Content marketers have been harnessing the power of influencer marketing for a number of years now. However, best practice and the way it’s used continues to evolve over time. So, what’s the latest in the world of influencer marketing and what do we need to know in order to achieve the best results from it? New research released by Social Media Today has shed some light.

The rise of the micro-influencer

Working with high-profile influencers has become commonplace within content marketing, however, a subset of influencer marketing that has gone relatively untapped until now is micro-influencer marketing. Micro-influencers are those with smaller audiences of approximately 1k-10k followers. Though smaller in size, their audience is incredibly engaged, providing them with the influence needed to help content gain exposure and reach its target audience. 

Not only do they charge smaller fees than macro-influencers (100k+ followers) but, on average, micro-influencers achieve seven times more engagement than influencers with large followings.

Relevancy trumps following size

A large following isn’t everything – there’s little point working with someone who doesn’t influence your target audience purely because they have a high profile. As such, 48% of marketing professionals believe that audience relationship is the most valuable factor when choosing an influencer. Working with someone who has a small, very dedicated fanbase within a niche area related to the content you want to promote will add much more value than an influencer with a larger, yet more diluted, audience. Plus, the issue of some influencers buying followers or posting fake sponsored posts can make brands cautious of those with huge followings.

Influencers become ad hoc content creators

Content marketers aren’t only asking influencers to promote or mention their brand’s products on their own personal channels but also create branded content that can be posted directly on the company’s website.

Today’s influencers are often tech-savvy and creative, which puts them in a great position to write their own blog posts and produce videos or imagery. Alternatively, they can offer their expertise by providing exclusive quotes or commentary to complement in-house created content. After all, influencers are ‘influencers’ as they’ve gained a level of trust in their niche that can add authority to content they collaborate on. 57% of marketers agree, noting that influencer-created content outperforms brand-created content.

Influencer marketing budgets rise​

With 84% of marketing professionals believing influencer marketing is effective and 39% of increasing their influencer marketing budgets in 2019, they need to develop better ways of measuring ROI on their influencer marketing. Data needs to be collected to gauge the value of working with particular influencers.