Influencer, to be more specific, they are Macro-influencer – those who have a large number of followers on social networks, is a solid support for Marketing campaigns. What about Nano-influencer? Do they have any potential?
Their less popularity is one of the factors that makes the audience feel they are closer. When they introduced shampoo, lotion, or furniture brand on Instagram, their words sounded as authentic as advice from a friend.
Brands prefer to work with these people in part because it is easy to work with and come to an agreement. In exchange for free products or a small commission, they are usually not afraid to say whatever brands require.
Images of sponsored content from the Instagram accounts of Alexis Baker (top row) and Haley Stutzman (bottom row). Baker has about 2,600 followers and Stutzman about 5,500 followers. Source: The New York Times.
With about 2,700 followers on Instagram, Alexis Baker, 25 years old, a leasing manager in Alexandria, VA, has a relatively normal presence on social media. Her newsfeed is filled with photos of fashion outfits and vacation destinations in the tropical areas. However, her online persona has changed since she started posting praises for products such as Suave Professionals Rose Oil Infusion, Clinique Beyond Perfecting’s foundation and concealer, and Loco Coffee, a beverage with a combination of cold beer and coconut water.
Those who knew Baker were surprised when the #sponsored (sponsored) and #ad (ads) hashtags began to appear on her account. This gives them a bit impression that she is using Instagram as an influencer.
“My friends were like, ‘Wait a minute – you do not have tens of thousands of followers. How did you get this chance?’. I really can’t give them the answer to this question,” Baker said in an interview.
Alexis Baker, a Nano-influencer.
She said she accidentally fell into this hobby as well as job after being discovered by Obviously – a company claiming to be a “full agency providing services related to influencer marketing”. For Mae Karwowski, the CEO of Obviously, nano-influencers is an opportunity that is still open and less expensive.
According to Karwowski, nano-influencers are people with about 1,000 to 5,000 followers on Instagram. She said: “Every Instagram player must have a friend like that – someone who is really popular, has the ability to attract likes and comments, and has great posts. They may have never worked with any brands before, but they are really good at social media.”
Companies are looking for lesser-known names in the race through influencer marketing. But once influencers, like 20-year-old fashion model Luka Sabbat with 1.4 million followers on Instagram, for example, became more famous, they started asking for higher fees. Along with their success and online reputation, they may lose their simplicity – what sets them apart from famous celebrities.
Karwowski said: “There is a saturation in marketing with the participation of top influencers. We now see the real attraction in working with smaller influencers. Their level of interaction is very high. We have assistive technologies to collaborate with more influencers, track and measure the effectiveness of their activities.”
Mae Karwowski runs Obviously, an influencer marketing agency that discovers Alexis Baker. Source: Photo by Laurel Golio for The New York Times.
The influencer industry is still very vague and full of suspicious tricks. What is certain, however, is that it attracts a large amount of money. A recent event reminds us of that. A public relations firm filed a lawsuit against Sabbat saying it did not comply with the terms of the agreement with Snap Spectacles. According to the lawsuit, Sabbat was paid $ 60,000 for an Instagram post, three stories on Instagram and for photos of him during fashion weeks wearing Spectacles smart glasses.
The cost of a small group of influencers, also known as micro-influencers, is also escalating. For example, Taylor Camp has an account with nearly 37,000 followers that is called TheTieGuy. He revealed in an interview that he recently “pocketed” $ 500 for two Instagram posts to promote the product for a company that supplies shaving cream for men.
For most nano-influencers, money is not part of advertising contracts of this type. They take the product for free and consider it “remuneration” for the ads that they post. Besides, they still maintain their daily work.
“It would be great if this job grew and took up all my time,” Baker said. “However, that is not what I was looking for. It is just my favorite job”. She continued, “I love taking really classy photos. I also want to challenge my ability to advertise and market something. Witnessing the impact that it has on people is the right compensation for me.”
Not necessarily money, Nano-influencers sometimes receive free products and consider it “remunerated” for the ads they post.
Kelsey Rosenberg, 26 years old, from Columbus, Ohio. With 1,900 followers on Instagram, she discovered an opportunity for herself when the influencer marketing exploded. She contacts companies, including bars and restaurants in her area, to take advantage of that opportunity. Currently, she regularly posts advertising content to her Instagram feed. She said: “It’s like one of your friends telling you about a great new skin care product just launched. Instead of saying that to my friends, I share it with them on Instagram.”
However, there are still constraints attached to such advertising posts.
“Your Instagram feed must display advertising content for a few weeks and it must include certain keywords like ‘cruelty free’ (no animal testing) or ‘smell good’ (has great fragrance), or whatever the brand’s marketing campaign is targeting. They want you to repeat that.” Rosenberg said.
Haley Stutzman, product specialist at Better Homes & Gardens, a 22-year-old girl from Bentonville, Ark., Now she owns an Instagram account with about 5,500 followers. She said most advertisers approve her works before proceeding with the collaboration.
“Usually I send them screenshots of my blog’s draft or a few photos of their choice, if it is an Instagram post,” she said. “Then they will send me a contract. The bigger the brand, the tighter the contract.”
Stutzman said her colleagues did not really understand what she was doing on social media, even though her account had grown into a “part-time money-making tool.” Her parents could not help but wonder what she did until she teamed up with Burrow, a start-up, and made a trip to Myrtle Beach, SC, through Kate Somerville, a make-up brand.
Sarah Stovold is the executive director of NextWave, a consulting firm that focused on markerting for young people. She said younger consumers, especially the Gen Z generation ages from 13 years old to 21 years old, have relationships with other companies with older people.
“This group has a strong entrepreneurial spirit,” – Stovold said. “They see their friends and the people they consider you successful thanks to these kinds of relationships with brands.”
Sarah Stovold – NextWave CEO.
Krishna Subramanian, the founder of Capunch8 – a company that specialized in influencer marketing, said he was skeptical about the effectiveness of marketing products through people who have not too many followers on social media channels.
“Can they (brands) really measure the effectiveness of this marketing strategy to clearly claim that ‘This is a successful strategy and we should continue to implement it’?” He get confused. But Karwowski from Obviously says she has faith in this strategy. Her company currently has 7,500 nano-influencers in its database and is planning to double that number this March.
“The younger generation now grows up with this technology, so they are used to seeing other people talk about the products they love and encourage to use. So, they are ready to participate in this marketing activity,” Karwowski said. She also added: “There are more modest options for you to bet, instead of saying ‘We will work with Kim Kardashian’.”
However, some nano-influencers are thinking about allowing brands to be present in their social media accounts.
Erin Gee, 34 years old, a government employee and a trainer of indoor driving classes in Ottawa. With an Instagram account of more than 1,200 followers, she started promoting the skin care brand Fré after receiving a direct message from the company.
“They say: ‘We like your Instagram page and what you post. Do you want to test our products to see if they are right for you?” Gee said.
The company sent her free products with some instructions. “They give strict and specific instructions, like ‘These are words you can use … Use this hashtag … We hope the post will appear around this time.” she said.
Gee acknowledged that the instructions gave her mixed feelings. “I feel like I do an infomercial (advertisement with information). Imposing something on others made me feel uncomfortable. However, I also see a bit of achievement, though quite small.
* Nano-influencer (abbreviated “nano”) is the term used by companies to describe people who have about 1,000 followers and are willing to advertise their products on social media.
Source: The New York Times