MEGA, MACRO, MICRO & NANO: WHICH INFLUENCER SHOULD YOU USE?
Remember when the word ‘influencer’ wasn’t a thing? If you don’t, hello Gen Z! Nice to have you here reading.
For those of us that remember the old world, it’s been a journey! Love it or hate it, influencers (which we prefer to call ‘content creators’) are firmly embedded into our culture. A lot of people like to think that they haven’t been ‘influenced’ by creators online, but if you think about it, we all have at some point.
It could be your friend sharing a petition to sign, or you share a piece of content or opinion that someone in your bubble which they also share. Or maybe someone shares a discount code for you to use – consider yourself part of the ecosystem.
Like all things on the internet, there is a good side and a bad side which we’ve talked about here. If you are considering working with creators, you might be inclined to focus on vanity metrics, like followers. The definitions of tiers can be quite complex, so here is a quick rundown on different tiers of influencers which should be seen as a guide, but not gospel.
Mega tier: 1 million + followers
These are your big mama creators and influencers, with 1m+ followers on their channels. Usually, they are celebrities, but not always! For a close to home example, there is Lorde who has 9.6m followers on Instagram. But we also have Shaanxo, who has 1.3m followers on Instagram and started off her career as a makeup content creator, building up her following over the years.
If you were to use well established people like the above, you’ll be looking at a pretty fee and get results. Remember when Kylie Jenner posted the waist trainers from NZ? That really worked! But it is expensive and not accessible to smaller budgets. There is also risk of brands being lost in the noise of content or over saturation. It is important to look at engagement rates or have set KPI’s for them to achieve.
Overall vibe: Yes, it will work. But people are becoming less inclined to listen to mega influencers due to their lack of relatability and sometimes, flaunting of wealth. Especially if they are from inherited wealth or of celebrity status. Always consider if this is the best look for your brand, Mega tier always comes with harsher criticism of the general public, and you could be dealing with any fall out.
Examples of Mega influencers:
Macro tier: 100k – 1 million followers
Slightly less followers, but nothing to laugh at! Macros are more accessible but are similar to meg influencers. We do see celebs in this area, but a lot more creators pop up, especially the established creators that have been with us for the ride.
A great example of this tier is Leighton Clarke a.k.a Uncle Tics (186k Instagram followers, 4M TikTok followers), a wonderful creator who documents his life with Tourette’s and creates funny skits. We have experience working with Leighton and can say the results are awesome! He’s also a gem to collaborate with.
Overall vibe: Much more accessible, keep an eye on engagement and demographics depending on your brand. Usually more influential than the mega tier.
Examples of Macro influencers:
Micro tier: 10k – 100k followers
We personally think this is the sweet spot for influencers and creators, they’re established and have a loyal following, have decent reach and usually the engagement to back it up. Costs vary but are usually accessible for smaller budgets.
For Aotearoa, they are seen as a little more trustworthy and take their collaborations more seriously, especially if they are focused on more niche topics.
Overall vibe: Here for it! Credibility, cost and engagement is usually great because they are more relatable. Because of the costs, it’s possible to work with more than one for a campaign depending on your budget.
Examples of Micro influencers:
Nano influencers: Less than 10k followers
No BS, we are so here for nano influencers and creators. They are special and are usually the people who we all listen to or at least always check their stories to see what they are doing. Because they are still growing, their decisions to promote brands must fit into a criterion and resonate with their values. They will not post silly billy stuff that they wouldn’t back personally, so their credibility and engagement is usually out the wahzoo.
Brands usually shy away from using nano’s because of vanity metrics (not enough followers) but if proper research is done, you can find those who have loyal and engaged followings. Plus using a whole load of nanos can be more effective than using a mega, with less risk.
There is more hand holding and guiding, but if you’re a decent human that should never be a problem (and it’s your job soooo).
Overall vibe: Love it, want to see more of it. Create guides for your nanos to help them through the process. Build a relationship with them, give them opportunities. Consider time and quality, it can be a first time around the block so being clear with expectations is helpful.
Examples of Nano influencers:
So, what is the right choice? Let’s break it down:
- Mega influencer: Choose a mega influencer if the objective of your influencer marketing campaign is to improve brand visibility and raise awareness about your items (and there are no budget restrictions).
- Macro influencer: Select a macro-influencer if the objective is to reach a specific audience while also reaching the general public. As some macro influencers have higher engagement rates than others, keep a watch on ROI.
- Micro influencer: Select a micro influencer if the objective is to raise conversions, leads, and subscriptions among a certain audience.
- Nano influencer: Choose a nano influencer if you want to generate interesting conversations about your local brand or business but have a limited marketing budget.
As you can see, there are a few things to take into account before working with social media influencers. To start, you need to understand the many types you could work with and how to contact them.
Get very clear on your campaign goals, create a shortlist of possible social media influencers, and then thoroughly research the kind of partnerships they’ve done in the past if you want to get the most out of an influencer partnership.
And you can always get in touch with us if you need a hand *wink wink*
