What’s A Nano-Influencer and Why Should You Care?

The digital marketing world keeps changing, and businesses are struggling to keep up. 2021 was the year of the micro-influencer, but today, nano-influencers are a big deal.

Why is that and what's a nano-influencer?

Great content is essential for every marketer, but it’s not enough. You also need to make sure that the right people see your content.

And nano-influencers make that possible through influencer marketing.

Partnering with either micro-influencers, macro-influencers or nano-influencers makes it possible to leverage a ready-made audience.

They make it easier for your brand since you don’t have to start developing your following from scratch in the first place.

75% of the most successful marketers find it important to nurture relationships with influencers. And 80% of marketers find influencer marketing effective.

Image Source: Mediakix

Compared to other types of influencers, such as micro-influencers, nano-influencers have small followings, more niche interests, and more local relevance.

They don’t have a large follower count like a macro or micro-influencer, but they make up for that with higher engagement rates because they are seen as everyday people.

Their low profile makes them relatable to the target audience of your influencer marketing efforts. They can also manage the size of their followers and respond to each comment personally.

What's a Nano-Influencer?

Nano-influencers have the “guy/girl next door” vibe. You can think of them as regular people with a small, loyal following.

They are typical social media users with the ability to engage their network better.

Nano-influencers have a following of between 1,000 and 10,000 followers. They are not necessarily looking for fame like some micro-influencers, but are superfans of brands they like.

When they are passionate about a brand, they share authentic experiences and grow a community around it.

But why should you partner with them?

You may be wondering why a brand would hire someone with a small following to market them. But marketers understand that engagements with them can lead to trust and connections.

These influencers are starting on the content creation journey. They will have few brand collaborations and their followers are yet to get tired of their ads.

Macro and micro-influencers have worked with many brands, and it’s hard to rely on their ambassadorship. A nano-influencer offers credibility and authenticity.

They will help your influencer marketing to the target audiences that matter. Their smaller follower count make it easier for them to get high engagement rates.

Their followers are more loyal and consider their interactions authentic.

What’s more?

And their dedication and passion drive them to advocate for things they believe in. They grow with your brand and can help you increase conversions through influencer marketing.

What Are the Benefits of Working with Nano-Influencers?

Partnering with nano-influencers offers a variety of benefits, including:

They Are Authentic

The life of a nano-influencer is simple. They generally do not have glamorous lives like the celebs you see on social media, so their audiences can relate to them.

They are regular people doing regular jobs and they do not rely on sponsorships for a living.

In addition, they do not get approached by thousands of brands daily as some micro-influencers  and macro-influencers do.

How does this matter?

These qualities are great for your business and overall influencer marketing because customers follow people with the same passions and interests as themselves.

They want valuable content, not sponsored content, and can easily tell when the influencer copy/pastes photos or posts.

Plus, 90% of consumers consider authenticity important when choosing products they support or like.

Nano-influencers also have an organic following, usually on social media. The majority of their followers are often real people who know them – friends, family, and coworkers. They are also approachable and relatable.

Partnering with them gives your brand an authentic feel.

They Are Cost-Effective

The Association of National Advertisers estimated an increase in influencer spending in 2020. According to their research, influencer spending will hit $101 billion this year.

Currently, the baseline rate for influencer payments is around 1% of follower count per sponsored Instagram post. That’s around $100 for every 10,000 followers, (on the conservative side).

A 2019 influencer rates study by Klear found that celebrities earn approximately $3,138 for a single Instagram video.

A micro-influencer earns $219 for the same while a nano-influencer earns $114.

Image Source: Klear

It is cost-effective to work with a nano-influencer as they charge a smaller fee. This makes it easy to achieve your target ROI, especially if you hire several for your brand.

They are also approachable, making it easier for your brand to establish connections.

Nano-influencers are not professional influencers, like many macro-influencers and micro-influencers are. Some will even accept free samples in exchange for a post. How's that for cost-effective?

They Generate High User Engagement

Nano-influencers have 10X higher engagement rate of Instagram users when compared to other influencers, such as micro-influencers.

Image Source: SocialPubli

They have defined and specific followers who care about what they post and do. They can interact and engage with their audiences with ease.

These influencers have meaningful conversations with their followers. And their high engagement rate can help increase your brand reach and drive conversions.

They Are Eager to Be Part of Your Brand

With time, micro-influencers grow a huge following on social media. They get very busy and have many brands trying to get their attention.

They may not get back to you as soon as you want or even get back to you all.

