When it comes to influencer marketing, it’s often best to think small. Think nano influencers.
Nano influencers are content creators with between about 1,000 and 10,000 followers (although this range can vary). They typically create content around a specific topic that they’re passionate about, which can be an opportunity for brands to connect with niche audiences they otherwise wouldn’t reach.
Other benefits of working with nano influencers include:
- Higher engagement rates since nano influencers often initiate discussions and respond to comments to keep the conversation going.
- Leveraging the strong relationship nano influencers have with their audience since followers feel connected to them to the point of trusting them.
- Cost-effective promotion since working with a nano influencer can cost far less in fees than working with a bigger influencer with a huge following.
And influencer marketing overall only continues to grow. About 86 percent of marketers are investing the same or even a greater amount in influencer marketing in 2022, so working with nano influencers can be a great way to get started.
The following are five tips to use nano influencers in your digital marketing to help grow your brand awareness.
Identify the right nano influencers to work with
The power of influencer marketing centers on working with the right influencers for your brand.
Of course, the nature of nano influencers is that they’re not super high on the radar. But a great way to discover the potential content creators you might want to work with is to browse hashtags that are related to your product of industry.
For example, a meal-prep company might want to browse the #fitnessaddict hashtag to discover nano influencers passionate about fitness and wellness who align with that company’s brand, as well as the audience they bring to the table.
There also are tools that can help you find the right nano influencers for you, such as Upfluence and Influence.co. It’s also possible to find them in real life at local trade shows and seminars within your industry.
When deciding whether a nano influencer is right for your brand (and worth working with), consider the following:
- What are their followers’ demographics? Are they an audience you want to target?
- How are their posts, behavior and tone? Do they match your brand?
- What is the engagement level? Value this over the exact audience size.
To connect with a nano influencer, we recommend following and engaging with them on their content for a while first. Not only does this give you more information to consider about them, but you’ll also be less “out of the blue” when/if you do decide to message them and start the conversation and potentially working together.
Consider influencer partnership formats
There is no one way you must work with a nano influencer. In fact, a partnership can look however you both agree for it to. But here are some of the typical partnership formats that can inspire you:
- Sponsored posts are very common and typically contain a review of your product or service. Nano influencers usually will create and share this content for a fee or in exchange for a free product or service.
- Storytelling takes the sponsored post a step further. The nano influencer basically tells a story about how your product or service fits into his or her daily life. It’s intended to be inspirational and can make followers want your product or service as well.
- Giveaways can help create buzz through a nano influencer. You’ll want to make sure that the influencer is including the need to follow your brand’s page/account, to share the giveaway post in a newsfeed or stories and to tag friends in the comments. In addition, you’ll want to review the need for terms and conditions so that you can keep your giveaway legal.
- Affiliate marketing leveraged with discounts can be used to motivate followers to purchase your products or services at an attractive price. Learn more about affiliate marketing.
- User-generated content (UGC) can happen with one or more nano influencers simultaneously. Essentially, it’s a post where the influencer shares a photo of your product. UGC is trusted more than branded imagery (or “ad spam”).
- Brand ambassador programs are more of a long-term relationship where the nano influencer regularly posts about your brand at an agreed-upon frequency, tone and style. Compensation would either be monetary or free products or services.
Agree on all the details in advance
No matter what format of a nano influencer partnership you decide on, it’s critical that not only you and your influencer agree on all the details but that you get it in writing in a contract.
Outline all the guidelines and directions so that there is no gray area or misunderstandings during the partnership. This can include:
- The duration of the partnership
- Frequency of posts
- Overall branding style or tone of the posts
- Any hashtags or mentions that must be used
- Specifics on compensation
- Permission to repost/share the influencer’s content on your brand’s channels and website
Of course, you have to give some leeway as well. You want your content creator to be a content creator and have enough freedom to be themselves while also sharing your brand.
Monitor performance of nano influencer campaigns
Just because many companies use influencer marketing, that doesn’t mean that you can jump into a partnership, invest time, effort and money into it and then not pay attention to how it performs. You can’t assume that just because the posts were published that your campaign was successful.
Of course, how you do measure success is up to you. Consider:
- Post engagement, such as reactions, comments and shares
- Referral website traffic from social media
- Use of any affiliate links or discount codes
- Social media mentions
Know how you want to measure before the campaign begins with your nano influencer and monitor that performance during the campaign and after the campaign ends.
Look at the potential for long-term collaborations
Of course, a successful campaign or several successful campaigns with a nano influencer should definitely open the door to a long-term partnership.
The influencer likely will already be loyal to your brand, and hopefully, your partnership has helped them grow their following as well.
Be prepared to propose a long-term partnership (such as a brand ambassadorship) and what that looks like.
In conclusion
Collaborating with nano influencers can be an engaging and cost-effective way to reach your target audience. Just make sure you do your research to find the right influencer (or influencers) for your brand, outline what the campaign and compensation will entail in advance (and get it all into a contract) and be ready to extend a successful campaign into a long-term partnership.
Check out our seven tips to know before starting your first influencer marketing campaign, as well as which social media platform is the best to use for influencer marketing.
