Less is More: How Brands are Finding Advertising Success in “Micro-Influencers”

Written by Lyda Cosgrove

Creative Member

As if there aren’t enough influencers flooding our social media feeds promoting the latest “must-have” product that promises to add shine to our hair or smooth out our skin, a new term has emerged on the social media scene — micro-influencers.

Everyone knows that content creators are essentially walking advertisements, and the bigger their following, the greater their influence. However, maybe it’s true that bigger isn’t always better.

Brands have recently found success in utilizing these “micro-influencers,” who have moderate followings between 10,000 and 100,000 followers. Their content usually focuses on a niche area, whether it be fashion, skincare, travel or wellness.

Why do they work?

From an audience perspective, micro-influencers are often considered to be more relatable, usually posting “day-in-the-life” style content to appeal to the average follower. Because of this, micro-influencers are better able to gain trust in the messages they communicate and content they promote.

Rather than the millions of followers who may occasionally engage with mega-influencers’ content, micro-influencers’ followers are often more loyal and consistently interact on their pages. Plus, their smaller follower base allows for more meaningful interactions, like comment responses or direct messages, contributing to trust and loyalty — key drivers of engagement.

Geography also comes into play as many micro-influencers gain a successful following in their local communities, promoting restaurants, tourist attractions or events.

What are the benefits?

Audience Targeting: Because of their increased loyalty and engagement rates, brands find that they can promote more niche products through micro-influencers.

Increased Engagement: Hubspot reports that small-scale influencers generate up to 60% more engagement than the more prominent mega-influencers.

Cost-Effectiveness: Since micro-influencers have smaller followings and are in lower demand, they are often more affordable for brands to partner with and therefore result in a much better return on investment (ROI).

How sustainable is micro-influencing?

Constantly changing trends on platforms make maintaining relevance one of the greatest challenges in content creation. Without the security of a multi-million following, micro-influencers juggle producing content their audiences want to see while still generating enough income from brand partnerships.

The talent pool of micro-influencers is also much larger, meaning brands can be more selective about who they work with, leading to less consistent partnerships and streams of income for micro-influencers.

The Problem of Overconsumption

With the influx of influencers on our feeds, it’s important to consider their contribution to the ever-growing issue of overconsumption. By constantly showcasing new products, micro-influencers normalize materialism and “must-have” items. Platforms like TikTok especially amplify "micro-trends," where niche products or fashion items quickly grow in popularity then lose their relevance just as fast.

Influencers play a key role in promoting these trends, encouraging followers to make impulsive purchases on items that they may not use long-term or even need. Influencers also often receive excessive PR packages from brand partnerships, filled with products and filler materials to stand out, creating significant waste and encouraging the purchase of items that influencers likely don’t even use regularly themselves.

It will be interesting to examine the longevity of micro-influencers’ careers as trends continue to shift and brands optimize their tactics for product promotion through content creators. While micro-influencers create a unique opportunity for relatable and authentic marketing, it’s important that consumers are cautious of potential bias in sponsored content. The future of micro-influencers will depend on their ability to balance brand partnerships while still prioritizing meaningful connections with their audience.