On the other hand, nano-influencers love the prospect of working with your brand. Sometimes, they will even reach out to you before first.

Pay attention to those championing your brand. These are the influencers that make for strong, sustainable relationships.

Why?

They will be just starting off their influencer journeys and trying hard to build a fan base. Every piece of content they write, any video they make, or any photo they take, will be great.

They will also willingly and earnestly engage with their audiences.

Sometimes, the nano-influencer will be an employee who is passionate about your brand. They will provide authentic behind-the-scenes content that resonates with your target audience.

They will help spread the company message and expand your reach on social media.

Their Followers Trust Them

Most people following nano-influencers are people who know them. They will trust their recommendations more than those from other influencers because they are everyday people not celebrities.

If Jane says that a certain product helped get rid of pimples, her friends and family can see that it’s true. She had pimples, and they are gone.

They will consider buying the same product because they trust Jane.

These influencers will also be careful with what they post.

Why, you may ask?

They will choose a product or service that will not disappoint their audience ‒ a product that does not lead to a loss of trust from their followers.

This is great for your brand since the endorsement will be from someone who has established trust with their followers.

They Will Be Relevant to Your Brand

Since they are careful about what they post, they will likely have a specific niche or category.

They will position your brand and expand your reach to different segments. Their content will be original and relevant to their audience.

What’s more?

Nano-influencers can also help you test a new audience for your product. It can be a great opportunity to create new demand for your product or service.

They Help Your Brand Remain Competitive

Most brands have yet to leverage nano-influencers. So partnering with them will give you an edge over your competitors. You are not likely to find an ad for any of your competitors in their previous posts.

Your sponsored post will most likely be the first from your industry. And, if you’re able to build a strong relationship with them, they can be loyal micro-influencers in a few years.

That’s great, isn’t it?

What Challenges Can You Face When Working with Nano-Influencers?

Nano-influencers can be great, but partnering with them can also be challenging. They lack experience, which could lead to avoidable mistakes.

They may not understand your content needs or hesitate at the mention of a contract. They may have a problem with getting paid to pitch products to friends and family.

You may also find that you need to educate them about your brand and messaging. If their content strays from your core message, it could lead to problems.

What Should You Look for in a Nano-Influencer?

How do you find a nano-influencer who will influence their audience on your behalf?

Where can you find them?

You can use influencer marketing agencies to find the right nano-influencers for your brand. The agency will help you identify your goals and assess your needs, and then use that information to find great nano-influencers for your brand.

They will then work with the influencers to help maximize your return on investment.

Some social media influencers will also have media kits that detail their reach, audience, and engagement rate per post.

So you can find one who fits your target market and then request their media kit.

Is that all?

No. Here are a few more factors you should consider when finding nano-influencers to partner with:

Content Quality

Does their content resonate with their audience?

Are their promotional posts created in a way that they still look candid and relatable?

Does the quality of content they create match your expectations?

Different influencers approach content creation differently. Look closely at their work to identify audio quality, visual quality, tone, substance, consistency, and category.

Make sure their content is of high quality, focused, consistent, and in-line with your brand’s image and goals.

Engagement Rate

Engagement is a key metric when choosing an influencer for your influencer marketing campaigns.

You can calculate the engagement rate by dividing the total number of shares, comments, likes, and clicks a post gets by the number of people who saw the post.

The smaller following of a nano-influencer means a higher organic engagement rate. Your promotions reach people who trust them.

Thus the authenticity and interactions nano-influencers offer you greater reach and higher engagement rates with potential customers.

What’s more, you may ask?

The quality of the message, image, or video determines engagement. Engagement also depends on whether the post sounds original and whether it's authentic.

Consumers can easily tell when a message is not authentic. If they feel like the primary purpose is money, the audience won’t engage with the post. They may also choose to engage negatively.

Audience Relevance

Find an influencer with the same target audience as your brand.

One example of an influencer marketing campaign fail is from Chriselle Lim. She is a renowned beauty, stylist, and lifestyle blogger. She is also a digital influencer.

Her followers fall under the beauty, lifestyle, and fashion category. However, Volvo, a car manufacturing company, chose to partner with her.

Her followers noticed the inauthenticity and told her off in the comments.

What did she do then?

Her followers noticed the inauthenticity, and told her off in the comments. She was forced to edit her original post trying to explain to Instagram users what she meant.

Image Source: Instagram

Finding Nano-Influencers

To find the right nano-influencers for your campaign, you can search the internet for people who are posting about your brand on their social media.

Do they have a relevant audience?

What is their expertise?

