Choosing Between Macro vs Micro Influencers in Marketing

With the rise of social media everyday, more and more companies are looking to influencers for brand marketing and campaign strategies. Using celebrity endorsement isn’t a new concept. However, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook have changed the game in influencer marketing, with a rise in micro and nano influencers taking leads in the market.

Types of Influencers

Before choosing the right influencer for your brand and campaign, it’s important to understand the difference between mega, macro, micro and nano influencers. According to Kaya Ismail of CMSWire.com, nano influencers begin at less than 1,000 followers while mega influencers go up to a following of over one million. 

Below is a chart of the range in followers to influencer type.

Making your Pick

Once there’s an understanding of the types of influencers, it’s time to pick which one is right for your brand and campaign. 

According to Eran Nizri, Founder & CEO of LEADERS, and former council member of Forbes, followers don’t just play a role in the influencer market, but also engagement rates. 

“An engagement rate defines the quality of influencer deliverables based on a simple formula: divide a post's overall engagement by the influencer's followers.” — Forbes

Here is an example of engagement rate results: 

• 1,000-5,000 followers: 3.93%-4.85% engagement.

• 5,000-10,000 followers: 2.1%-2.61% engagement.

• 10,000-50,000 followers: 1.69%-2.11% engagement.

• 50,000-250,000 followers: 1.93%-1.72% engagement.

• 250,000-1 million followers: 1.38%-1.67% engagement.

• More than 1 million followers: 1.48% engagement.

However, these numbers do lack the numbers on sales and brands’ return on investments. That’s why, it’s important to also factor the impact index, which can be calculated by the various data sources provided by influencer marketing platforms to measure the effectiveness of campaigns, such as clicks, story views and actual sales.

Macro influencers are usually the more favorable pick with these numbers. However, it’s still important to consider all influencers, especially depending on the size of the company and the target audience they’re trying to reach.

Strategy

Candice Georgiadis, social media influencer and founder of Digital Day Inc, a social media and marketing agency in California, wrote for Forbes five steps brands can take in choosing their influencer match. 

1. Create an outline of your campaign goals and requirements

2. List influencers who align with these goals and requirements

3. Calculate the engagement rate of these influencers

4. Ensure that these selected influencers are relevant to your brand’s offerings

5. Choose influencers who share values with you and are authentic

These steps help brands find the right influencers for them. Taking the time to calculate the engagement rate and numbers as well as viewing each influencer’s content and making sure they align with the brand’s values are crucial in keeping a cohesive brand and campaign image.

One way I like to organize influencer research is by making an Excel sheet and listing the influencer’s name, each social platform handle, followers per platform, contact information and color coding that demonstrates which one is a perfect match, cautious pursuit or no-go. 

Another important factor brands should consider is relatability.

“The best thing about using an influencer strategy is that people consider influencers their friends and not celebrities.” — Entrepreneur

This is a key factor all brands should consider when choosing influencers. The best question to ask is, “Will this particular individual match and execute our goals?”