This guides explains the difference between macro and micro influencers.
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What’s the difference between Macro vs Micro Influencers?
1. What’s the difference between Macro vs Micro Influencers
Macro-influencers
Macro-influencers are those with large followings. When we say large, we mean
millions of followers across social networks. These wouldn’t necessarily be
celebrities, they are more likely to be experts in their fields or particular topic. Take
marketing as a topic, Neil Patel is considered a world expert across social media
with an influencer score of 84 according to Onalytica, and hundreds of thousands of
followers on LinkedIn alone. He’s also prominent across Twitter and Facebook too.
They key point here is that the average person wouldn’t necessarily know of a
macro-influencer but someone in that industry certainly should.
One can become a macro-influencer by projecting their thoughts, opinions, news and
advice on a particular topic. If the audience is there and engage with your posts,
videos and articles, then a following emerges. These macro-influencers have grown
from a few thousand followers to hundreds of thousands because they meticulously
follow their own personal social strategy. This strategy normally consists of, regular
posting, short snappy content, exactly answering the audiences questions,
commenting and liking, and creating fresh content daily. They even re-use and cut
content, making new content out of old material. This means, making a quote or
infographic out of a popular blog post they once posted. With this tactic they ten fold
their existing content and spread it across their platforms.
Something to consider when working with them though is that they already have
large income and a loyal group of followers who know and trust their content. This
could make it very difficult for a brand to infiltrate and collaborate. A macro-influencer
has found their niche, their style and knows what works. Therefore it’s up to the
brand to find a unique way of collaborating for exposure. Normally this occurs if
there’s a huge incentive for them to work with you, or they genuinely love your
product already.
Collaborating with these macro-influencers certainly has its benefits, from huge
exposure to a niche audience, promoted in the right way, trusted and to someone
who gets the product and understands your industry. They are a powerful influencer
to be associated with.
Micro-influencers
Aside from macro-influencers, the majority are actually micro-influencers. Outside of
their niche they are not known, but inside they will be. They aren’t necessarily
considered experts to the same level a macro-influencer would be, but they are often
2. more likely to work with your brand as they look to expand their followers, earn
revenue and grow their influencer business. They are influencers that might have a
thousand to tens of thousands of followers but looking to become one with hundreds
of thousands.
What’s interesting about micro-influencers is that they have very high levels of
engagement. They have avid supporters and they recognise their knowledge in their
topic. Micro-influencers are also more likely to take a payment for a post, a Bloglovin’
survey revealed 53% of them have taken commission for at least one post. This
could be because influencing is a side-hustle for them or they don’t make money
from their content in ways a macro-influencer would, such as affiliation, adsense or
selling tools and consulting.
Brand ambassadors can also be a form off micro- influencer. These are ones which
are far more open about promoting brands, as they are outspoken about them,
review them and take a stand for what they believe in. They are enthusiastic and
passionate about products. If you happen to have one of these in your industry,
getting them onboard can be of great value. They can even play an active role in
your marketing campaigns and be the face of the product. Free products,
competitions, use of hashtags and rewards are all ways to involve a brand
ambassador influencer.