Micro vs. Macro Influencers: why are their relationships different?

Relationships with influencers vary according to the number of followers they have on their social networks. If you work with a micro-influencer, you will not have the same exchanges as with a macro-influencer. Hivency explains why relationship management is different between both.

First of all, it is important to know that Macro-influencers are content creators with more than 100,000 followers. Micro-influencers have between 5,000 and 100,000 followers. The latter are considered by their community as trusted prescribers who convey authentic messages. They have a privileged relationship with their followers.

The influencer marketing industry will be worth 15 million dollars by 2022 

Indeed, close to them, this type of influencer answers their questions, private messages, etc. on a daily basis. Working with micro-influencers therefore does not require the same strategy, exchanges, messages or risks as with macro-influencers. Here are the 5 main reasons why relationships are different with these two types of influencers.

1- Micro-influencers are more in tune with the brands and products they present to their community

Micro-influencers are passionate and, like their followers, they are in search of authenticity. According to a study carried out by Hivency in the spring of 2020 among nearly 3,000 influencers, 77% of those questioned consider the creation of content to be a pleasure activity (passion or hobby). This figure even reaches 83% among French influencers. Moreover, 62% of them pay attention to a brand’s values before collaborating with it.

This passion for content creation is fuelled by a genuine thirst for discovery. For them, the main motivation is being able to work with brands they like (28%), being able to try new products (26%) and being able to create content for their social networks (25%).

2- Macro-influencers favour remuneration while micro-influencers favour brand adhesion

According to a study carried out by the Hivency influencer platform in 2019, 80% of content creators with between 5 and 10,000 subscribers, 63% of those between 10 and 50,000 are rarely paid other than in products. On the other hand, 84% of macro-influencers are paid by brands.

3 – Collaboration with macro-influencers is often punctual and not regular

Usually when a brand sets up a partnership with a macro-influencer, these are one-off collaborations because of the cost. On the other hand, with micro-influencers the collaboration can be extended after the campaign, because having developed a community with which they are close, the influencers regularly continue to talk about the brand’s products or services, notably by answering their subscribers’ questions.

4 – Micro-influencers are brand ambassadors to customers

To stand out from the competition, brands must actively engage with a group of influencers and turn them into brand ambassadors. After selecting influencers that have an affinity for them and a corresponding audience, it is worth creating ongoing collaborations with content creators.

With brand ambassadors, brands will be able to consider more co-creations and build customer loyalty through reviews. In addition, they will be able to gather marketing insights that can help them grow. This will make all the difference!

5 – Micro vs. Macro-Influencers: the brief is not the same

The two types of influencers are different and each brings benefits to brands depending on their influencer marketing objectives and strategies. A macro-influencer, with a broader reach, will create a message that will reach subscribers quickly, while working with macro-influencers will reach more people over the long term. It is also possible to collaborate with nano-influencers, which will enable them to send more localised messages.