Nano-influencers are the latest inductees to hit the influencer marketing niche — social media users with as few as 1,000 followers but no more than 5,000. These digital citizens are known to consumers as “regular people” with exceptional social media skills and a natural aptitude for influence.
Brands now recognize the close and personal bond Nanos share with their audience, compared to influencers with large followings and often very little engagement. This, paired with their reputation for being genuine and trustworthy, is precisely why nano-influencers are becoming a popular choice for brands.
What Is A Nano-Influencer?
Nano-influencers are individuals with less than 10,000 followers on Instagram or other leading social platforms. Nano-influencers on Instagram create content around a specific niche, which helps them attract a small, but highly engaged group of followers. Their accounts are neither polished nor glamorous, and they publish photos without adding too many filters or effects. Just like the guy next door — like you and me!
Compared to macro-influencers, nano-influencers take part in fewer activations and brand campaigns. They are very selective about their brands and would only choose brands that match their style and audience. But when they end up collaborating with a brand, the results are always impressive. Nano-influencers explain the features of the products they are promoting to help their followers make informed buying decisions. And because they are considered experts in their niche, the audience usually trusts their recommendations and buys the products.
Leading brands are slowly learning the value of this trend and are already offering nano-influencer jobs to niche content creators. Among them is Reebok, which worked with nano fitness influencer Craig Peters (@theburpeeguy) to promote the launch of the Reebok Nano 7. Despite having just 1,500 followers, Reebok was impressed by Craig’s dedication to using fitness to improve his community.
Nano-Influencers Set To Drive Big Change
A few years ago, only celebrity influencers like Kim Kardashian were courted by brands for product promotions. But right now, they want more relatable individuals to promote their products. Why the sudden change?
Well, brands have realized that it’s just not about reach anymore. Of course, they’d want to reach as many people as possible with their content, but what’s the point of reaching 1 million people when only 100 people can remember your product after the advertisement? You are better off reaching 5,000 people, earning 1,000 unique visits to your website and 100 completed purchases. And that’s where nano-influencers come in!
What nano-influencers lack in reach, they make up for in intimacy and real-time brand personalization. Besides explaining your product’s features in detail, they will engage their followers and answer their questions about the product. Their close association with their audience also makes their recommendations seem like genuine advice from a trusted friend.
Why Should Brands Work With Nano-Influencers?
There are many benefits you stand to gain from working with this group of creators. Let’s look at the top six.
Nano-influencers have a close relationship with their followers
Nano-influencers have a strong connection with their audience, much more when compared to the following of regular influencers. Because of their small following, nano-influencers can develop a closer relationship with their audience. As a result, the nano-influencer engagement rate is higher than other types of influencers.
They usually talk to their followers directly in the DM and respond to their comments on their posts. Most know their loyal followers and interact with them on their posts to build meaningful relationships.
Nano-influencers are more authentic
Social media today, especially Instagram, is full of people living the ‘perfect life,’ and users are starting to see through the smokescreen. Nano-influencers are ordinary people who spend time creating real content for their audience. As a result, their posts feel more authentic, and if they’re promoting a brand, it’s because they believe in it, not because they are getting paid.
Furthermore, nano-influencers have built a close relationship with their audience, making them more likely to be interested in the products the influencer is promoting. The conversations are genuine, and they help the followers discover useful products that add value to their lives.
Nano-influencers create personalized content
Most influencers create content around a specific niche or category, like travel, fashion, lifestyle, and fitness. By doing this, they attract a following that’s highly interested in the topic.
This makes nano-influencer brands suitable for running targeted campaigns that promote their products to a specific audience segment. But to succeed with this, you should identify influencers with similar interests since they are more likely to have an audience relevant to your brand.
Nano-influencers are more accessible
Nano-influencers are still somewhat undiscovered by brands, which means they are more available to brands than macro-influencers. Plus, because you have many influencers to choose from, you can pick more than one creator for your nano-influencer campaigns to boost brand awareness and reach.
Nano-influencers are cost-effective
The nano-influencer rate card is low compared to other types of influencers out there. As a result, nano-influencers provide you with more value for your marketing dollars, especially if you’re on a budget.
Nano-influencers are also eager to work with brands in their niche and can even accept your products or services instead of payment as the nano-influencer charge. This makes them accessible to most brands and allows them to stretch their budgets to reach more consumers at an intimate level.
Nano-influencers allow easy scaling of campaigns
When working with a nano-influencer, it’s easy to scale up or down depending on your needs. And because the nano-influencer cost is low, you can collaborate with more than one influencer at a time.
Brands that target multiple audiences can also work with nano-influencers across different niches. This allows them to create more personalized content to reach their target users more effectively.
Nano-influencers vs. Micro-influencers
If you want to run a highly targeted marketing campaign with an influencer, you probably think of collaborating with a nano-influencer or a micro-influencer. Working with either type has its advantages, and your choice of influencer will be determined by your campaign’s budget and goals.
Nano-influencers have a highly targeted and engaged following. Their content is super relevant to their audience and can therefore offer brands a high ROI. However, they have a limited reach because of their small following, and some influencers may not know how to engage brands professionally.
On the other hand, micro-influencers have a larger reach than nano-influencers, with a following of 10,000 to 100,000. They create high-quality content and enjoy the trust of users in their niche. Unlike nano-influencers, they are more organized and professional when dealing with brands.
But their extended reach and expertise come at a cost. Micro-influencers are more expensive, making nano-influencers an excellent choice for brands looking to build a personal connection with their consumers.
Get Inspired! Examples of Fantastic Brand Collaborations With Nano-Influencers
Want to know what successful nano-influencers look like? Here are a few nano-influencers examples that are running effective influencer marketing partnerships.
Lauren | thelittlelowdown – 6,255 followers
Lauren is a content creator who focuses on fashion, parenthood, and lifestyle topics. Her following may be small, but she has partnered with well-known brands such as Co-op, Lloyds Pharmacy, Godiva, Primark, and Marks & Spencer. She produces high-quality content that gets a lot of engagement from her nano-influencer followers.
Nina Webb | ninafashionblur – 8,750 followers
Nina is a fashion and style influencer based in London. She creates fashion-related content, with some lifestyle and travel bits sprinkled lightly throughout the posts. But Nina isn’t just a nano-influencer; she also works in marketing, which has helped her understand how brand partnerships work. She has attracted high-profile partnerships with top brands like Topshop, Superdrug, Missy Empire, and Gant.
Susanne Melker | sussanemelker – 5,604 followers
Sussane is a Gothenburg-based influencer who creates content on topics such as fashion, lifestyle, and travel. She creates high-quality content that receives high engagement, making her a great example of a nano-influencer to work with. Some of the brands she has partnered with include Carmex, Cocopanda, and eos.
Nano-Influencers Have Emerged As The Popular Influencer Tier
The era when brands were mainly looking at the number of followers seems to be fading away. At the moment, marketers are looking for creators who create content in a specific niche and have a close relationship with their followers.
Nano-influencers meet all these requirements, making them ideal partners for your campaign. If you are looking for the perfect nano-influencer for your brand, AtisfyReach, our AI-driven influencer marketing platform, is here to match you with the “right-fit” influencer for the job. The platform algorithm matches brands with the ideal influencers based on the campaign’s goals – be it an increase in brand awareness, more engagement, or boosting revenue at scale.
Register now to get started.