Are they passionate about it and the content they create?

Do they have consistent content quality?

Do they have previous experience working with brands?

And if they do, what is the frequency of branded content? How did their audience react? How did the branded content perform compared to their organic content?

Getting answers to these questions will help you access engagement and whether the audience is relevant to your target market.

Look for genuine comments. It’s easy to fall for shabby accounts that have lots of comments with very few Instagram users following them.

How can you differentiate between a genuine nano-influencer and a fake one?

Here are a few points that can help:

• The genuine one will have comments that relate to the post. The comments will vary in length and will be personal. They will not be short insincere comments or emojis written by an automated machine.
• Fake comments include many canned responses like “way to go,” “great pic,” “great job,” and excessive emojis.

A true nano-influencer will have genuine engagement that shows a high level connection. They will also have engaged with the followers' comments on things like Instagram Story posts.

Their small following allows them to have real connections with the audience.

Check out the conversations the nano-influencers have about your brand. What are they saying? How are their followers responding?

This can provide great feedback and become an excellent reaching out point.

How to Leverage Nano-Influencers for Great Results

Now that you have a better understanding of who nano-influencers are and how to find them, let’s take a closer look at how you can partner with nano-influencers to get great results.

Engage the influencer before reaching out. Follow their social media profiles, show interest in their work, and engage with their posts.

When you reach out, provide them with adequate information about what you are offering. Include details about requirements, payment, and expected outcomes.

There are various ways to collaborate with a nano-influencer:

Send Them Products to Review

You can offer your product for free, and ask the nano-influencer to review it after they try it. It’s an effective way to get customer feedback and new content.

Track the comment section to get a feel of the target audience and what they are saying about the product.

Make the Nano-Influencer a Brand Ambassador

Integrating the influencer into your marketing strategy allows you to reach consumers authentically. They can use images that feature your products on their social media profiles.

What else, you may ask?

You can also team up to create a video that tells the story of your company. Share the images and videos on your business profile too. You will be promoting your brand in a genuine and positive light.

Share Discounts and Coupons

92% of consumers use coupons for shopping, according to Statista. This suggests that modern consumers prefer buying items on sale.

Exclusive offers are a good way to save money. You can use them to reach out to potential customers through nano-influencers.

They will inform your target customers about the promotion and get your brand in front of the right people.

The influencer can also use the promotion to build connections with their audience. It’s a win/win for both of you.

Give Away Your Products

A good way to collaborate is by doing giveaways. Instagram giveaways, in particular, are a great way to increase engagement with consumers.

They are also a great way to establish long-term relationships with influencers.

Why

You can offer a nano-influencer free stuff to give away and, in the process, you both grow. Your brand will attract more potential customers and the influencer will gain more visibility. You can also get real feedback from people who receive the products.

Use Their User-Generated Content

User-generated content impacts customer buying decisions 9.8x more than sponsored content from an influencer.

Consumers want social proof that the product works like a brand says it will. Before buying something, they want to find out what kind of experience customers who have already bought the product had with it.

Nano-influencers are a great way to get user-generated content. You can ask them to take a photo of themselves using the product.

You can also request user-generated content from the influencer in exchange for a discount.

Influencer Marketing Best Practices

When creating, managing, and implementing a nano-influencer campaign, use the following best practices:

1. Understand the influencer's voice. Do not be strict with requirements and how they communicate with their audience. They know their audience better and know what messages will resonate with them. Their followers will notice if their posts become unnatural or forced.
2. Collaborate with the influencer on message creation. Allow them to decide on a creative direction that works best. Content that feels scripted will lead to lower engagement.
3. Help them understand your business. Share your company goals, campaign goals, company mission, and brand style with the influencer to help them understand you better.
4. Provide them with enough resources to guide them through the process. Nano-influencers need your advice, especially in messaging. Brief them on requirements and your expectations.
5. Track the nano-influencer’s impact on your marketing efforts. Monitor your KPIs (key performance indicators) depending on your product and calls-to-action. These metrics could include the number of purchases, sign-ups, traffic, or downloads.

Conclusion

Consumers today buy products based on suggestions from real people they trust and respect. Having the right influencer, be it a micro-influencer, nano-influencer, or macro-influencer to promote your brand can help you effectively market your products.

Nano-influencers are social media users with strong connections with their audiences. They have a great impact since they have genuine interactions with their followers.

Big and small brands can use nano-influencers to attract and connect with their target consumers.

Have you worked with nano-influencers in the past? Do you have any insights or tips to add? Please share them in the comments below.