The internet isn’t going anywhere any time soon, and neither is internet-based marketing. The web is constantly morphing, too, and there’s always a new challenge to overcome.

With Google recently announcing a powerful new ad blocker for Chrome, and many other companies working to prevent ads, marketers are continuing to pursue more amiable channels.

Influencers

Social media has proven to be one of the most effective of those friendly mediums, and in particular, Instagram has attracted a growing flock of users within the coveted 18-35 year demographic.

Also known as influencers, Instagram users with a high following have recently become an extremely lucrative base for marketing various types of companies.

Is Bigger Better?

Depending on your goals, macro influencers with millions of followers are not necessarily going to have the largest impact on your sales. Not only are these influencers more expensive, but their audience is much less targeted. A restaurant with three locations in metropolitan Miami doesn’t really need exposure to millions of global followers. That restaurant’s money is better invested in a local audience.

Micro influencers are really the honeypot, here. With thousands of followers (rather than the astronomical figures macros tend to gather), these users are much more cost effective. Micro influencers can only ask for a fraction of what macro influencers can charge for a post, based purely on their follower numbers. That doesn’t mean less bang for your buck, though. The opposite is actually true.

Micro influencers are able to foster a deeper connection with their followers, simply because there aren’t as many. They have a more targeted audience, based on the subject matter of their page. When a micro influencer posts content, their engagement-to-follower ratio is typically much better, because followers feel they can relate to the content they’re being presented with.

Just take a look at these stats from Edelman: 49% of worldwide internet users answered that they would trust an online personality with a smaller following, versus the 36% that said they would trust a more recognizable name.

Influencer-based marketing, while still relatively new, has quickly become the norm on the world’s most popular social media platforms. Influencers have found their niche using various strategies and websites, but Instagram has triumphed globally as the most prominent.

Influencers exist on many platforms, but Instagram has become the most popular. Take a look for yourself, it’s not so easy to turn away from the heavy visuals that fill feeds. Now it’s time you get your business in on this craze, too.