Macro or Micro? How to Determine the Right Size Influencer for Your Campaign

Using influencers to help share your product and messaging has proven to be a valuable method for marketing! But you may be asking yourself, which influencers should you be using? Let’s start by defining micro and macro influencers.

Micro Influencers

On a very basic level, micro influencers are a social media presence who has 10,000 to 100,000 followers. They are also usually defined as having higher audience engagement rates than macro-influencers. 

Because of their smaller following, this means that micro influencers are still able to develop personal relationships with their followers, and their followers are genuinely interested in and trust their content.  

Some benefits of collaborating with micro influencers are:

1. Smaller investment, which makes it accessible to most brands.
2. Because of the smaller investment, there is a possibility of working with multiple influencers at the same time
3. Able to generate an increase in sales
4. Reaching an invested audience 

Using these influencers has its drawbacks as well. A lower following means lower visibility and reach compared to macro influencers. Often, these influencers will also have a less curated page, meaning brands may have less control over a micros content (ie: consistency and quality) 

Macro Influencers

Macro influencers are generally characterized as having a large number of followers (100,000 or more).  Campaigns with macro influencers will very likely involve a significant investment, but this investment will also potentially come with a significant return on investment.

Advantages of working with macro influencers are:

1. With a wider audience range, you will get more reach for each post
2. Spend less time micromanaging multiple smaller influencers
3. A higher level of professionalism

However, using a macro influencer also has its drawbacks.  Using a large influencer will come at a higher price. The price ultimately depends on the status of the influencer, but  Social Media Today reports it can cost anywhere between US $2,000 to US $50,000.  Also, though the reach is high, engagement will very likely be decidedly lower.

 Which to Choose?

This will ultimately come down to your goals. If your goal is to provide authenticity to a group of devoted potential customers, or if you’re limited to a modest budget,  then micro influencers are the way to go. If it’s a matter of gaining reach, macro influencers are right for you.