Friday, August 04, 2017

Why Micro-Influencers Are The New Mega-Influencers //

Dear Readers,

Before I begin the formalities of this post, how has it taken me so long to get another piece out...I'm not quite sure?! But boy am I glad to be back at my laptop writing and sipping on coffee and shooting flat-lays for you all.

Today's post is going to talk a little bit about why I blog and continue to write pieces for you guys, as there are times when I get a lot of comments about what I do. I really want to stress as well, just how grateful I am for every reader and for those of you who take the time to message me or share my content. I am so thankful.


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There have been quite a few occasions where I have had a conversation with someone who asks what I do. I'll energetically explain that I blog in between uni and my job as a freelance writer and without warning I will be given an unsolicited lecture, informing me that I'm "too late to the blogging game" and that "blogging is dying it out". Firstly, blogging is not dead...in fact, it couldn't be more alive. I bet half the clothes you are wearing right now were purchased because you saw someone on your Instagram feed wearing it first. Yes? Yes. 


Fur Slides, £5 | Primark, Lipstick, £70 (each) | Christian Louboutin, Earrings | Zara, The Dress | Megan Hess, Olympea | Paco Rabanne, Dragon's Egg Bath Bomb | Lush

I have learnt to take negative comments like that on the chin, particularly because I hear it from a wide variety of people, even people working in the industry. It is incredibly naive to think that this digital phenomena is "dying out".



There are definitely moments when I worry and wonder if everything I am doing on this blog is worthwhile. But then I look back and think about all the opportunities that have come about because I created my own website and content from scratch. It can be incredibly daunting when you first start out as a blogger; some of you will work for years and not grow your audience very wide. Others will work to the recipe of the average successful blogger and will get their audience almost instantly. 

I think my biggest advice is that it is all about working well to your audience, rather than the audience you wish you had. That's where the term Micro-Influencer comes in and I think brands need to take note.

Micro-Influencer vs Mega-Influencer

So what is a Micro-Influencer? 

Well, to put it briefly, a Micro-Influencer is a Blogger, YouTuber or Instagrammer who has a small, but very engaged and active audience. Micro-Influencers are consistent and trusted sources when it comes to recommending products and offering first hand experiences. This ‘small’ audience is very valuable, due to their engagement and their consistent relationship between themselves and their readers/viewers.

Mega-Influencers will undoubtedly have a high number of followers, readers and subscriber's, but will be catering to a wide range of people. Often promotions will be generalised and their content will come across as appealing to everyone. Although these bloggers and influencer's are successful, they aren't necessarily 'the best'. I see some insane content from people who have a 10th of the followers a famous blogger has. I guess what I am trying to say is that, how many followers you have, should not determine the quality and effort of your work.
Photo: WeHeartIt.com
Why are we so focused on numbers?

Well historically speaking, numbers put you either ahead or behind your competitor. But I think this should not always be the case, particularly when we look at measuring online success.

It’s no longer just a numbers game and it is promising to notice how some brands and PR companies are beginning to realise this. If you want to reach a wide demographic then it would seem like an obvious choice to go for a celebrity or huge YouTuber with hundreds of thousands of followers. However, if you want to actually sell a product or experience to someone's readers, then influencer's need to be chosen a little more wisely. 

It may cost a brand a substantial amount of money to work with an influencer with a huge following, but if they were to work with someone with a more niche audience relating to their products, then they would see better consumer interaction, which ultimately leads to sales.

Let's talk about engagement

I was so interested to discover that on my blog, the average person reads one blog post and then proceeds to click and read another 10. Now this may not seem like a big deal to most people, so to put it in perspective, the average blogger gets an extra two clicks. I may not be reaching an audience of millions, but my audience is engaged and is actually interested in another 10 posts. It is becoming increasingly apparent that as an influencer's following increases, often their engagement drops off. Do you see where I'm going with this?


Putting my blog to scale

According to my Alexa Ranking, out of circa 1.5 billion websites blogs currently active, I currently sit at 10,840,139 most popular blogs. Again, do you see how numbers can seem incredibly belittling and daunting when you first see them? But it's so important you put them to scale, rather than just seeing the number as a scary figure.

Size doesn't always matter

As mentioned previously, engagement actually decreases as the influencer's following grows. So if you’re a smaller influencer, then take pride in your audience – even if you don’t have the extra 000’s on your number of followers, understand that your audience truly cares about your recommendations, and that’s the most important aspect of being an influencer.

If you're a brand and you've found yourself reading this post, then really focus in on who your consumer is. If the influencer, be them big or small, fits the demographic, then they could be your secret weapon to a successful campaign.

Keep Going!

I've said it before and I will say it again, don't ever let the words of others discourage you. It's so important that you do not lose sight of your vision, no matter what it is you want to achieve. If I had listened to the people who told me blogging was a dying "trend" then I would never have started my blog and I wouldn't be where I am today journalistically.

If you're looking to start a blog or you have one which is still growing, then do not look to comparing yourselves too harshly to people you see at the top. Use them to inspire you, yes! But do not get yourself worked up and worried on their analytics.

Oh and lastly, please PLEASE please be the strongest version of yourself. Dream big and work hard for it and you will inevitably succeed. I have faith in you.

Stay Sweet,

Alice xx

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1 comment

  1. Always inspirational. You give me something to think about. How " You" to place £5 sliders next to £70 lipsticks, but it works so well.-xx

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