Targeting the Right Influencer

Why Choosing Between Micro and Macro Influencers Is

Crucial To A Successful Digital Marketing Campaign

June, 2019

By Mark Sheehan, MECK Creative CMM

 Targeting the Right Influencer
Why Choosing Between Micro and Macro Influencers Is Crucial
To A Successful Digital Marketing Campaign

Purpose

The purpose of this report is to compare the respective value of micro-influencer marketing and
macro-influencer marketing and identify which is of greater value to a specified digital marketing
campaign.

Background

The continuing growth of social media has made it an essential part of any marketing campaign. The
number of monthly active users on the various social media platforms continues to grow, (1) with
the most popular platforms being Facebook (2.27 billion MAUs), Instagram (1 billion), YouTube (1.9
billion), WhatsApp (1.5 billion), Twitter 326 million) and Reddit (330 million).

In their research Brandwatch (2) revealed that there are almost 4.5 billion active social media users
in the world, with an increase of 202 million registered between April 2018 and April 2019. These
social media users spend an average of 142 minutes every day. In all, some $74 billion was spent on
social network advertising in 2018.

Unsurprisingly, the importance of social media marketing has augmented along with this growth in
popularity. While in 2015, for example, 38% of organisations expressed an intention to allocate 20%
of their overall advertising budget to social medial marketing, an increase of 13% (2). However, while
social media marketing has increased in significance, individual elements of a marketing campaign
are also experiencing sharp growth independently for themselves.

One such element is Influencer Marketing, arguably the most significant evolution in social media
marketing, which Influencer marketing is now considered a hugely significant part of any serious
digital marketing campaign, with a variety of industry statistics clearly reflecting so. Influencers are
already active in the leading social media platforms (noted above), with Instagram the out-and-out
favoured platform.

Image 1:
In 2017, according to Mediakix, Influencer Marketing spending on Instagram reached $800 million.
However, that rose to $1.3 billion in 2018, and is expected to reach $1.7 billion at the end of 2019.
Spending is predicted to rise to 2.3 billion by the end of 2020. (3)

Image 2:

Why Influencer Marketing Is Such a Hit

A principal drive behind the growth of Influencer Marketing is the change in consumer culture that
internet, and more especially social media, has caused. Attitudes towards established brand names
have become more cynical as derogatory reports (whether true or not) affect such important
aspects as brand image and trustworthiness.

Even in 2010, environmental organizations Greenpeace pointed to the effectiveness of its social
media campaign against brands for changes in brand policies. After Greenpeace’s ‘Give Us A Break’
rainforest campaign against Nestlé, the Swiss food company was forced to remove companies from
its supply chain that own or manage plantations and farms linked to deforestation. Nestlé’s agreed a
new partnership with the Forest Trust to help the company see through its plan. (4)

The reality, therefore, is that brands are no longer the powerful commercial entities they once were,
and are instead susceptible to the clinical effectiveness of the comments, claims and evaluations
posted on social media platforms.

Instead of relying on information provided through traditional brand-centric advertising, internet

users now rely on recommendations provided by trusted individuals independent of the brands
themselves, like friends, family members and experts. They value shares, experiences and advocacy
over corporate image, brand status and advertising power.

In his book The Content Code, social media marketing consultant Mark Schaefer explains that social
sharing is now a critical part of any digital marketing campaign because it is a form of organic
advocacy.

“We live in a world that increasingly does not trust businesses, brands, or advertising. But we trust
each other,” he wrote.
He later claimed in Marketing Rebellion that creating community is a hugely effect way to create
loyalty and therefore create the potential for the significant financial benefits that can come from it.

“Social media engagement is a precursor to true community,” he writes. “It takes an incredible
amount of work, but if you can establish an engaged and working community among your customers
you’ve found gold.” (5)

As a purveyor of assessments, endorsements and critiques, a social media influencer plays a critical
role in the equation. And while internet users are bombarded with brand and product
advertisements, an acute desire to access educated knowledge of these brands and insight into the
‘true’ value and values of the corporations behind them, has increased dramatically. In one survey,
89% of Millennial women said they trusted recommendations from peers over those directly from a
brand. (6)

However, the significance which online users have placed on influencer evaluations ironically given
brands an opportunity – specifically by sponsoring influencers and piggy-backing on the trust and
positive reputation they have established to target the online consumers most likely to buy.

This is a trend that is clearly documented, with research from Mediakix indicating that the dramatic
rise in sponsored Influencer Marketing that saw the number of sponsored Instagram posts grow
from 1.3 million in 2017 to 3.7 million in 2018 is set to continue with the figure projected to beat 6
million posts in 2020. (7)

Image 3:

Types Of Influencers To Choose From

There are several categories of social media influencers to choose from, based on the size of an
influencer’s following, but the key choice for brands is between micro-influencers and macro-
influencers.
Who Are Micro-Influencers?

Micro-Influencers are those who have a smaller range of social media followers – between 1,000 and
100,000 followers. More often than now, micro-Influencers are social media-active because they are
driven by a strong passion for a specific topic or interest, be that food, music, home management,
health or childcare. They generally write or speak about day-to-day experiences with followers who
share their interests, views or concerns.

Why Brands Choose Micro-Influencers

Because micro-influencers are considered to be ‘every-day people’ with dedicated interests, they
have a very close relationship and high level of trust with their followers. This can be hugely
beneficial for a brand trying to reach a specific target audience, making sure a brand is stronger
visibly and engaged with and, ultimately, that brand awareness is enhanced.

