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Influencer marketing has seen a major shift away from macro-influencers, as brands look to micro-influencers to create a valuable brand community.
We tell you everything you need to know.
Why macro-influencers have lost their allure
Macro-influencers have begun to lose the trust of their followers. From buying fake followers and selling gifted items on Depop a day after convincing their followers to part with their hard-earned cash, to jetting off to Dubai during a pandemic, they haven’t been in their followers’ good books.
Influencer marketing’s success hinges on a consumer being able to relate to an influencer, whether this is because of the clothes they wear or the interests and hobbies they have. When a handful of big-name macro-influencers jetted off to Dubai recently, many lost over 14,000 followers. This is simply because their followers, who’d once formed a connection with them, now feel betrayed and can no longer resonate with their values or morals.
Micro-influencers take their place in the spotlight
Over the past year, many new influencers have come on the scene, making it a highly competitive space to enter into. They have been seen to be creating much more of a community-focused following and brands are loving it. Young women can no longer relate to a macro-influencer with one million followers and the spare cash to jet off to Dubai every weekend, instead favouring the everyday influencer who shares authentic stories and opinions.
Consumers are more attuned with brands and influencers who are displaying empathy for the current COVID-19 situation, and some macro-influencers aren’t seen to be doing that. What used to work in influencer marketing just isn’t anymore, and brands need to adapt to these changes.
Quality over quantity
Brands are beginning to change how they measure the success of an influencer marketing campaign by focusing more on the community being built and the quality of the content being generated, rather than only on direct sales.
The content micro-influencers create is often of such high-quality that brands can use it across many monetisable channels such as emails, product pages and digital ads. This is something that holds much more value than choosing an influencer who has a high following but no time to create engaging and high-quality content.
Many clothing brands are now displaying their micro-influencers’ content as well as organic user-generated content in galleries on their website that show their products being worn in everyday life. This is a trend that began early last year and that, we predict, will continue to be a success.
What’s next for influencer marketing?
It’s important to remember that not all macro-influencers have jetted off on holiday. Many, like us, have stayed at home and adapted to daily walks becoming the new going out-out! A large percentage of macro-influencers are still well respected and will continue to be. However, the presence of micro-influencers and the amount of value they can bring to a brand will not be ignored for much longer.
As influencers move forward in our new reality and adjust their content to gain (or regain) the trust of their audience for higher conversions, businesses must stay visible and focus on developing long-lasting relationships with consumers by selecting the right influencers to represent their brand.
Find out more about how social media can help your brand
We would be happy to help your business understand the power of influencer marketing to increase your audience and generate brand awareness. To get started, chat to us about our social media marketing services by getting in touch today on 01202 684400.
