New research from micro-influencer marketing platform SocialPubli.com examines how micro-influencer campaigns perform in comparison to their counterparts across social media networks to gain a better understanding of what works—and what doesn’t—when partnering with the long-tail of influencer marketing.
The firm recently announced the release of the 2018 Global Micro-Influencer Study uncovering valuable insights and providing a closer look at the state of the micro-influencer marketing landscape from the influencers’ point of view.
“Influencer marketing is at an inflection point and micro-influencers are playing a vital role in its evolution from a passing fad to a permanent, viable and effective marketing strategy,” said Ismael El-Qudsi, CEO of SocialPubli.com, in a news release. “With this first installment of our global study, we wanted to hear first-hand from micro-influencers to offer brands not only a panoramic view of this powerful category but also a deep dive into their beliefs, preferences, and behaviors.”
In the study, micro-influencers share their perceptions toward sponsored content, compensation, social media use, content creation and the best ways to collaborate with brands.
Findings from the study underscore the clear downward correlation between follower sizes and engagement rates, regardless of platform, geographical location or niche. When analyzing the last three campaigns completed by the 100,000+ influencers registered in the platform, the data shows that micro-influencers deliver 7X more engagement on Instagram than the average generated by mid, macro, and mega-influencers combined.
Additional key findings from the study include:
Social media is a micro-influencer’s natural habitat
Eighty percent of micro-influencers spend at least 3 hours a day on social media. Of these, 47 percent spend more than 5 hours.
Micro-influencers are avid content creators
Seventy-seven percent publish content on a daily basis with almost half (48 percent) publishing at least twice a day.
They are active brand advocates and frequently recommend what works for them
Eighty-four percent recommend products or services at least once a week, with 37 percent of these doing so on a daily basis.
Micro-influencers agree that authenticity, quality and engagement matter
- Ninety-nine percent say they believe in the products and services that they promote.
- When asked what the most important factors are to maintain the engagement of their followers, micro-influencers responded: being authentic (32 percent), sharing quality content (27 percent) and engaging with their followers (27 percent).
It’s not all about the money
Thirty-seven percent of micro-influencers cite being fans as the top reason why they would consider working with a brand more than once, followed by 30 percent who cite receiving a fair and competitive compensation, and 14 percent who say the brand’s values must be aligned with theirs.
Instagram dominates among micro-influencers
Sixty-one percent of influencers selected Instagram as their favorite social media network, distantly followed by Facebook (17 percent) and Twitter (12 percent).
There is a clear movement towards professionalization
Fifty-two percent of micro-influencers see influencer marketing as a viable career option stating that their professional goal is to be full-time content creators.
Micro-influencers feel that the work they do as influencers goes unrecognized
While there is a desire to create content full-time, 68 percent of micro-influencers believe that the work they do is not sufficiently recognized.
“The study shows that micro-influencers have strong, authentic personal brands and are committed to providing their online communities with creative, quality content,” said El-Qudsi. “While they aspire to dedicate themselves to influencer marketing on a full-time basis they have also voiced a clear need for greater recognition which is indicative that the ecosystem as a whole needs to mature and improve in order for them to be able to effectively translate their vocation as influencers into a tangible career path.”
Download the full report here.
Research was conducted by SocialPubli.com using an online questionnaire between May and June 2018. In total, 1,000 influencers from 22 countries responded.
