This blog post was updated on 30 June 2022.
There is a common misconception that influencer marketing only works for B2C brands.
However, B2B brands can also greatly benefit from influencer marketing, and partnering with the right influencer can really boost a business’ brand awareness, engagement and sales.
One type of influencer that is of particular relevance to B2B brands is the micro-influencer – that is an influencer with between 1,000 to 15,000 followers.
This blog post will look at three reasons to work with micro-influencers for B2B marketing.
1. Micro-influencers can offer more engagement
It can seem like an odd statement, at first. But the reality is that, on Instagram at least, micro-influencers consistently have a higher engagement rate than influencers with a higher follower count. Instagram users with 1,000 to 5,000 followers have an average engagement rate of 4.84%. In comparison, Instagram users with an audience of 20,000 to 100,000 followers have an average engagement rate of just 1.22% – that is a quarter of what micro-influencers get!
Engagement rate is one of the key metrics you should look at and analyse, so you can understand the reach and level of influence of that individual. Amongst other things, a high engagement rate will give you an indication that the audience is real. In an era where followers can be bought and sold, looking at the engagement rate will tell you whether an audience has been artificially inflated or not.
2. Micro-influencers are more affordable
Which influencer would you guess charges a lower price – one with 5,000 followers or one with 20,000 followers? An influencer with 20,000 followers may look at their follower count and rate themselves at a higher level than one with 5,000, charging £1,000 per collaboration, as an example. Following the same logic, the second influencer will charge you £250.
But, when it comes to an engaged audience, if we follow the above benchmark figures, the one with 20,000 followers will have an engaged audience of 244 people, and the one with 5,000 will have an engaged audience of 242 people. This is a miniscule difference in terms of engaged audience, but the one with a quarter of the follower count will be a quarter of the price!
3. Micro-influencers know their audience, and are experts at creating content for them
Naturally, because they have a smaller audience, micro-influencers value the input of their audience a lot more than influencers with a larger reach. This can be extremely valuable to you, as they have their finger on the pulse of what their audience is looking for.
Content is King, and micro-influencers have become masters at creating relevant content, but also at delivering it in a relevant way. Remember, they obtained their following by doing something right and delivering to their audience exactly what they want to see.
I hope this blog post has given you a useful introduction to why to work with micro-influencers for B2B marketing. For more in-depth information, read my free, full-length guide here. The guide covers:
- why you should work with micro-influencers
- how to manage your relationships with micro-influencers
- the payment and reward options you should offer micro-influencers
- how to scale your influencer marketing efforts internationally
César Gonçalves
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