What are the Differences Between Each Influencer Tier?
What are the attributes of each and how should you use each influencer tier?
The biggest blind spot I’ve seen when it comes to influencer marketing strategy comes from the brand and not knowing who a content creator is. It’s human nature to have an affinity to what you know and are familiar with, but when you’re managing a brand that you’re not a part of the target market (i.e. you’ve aged out) it’s easy to let this human feeling become a hindrance to your decision making process.
I’ve repeatedly seen brand managers, marketing directors, VPs of marketing suggest names of influencers and content creators for a campaign that don’t fit their audience demographic, because they are familiar with their work.
To combat this behavior, it’s best to educate everyone on the differences between each influencer tier, their value, and how to use these influencers within an influencer marketing campaign. This way, decision makers are more focused on the value and role of an influencer tier, rather than their name recognition.
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Table of Contents
Influencer Tiers Overview
If you’re unaware, influencers and content creators are grouped by marketers based on how many followers they have. While every company might have a different definition of influencers, these are the typical influencer tiers and the ones we use at Slice Group.
Mega Influencers
These influencers typically have more than 1 million followers on a single platform. They’re very well known and could potentially be considered celebrities. Brands love working with mega influencers because they can reach a lot of people at one time and many people will know who this person is, even if they’re not following that person. There can be some secondary brand association benefits from working with a Mega influencer.
Pros- These influencers are well known and can reach millions of people with a single post. Even if someone doesn’t follow them, they’ll be aware of them. So brands can get some residual brand association.
Cons - Mega influencers aren’t always relatable. Their daily life is nothing like an average person so it’s hard to connect. People view their brand recommendations as money grabs (aka they’re getting paid a ton) and are less inclined to buy to “support” them. They think, “they’re already rich.”
Best Use Case - If you need to drive awareness, mega influencers are still a good option. Even if people can’t relate, mega influencers can get the word out at an awareness level. Here, at the top of the funnel, people just need to hear your brand, see your logo. They don’t necessarily have to know what you do. But it will click later on because they’ve been exposed to your brand.
Macro Influencers
Macro influencers typically have 100,000 to 1 million followers. This is probably the most debated tier of influencers, because the range is so wide. It’s not uncommon to see someone refer to a Mid-Macro Influencer, which might encompass an influencer with 100,000 - 500,000 followers. But typically Macro influencers have more than 100,000 followers.
Pros- Macro influencers are large enough that you only need to work with a few of them to get millions of reach. While they’re large, they’re still more relatable than most mega influencers. You can use macros at any stage of the marketing funnel.
Cons - Macro influencers are where prices start to jump significantly. Unless your brand has a real budget, it’s harder for some brands to afford macro influencers.
Best Use Case - Macros are one of the most flexible tier of creators. You can do a campaign entirely made up of macros or you can use a few to expand your campaign reach and complement them with micros and nanos.
Micro Influencers
Micro influencers have 10,000 - 100,000 followers. They’re the “middle class” of the creator economy. They have influence beyond friends and family but not so widespread that people outside their niche would know them. Highly valuable influencers if used correctly.
Pros- Micro influencers are cost effective on an individual basis. Which means you can work with more of them, increasing the number of total people you can reach in aggregate. They’re large enough that you can get a few million in reach without having to manage thousands of them (i.e. nanos) but they’re small enough that you can afford to.
Cons - You still need a larger number of micro influencers to get the same impact as a macro or mega influencer. Think 5-10 micros for every macro/mega influencer you use. Your team must be equipped to work with a larger number of influencers.
Best Use Case - Micro influencers are great at consideration and conversion level content. They’re trusted because they’re not too large. Audiences will listen to what they have to say and want to “support” this creator. They want the content, but don’t want to pay for it. So they’ll be more willing to watch/listen to their branded content.
Nano Influencers
Nanos have less than 10,000 followers. They’re the common person. Some nanos might not even consider themselves an influencer. But a large number of nano influencers can be valuable to a brand to generate buzz.
Pros - Nanos are the most trusted tier of influencers. They personally know more of the people that follow them, their recommendations are taken seriously.
Cons - To get the reach that large brands crave to move the needle for their sales (i.e. millions) they need to work with thousands of nano influencers. This can be very time consuming.
Best Use Case - Nanos are great for promotions, launches, and creating buzz. Working with a community of nano influencers can start a groundswell of chatter and engagement about your brand and promo.
Summary
There are different influencers tiers, each with their own unique strengths and weaknesses. Macro and mega-influencers have a broad reach and can help brands reach a large audience quickly. Micro-influencers are big enough that you can get a few millions of reach but they’re small enough that you can afford. Nano-influencers are highly trusted by their followers and can be a great way to reach a specific target audience.
When choosing an influencer, consider their authenticity, engagement rates, and the goals of your marketing campaign. With the right strategy in place, influencer marketing can be an effective way to reach your target audience and drive real results for your business.