Influencer marketing—where a brand pays a social media influencer to promote its products or company—generates more than $4 billion annually in the US. Working with influencers has surged in popularity, leading to thousands aspiring to become social media influencers. And studies show most consumers prefer authentic and credible influencers they can relate to over celebrity influencers.
Despite their smaller follower count, nano-influencers have a meaningful social media presence and can help brands with product promotion and brand exposure. Here’s how nano-influencer marketing campaigns can help drive traffic, build your brand image, and increase sales for your company.
What is a nano-influencer?
A nano-influencer is a social media influencer with a small but very engaged following of between 500 and 10,000. They usually create content within a specific niche, like cooking, makeup, music, parenting, or home design. Unlike traditional influencers with hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of followers, successful smaller influencers can maintain an engaged relationship and foster personal connections with their audience.
Nano-influencers tend to have higher engagement rates compared to larger influencers because they have fewer followers and are thus better able to interact with everyday social media users. They can cultivate a loyal following by bonding with their audience over common interests. As a result, followers tend to trust their opinions and recommendations, and brands want to collaborate with them to reach niche markets and boost online engagement.
Here is the follower count for different influencer tiers:
- Nano-influencers (500–9,999 followers)
- Micro-influencers (10,000–49,999 followers)
- Mid-tier influencers (50,000–99,999 followers)
- Macro-influencers (100,000–499,999 followers)
- Mega-influencers (500,000+ followers)
The number of followers is a key factor in determining how much brands pay influencers for promotion and content.
Benefits of working with nano-influencers
- Build your credibility
- Reach your target audience
- Save money
- Get high engagement
- Tap into niche knowledge
Working with nano-influencers can help you:
Build your credibility
Potential customers are more inclined to trust your brand if a nano-influencer they trust and respect recommends your company or positively reviews your product. They see nano-influencers as relatable peers. This is in contrast to mega-influencers, who can pursue influencing full time and rely on brand deals for income.
Reach your target audience
A nano-influencer’s smaller following lets you tap into a distinct market. Their audiences often share specific interests aligned with the content, making them ideal for small businesses targeting a particular demographic or geographic area.
Save money
Brands with a limited budget can find nano-influencers more accessible. Nano-influencer rates are typically less than macro or mega-influencer rates.
Here are estimated rates for nano-influencers:
- $10 to $100 per Instagram post
- $5 to $25 per TikTok post
- $20 to $200 per YouTube post
In comparison, here are estimated rates for mega-influencers:
- $10,000+ per Instagram post
- $2,500+ per TikTok post
- $20,000+ per YouTube post
For companies new to influencer marketing, nano-influencers can be a great introduction into how the creator economy operates. You’ll learn what type of content works for your brand and solidify your preferences going forward.
Get high engagement
Nano-influencers typically have highly engaged loyal followers. Their smaller, invested audience leads to more likes, saves, shares, comments, and mentions. This high engagement means their followers are more likely to interact with a collaboration between your brand and the nano-influencer.
Tap into niche knowledge
Nano-influencers tend to produce content on niche topics they’re very knowledgeable about, drawing their followers to this expertise. If your business aligns with a nano-influencer’s specific interests, their followers are more inclined to engage with your brand.
Drawbacks of working with nano-influencers
Before researching potential nano-influencers, consider these factors in working with those with smaller followings:
Limited reach
Depending on your goals, a nano-influencer’s small audience may not align with your brand’s objectives. If you have ambitious goals to dramatically increase your reach or go viral, collaborating with nano-influencers may not be a good fit.
Fewer resources
It’s possible the nano-influencer has fewer resources, and therefore less access to equipment and know-how than some mega-influencers. Keep this in mind when conceptualizing content ideas with a nano-influencer.
Minimal collaboration experience
A nano-influencer’s smaller following may indicate they’re new to content creation and have little experience with influencer marketing. Your outreach might be their first collaboration experience. You may need to take additional time explaining the process and setting expectations.
Best practices when working with nano-influencers
Begin your collaboration on the right foot with these suggestions:
Communicate clearly
With any business collaboration, effective communication fosters healthy working relationships and avoids misunderstandings. Set clear expectations—preferably with a contract—and be transparent with your budget. Answer questions and respond to emails promptly throughout your partnership.
Leave room for creativity
Give influencers guidelines, like incorporating elements of your brand narrative or showing the product in the post, while allowing them the creative freedom to produce authentic content. The collaboration’s success relies on the audience accepting the sponsored content as a natural fit within the influencer’s usual posts.
Do your research
Before reaching out to an influencer, familiarize yourself with the type of content they make and their audience demographics. Showing influencers that you’ve done your research can make them excited to collaborate with your brand.
Nano-influencer FAQ
How much do nano-influencers get paid?
Nano-influencer fees depend on your budget, the type of content, and the influencer’s engagement analytics. However, based on typical influencer pricing, brands can expect to pay a nano-influencer $10 to $200 per post.
How many followers do you need to be a nano-influencer?
To be considered a nano-influencer, you need at least 500 followers, but no more than 10,000 followers.
How do you choose the right nano-influencer to work with?
Find an influencer with whom your brand values resonate. Ask these questions: Do their opinions, interests, and content align with your company’s? Does their audience demographic match your target demographic? Have they worked with any competitors? (This may prohibit them from working with you.)
