Which Type Of Influencers To Use Based On Your Brand’s Need?

Influencers on the left, influencers on the right, a lot on your screen and a bit on your mind.

In a world where influencer marketing is booming faster than you could say boomer, it is necessary to keep yourself educated. Why? Let us fill you in.

For marketers, social media influencers are like wild cards. They are extremely useful, but tricky if their influence is not used correctly. On top of that, it is a soup of terms out there: mega-influencer, micro-influencer, macro-influencer. These terms get trickier as they go on.

If you own a brand and are taking your maiden voyage in the sea of influencer marketing campaigns, it’s easy to get caught in the web of these terms. Use this guide to set yourself free.

The 4 kinds of influencers you should work with

The accepted form of categorising content creators is through their follower numbers. The past two years, particularly with the rise of social commerce, have proven that this method does not work. Collaborating with an influencer with 10M followers doesn’t automatically equate to great engagement or traffic to your brand’s digital presence. A better approach to finding which type of influencer will boost your brand is through need.

Need: Tap an international audience

Brands that plan to generate awareness or tap an international audience should go for influencers who have more than 500k followers. These creators have a mass audience that spans geographies. Instagram is the best place to find them.

The drawback is that they ask for a good chunk of money. Landing a partnership with them is not easy, and you have to ascertain their authenticity. Since they are also constantly under the public eye, they have to be careful about which brands they align with. So, make sure there is synergy between your brand and the creator.

Need: Generate brand awareness

Brands looking for more recognition, go for the influencers in the bracket of 50k to 500k. Their engagement rate is healthy, although we advise keeping a tab on it.

They have a diverse audience and they create content around broad categories like travel, food, beauty, and more. So, they are an excellent channel to create awareness of your brand name. Both Instagram and YouTube are great platforms to scout for these creators.

Need: Establish brand credibility

At times, brands need to build a credible reputation. For them, the best type of influencer is a niche one who has a following under the bracket of 15k to 100k.

Think public speakers, activists, journalists, opinion leaders. Since their expertise is on one subject, they don’t reach the mass. However, within their community, the trust they have is titanium strong, creating a sky-high engagement.

They are considered voices of reason and are looked upon for unbiased opinions, so be careful of some bitter truth if you collaborate with them for product reviews or comprehensive tutorials.

Need: Create massive engagement

The simple fact is that creators with the smallest follower numbers, under 15K, have the highest engagement rate. Sometimes the numbers are off the chart because these influencers are true brand advocates, and they actively seek out and reply to their community, creating a virtual society that’s always in touch.

Partner with them when you want real sales and traffic or wish to target a local or regional part of society. To reach an audience at scale, we recommend collaborating with dozens, if not more creators, simultaneously for a campaign. The cost will still be less than what a single mega-influencer or celebrity charges.

Discovering your type of influencers

We know creator discovery is an uphill task. And let’s not even get starting on managing an influencer marketing campaign. So, rely on a platform to do the job for you. Using AI, an influencer platform, ensures that the creator you work with matches your brand persona and needs. Moreover, you get access to a pool of influencers that work well within your budget.

Wondering where to start? Here.