Key Advantages

1. High audience engagement due to strong levels of trust, better openness and greater chance
of interaction with followers. This makes conversions more likely to be achieved.

2. Authentic and Relatable due to their image as an ‘everyday person’. Followers choose them
because the influencer is ‘just like’ them.

3. Strong Cost Effectiveness since the number of followers is lower, but data received can be
extremely valuable. Many brands who opt for the micro-influencer can run several different
trials to see which influencer, which content and which social media platforms work best.

Since research clearly shows that consumers trust family, friends and peer above brands themselves,
this makes the micro-influencer a preferred option.

Who Are Macro-Influencers?

Macro-Influencers are known as high-reach influencers because their number of followers is

extremely high – between 500,000 and 1 million. While not as large as Mega-Influencers (over 1
million followers), these influencers do have celebrity status, often build through the fact they are
frequently referred to in follower posts.

They rely on entertainment to engage with (and indeed capture new) followers rather than sharing
only a passionate interest, although interest can be passionate. As such, they can appeal to a wider
audience, usually across international borders, and write or comment on more widely shared issues,
views and experiences.

Why Brands Choose Macro-Influencers

As ‘personalities’ with a celebrity status, these influencers have wider appeal. This means that
brands can gain exposure to a larger target market than the niche sectors that micro-influencers
appeal to.

However, the macro influencers often use talent agents to manage their work, longer negotiation
periods and longer content creation cycles can be an issue.
Key Advantages

1. Greater number of followers, often over international boundaries, so a wider target market.
Trust levels are high, though ‘passion’ for a subject may not be equal across the spectrum, so
engagement and conversion potential is high.

2. Authoritative image based on sector knowledge and insight. Followers choose them because
the influencer provides information they seek to feel more in control of their choices.

3. Strong ROI potential, with can be high despite the greater outlay on Macro-Influencer
Marketing. Many brands favour macro-influencers because of the value of the association
rather than cost efficiency.

Micro-Influencer or Macro-Influencer: Which Is The Best Option?

The question for brands to know which option is best for them. This can depend on the brand
products being marketed and the platforms that a particular social media marketing campaign is to
incporporate, but the social media data is crucial in ascertaining the truth.

In a detailed report, Mediakix looked at the principal data concerned in an attempt to find the best
one for a brand to choose. The report centred on the value on Instagram, the outright most popular
platform used by both micro and macro-influencers. (8)

The conclusion was telling:

“Of the 742 posts examined, 288 were posted by macro-influencers, 367 were posted by
micro-influencers, and 87 were posted by Instagram users that have less than 10,000
followers.

“We found that engagement rates of macro-influencers and micro-influencers were 2.65%
and 2.75% respectively, differing by only 0.1 percentage points.

“If marketers are only looking at top-line engagement rates, then it would seem that
engagement favors micro-influencers, if not only microscopically.

“However, delving deeper into likes, comments, and followers (the metrics commonly used
to calculate engagement rates) tells an entirely different story.

“In fact, macro-influencers seem to do overwhelmingly better for brands on Instagram in all
three metrics that make up engagement rate: likes, comments, and reach.”

The report also looked at key engagement data, revealing that:

Likes

The total number of likes that the 288 macro-influencers gained reached over 8.8 million
while the total number of likes that the 367 micro-influencers received was less than half a
million, at 427,000. This means that the average macro-influencer observed yielded
approximately 30,000 more “likes” in a campaign than a micro-influencer.
 Comments

The total number of comments that observed macro-influencers received reached nearly
385,000. The micro-influencers examined received less than 15,000. Broken down, the
average macro-influencer yielded approximately 1,300 more “comments” in a campaign
than a micro-influencer.

Reach

Most significantly, macro-influencers reach more consumers than micro-influencers. Total

reach for macro-influencers stood at nearly 350 million while total reach for micro-
influencers stood at less than 16 million. Throughout the study, the total number of
followers that macro-influencers reached was 22 times more than the total number that
micro-influencers reached.

Conclusion

While micro-influencers enjoy particular advantages when it comes to engaging with their audience,
and establishing a strong degree of loyalty, it is difficult for them to outdo macro-influencers when t
comes to the success of an overall social media marketing campaign.

As the Mediakix research shows, macro-influencers win out in terms of total likes, comments, and
reach, thereby ensuring a greater potential for conversions and, ultimately, sales.

Image 4:
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

References:

(1) https://blog.statusbrew.com/social-media-statistics-2019/

(2) https://www.brandwatch.com/blog/amazing-social-media-statistics-and-facts/#section-2

(3) https://mediakix.com/blog/instagram-influencer-marketing-industry-size-how-big/

(4) https://www.fastcompany.com/1648744/greenpeace-social-media-campaign-forces-nestle-stop-

using-unsustainable-palm-oil

(5) https://businessesgrow.com/2019/03/11/business-value-of-social-media-engagement/

(6) https://momcentral.typepad.com/files/intrepid-millennial-explorers---changing-the-face-of-modern-

consumerism-2014.pdf

(7) https://mediakix.com/blog/instagram-influencer-marketing-industry-size-how-big/

(8) https://mediakix.com/blog/micro-influencers-vs-macro-brand-case-study/#gs.gpfpxz

Images & Graphs:

(1) https://mediakix.com/blog/instagram-influencer-marketing-industry-size-how-big/

(2) https://mediakix.com/blog/instagram-influencer-marketing-industry-size-how-big/

(3) https://mediakix.com/blog/instagram-influencer-marketing-industry-size-how-big/

(4) https://mediakix.com/blog/micro-influencers-vs-macro-brand-case-study/#gs.gpfpxz