micro-influences on Instagram have 6% engagement, with 91% of engagement posts coming from micro-influencers.
In fact, over 82% of consumers are likely to buy something a micro-influencer recommends. This is because their smaller audience will have followed the influencer based on their own interests, rather than because they’re necessarily a big name. In turn, a micro-influencer has a more personal connection with their audience and a greater influence for smaller cost.
Where do I find micro-influencers?
Next, it’s time to find a micro-influencer for your hair or beauty business! The first step is to look on the platform you wish to grow on, such as Instagram, TikTok or YouTube. This could involve using hashtags of related content, or your local area, and checking the top posts for each hashtag. Don’t forget to also use search engines for high profile hair or beauty bloggers if you feel that’s the right avenue for you!
The second step is do a bit of digging – check your ‘competitors’ and see who other hair or beauty business have partnered with. It’s also important to hunt influencers who match the values you’d like to align yourself with, such as an influencer big on the environment if you stock environmentally friendly products exclusively. The final step is to consider their audience and engagement rate before reaching out.
There are also some platforms out there that help you track down and work with influencers based on what you’re after. These include trend.io, grin, uplfluence and creator.co, to name but a few.
Who do I talk to and how do I reach out?
Armed with your list of micro-influencers, you can now reach out to them. Whilst they’ll be ultimately helping you out, they also need a reason to do so. Luckily, micro-influencer costs aren’t super high, with some asking for monetary compensation and others simply asking for you to mention them on your website or social media, linking to them. This will likely help boost your followers in addition to our other advice on how to increase social media followers for your business.
The bottom line is to simply make sure you’re clear on what you want and what your micro-influencers want when you go to those Direct Messages or email.
How do I work with micro-influencers?
You now have a choice, based on your goals and budget. If you’re looking to promote your retail and increase their sales, then these should be sent to your micro-influencer to engage with. Alternatively, you may want to simply grow your brand presence, which may involve inviting your micro-influencer for a free day of treatments so they can document it on their own socials. No matter what you decide, speak with your micro-influencers so you’re both on the same page about your partnership, then make sure you send them an official agreement in writing, so it’s in black and white.
With everything in place, let your influencers do their thing and then evaluate the results. If your aim was to grow your online following, how may did you receive? If it was to increase sales, how many new sales did you get? Check your engagement and see if your influencer campaign went well!
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