Long before the pandemic struck, social media influencers were already on the rise. But when everyone was locked down and looking for new content to consume, their popularity skyrocketed. It’s an industry that is worth an estimated $20 billion and that figure is growing exponentially.
But did you know that not all influencers are cut from the same cloth? Sure, you probably already know that there are influencers who target certain niches like fitness influencers. Then there are those that target certain platforms like TikTok influencers. Yet there are also people called micro influencers and even mega influencers too.
And that’s what we’re going to discuss here — the difference between the likes of micro and mega influencers and which type would suit you best.
So if you’ve ever asked yourself the question “What are the different types of influencers?” then you’re in the right place.
Misconceptions About Different Types of Influencers
By far, the biggest misconception about influencers is that bigger is always better. Many people make this mistake because they compare influencers to other industries where the more successful you are, the more followers you have.
In fact, quite a few of the top social media influencers in the world only became famous by accident after establishing a successful career in another area. Of course, many of these people have humongous followings, but like we said, it’s important not to compare.
Believe it or not, some of the most skilled and successful social media influencers have no desire to appeal to larger audiences. Their game is all about high levels of engagement from followers that are passionate about their niche.
So, don’t assume that a small following means an influencer is unsuccessful. It can be quite the opposite and you’ll see why a little later.
Mega and Celebrity Influencers
Mega social media influencers have the largest audiences. There is no exact and official rule about how large an audience has to be to make someone a mega influencer versus a macro, micro, or nano influencer. Generally speaking, they’ll have at least a million followers. So it’s no real surprise that celebrities, for the most part, fall into this category.
One of the most important things to understand about mega influencers is that it is not possible to be a mega influencer for every possible niche or audience.
Depending on your niche, there may not even be a million people in the whole world who are interested in your content. This just means that many influencers will pretty much never become a mega influencer based on their choice of niche. And that’s perfectly okay.
Now, if you’re really after that mega status, then you’ll have to accept that it may take years to reach that level and more than your fair share of good luck. This is because mega influencers tend to focus on the most popular topics and niches which means that there’s a lot of competition out there.
Macro Social Media Influencers
Once you have a reasonably-sized following, consider connecting with collaborators. After all, it’s better to view others in your niche as collaborators rather than competitors. This is because combining your audiences can help both of you to achieve your respective goals. Of course, you may not want to collaborate with someone who is doing exactly the same thing as you, but it would certainly be a good idea to create some content with someone who is in your general niche.
Ideally, you’ll be collaborating with businesses (and getting paid to do so) in the not too distant future, but you’ll need to build up that following before a business will take a punt on working with you.
Micro Social Media Influencers
Micro influencers have audiences of 10,000 people or more. Although it is difficult, it is sometimes possible for these influencers to know a significant fraction of their audience in a more intimate way.
Because they have a more intimate connection with their audience, micro influencers have to have a different kind of skill set. They need to be able to focus on depth with their audiences more than just appealing in one way or another to as many different people as possible. Followers of micro influencers tend to be very engaging and often trust their influencer completely.
Nano Social Media Influencer
Nano influencers have the smallest audiences. Their audiences range from 1,000 to 10,000 people. With such a small audience, it’s possible to know almost everyone in your audience in some small way. In fact, nano influencers often have great relationships with their followers and if you think a micro influencer’s followers engage a lot then you’ll absolutely love nano followers.
Nano audiences are amazingly dedicated to their niche and will comment on everything that is shared. They feel very strongly about the influencer’s content and will support them in every way possible. But, and it’s a big but, a nano influencer must know exactly what they’re talking about. There’s no winging it as a nano influencer. You’ll get called out for your lack of knowledge pretty quickly.
Nano influencers are less like celebrities and more like community leaders. They have the opportunity to design a unique culture. In some cases, it’s this unique culture that attracts people even more than the niche itself!
So now you know what the different types of influencers are, you’re better equipped to decide which will suit you best. This is also a great help when deciding on a niche as you’ll have a better idea of what you can realistically achieve based on whether influencers in your niche are mega, macro, micro, or nano influencers.
Once you’ve decided which niche to target, it’s all about building up your presence and creating your content. Check out our simple step-by-step guide to becoming an influencer which will put you on the right path. And remember, when you start making some waves in your niche and are thinking about getting some professional representation, get in touch with us here at Hunter Talent. The chances are, we have just the right client that will suit your personal brand.
