A Comprehensive Guide to Become a Successful Micro Influencer- 2023
You don’t necessarily need to have a million followers to become an effective influencer on the internet or attract lucrative brand deals. As influencer marketing evolved over the years, brands turned a blind eye to the follower count and doubled down on the amount of engagement an influencer brought for them. Let’s set the record straight —in 2023, it doesn’t matter how many followers you have as an influencer! And this has triggered the rise of micro influencers — the more approachable, relatable, and “real” kind of influencers. Are you willing to learn how to become a micro influencer? We have the perfect micro influencer guide for you. Let’s get started!
What is a micro influencer?
Micro influencers are essentially influencers that have an online following of somewhere between 10,000 and 100,000 followers. What makes these influencers different is that they are quite well-known and specialized in certain areas or niches, and are also rendered to be experts in the industry. They are authentic and have expertise in their respective fields like gaming, beauty, travel, fitness, fashion, and more. Such influencers deliver the most authentic content, generate higher engagement rates, positively impact conversion rates, and create better connections with niche audiences. Most importantly, micro influencers don’t burn a hole in a brand’s marketing budget.
How do micro influencers make money?
As a micro influencer, you will have several opportunities to make money. Here are some of the most effective ways to make money as a micro influencer in 2023
- Sponsored posts
This is the simplest way micro influencers make money on the internet. Sponsored posts are essentially online posts where brands pay social media influencers to promote their products and services. These are simple posts having an effective CTA to check out or buy the products.
- Becoming a brand ambassador
Successful micro influencers get the opportunity to partner up with brands and act as brand ambassadors! As a brand ambassador, you will receive products for free. However, you will have to use the brand’s product and not its competitors. At the same time, you will have to advertise the products on social media.
- Affiliate marketing
You can make money by recommending your audience to buy certain products and earning commission off of each sale. Micro influencers can sign up for affiliate marketing programs, get their unique affiliate links, and promote the products. As an influencer, you will have to create posts reviewing the products and promoting the brands.
- Photo and video sales
Micro influencers that take great pictures and videos can sell the media to companies and generate money. A good example of this is travel influencers as they create picture-worthy images and make money off of selling them to websites or magazines. The best thing about this is that you can license the videos and images and get paid every time someone uses them!
How to become a successful micro influencer in 2023?
Now that you understand the basics of how micro influencers work, it’s time we discuss the steps you should follow to become a successful micro influencer in 2023. We have divided the process into ten steps. Let’s discuss the steps in detail, shall we?
1. Nail your niche!
The very first step to becoming a micro influencer is to find a suitable niche. This is a tricky part because you want to choose a niche that is close to your heart as well as one that pays well. This is why we suggest you take your time when choosing a niche. The niche will lay the foundation for the next steps and further research, therefore, you should be cautious when shortlisting niches.
2. Shortlist social media platforms
Once you have the niche in sight, the next step will be to shortlist suitable social media platforms. You cannot be posting on all social media platforms. This is because the audience of your particular niche will not be present in all of them. You should figure out which social media platforms your potential followers like to hang out on. Some of the social media platforms you should shortlist from are Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube.
3. Conduct due diligence
It’s time to slow things down and create a solid foundation for your career as a micro influencer. You will have to conduct due diligence to learn about your audience, social media platforms, and content. Take your time to learn the issues and problems your niche audience faces regularly. What are the types of content the audience likes to consume on the internet? At the same time, check what other micro influencers of your niche are up to.
4. Create a killer profile
Your social media profile, especially the bio, is the first thing that your followers and potential collaborators will see when they open your page. This is an opportunity to make a significant first impression. Create an engaging bio that does not jeopardize the professionalism you wish to reflect on the page. The bio should give an idea of what people can expect once they follow your account. From the display picture to the bio to highlights to the content pattern, make sure everything is perfect.
5. Develop a solid content strategy
As a budding micro influencer, you will rely solely on the content you create. Content creation is going to be a central part of your journey, so it’s important that you get used to creating high-quality content consistently. A solid content strategy will help grab the audience's attention and trigger engagement. This is only possible if you know your audience well. The more you understand the audience, the easier it will be to come up with exciting content ideas.
6. Create a schedule for consistency
You have to be regular with content creation and posting. In other words, you will need to develop a posting schedule, which will drive the process of content creation. A content schedule will keep you on the right path and enable you to create consistent, fresh content. Moreover, having a content schedule allows the audience to know when they can expect new content from you. It is very important that you prioritize quality and not rush into posting more and more content. Just stay consistent with posting high-quality, valuable, entertaining, informative, and relatable content.
7. Engage with the audience
Communicate with your audience often. Encourage them to like, share, and leave comments on the posts. Create interesting Stories on your profile that trigger responses. Persuade your audience to follow you and DM to ask queries. More importantly, always find time to reply to the comments and DMs. You can even go LIVE with your followers and conduct a Q&A session. Make sure you reply with something valuable. Engage with the audience in a respectful manner. Remember, this is your opportunity to have a more personal interaction with the audience. Make the most of it.
8. Focus on collaborations
You have already conducted a competition analysis. Shortlist similar micro influencers and try to engage with them, especially if they create content for the same niche. Collaborate with them and create more engaging content. Such quick collaborations will give your profile a fresh feel and allow you to develop connections in the industry. Most importantly, this tactic will give you more exposure and increase your followers. Indeed, the benefits of collaborations are quite certain. But, you should make sure the collaboration provides your audience with better, valuable, and entertaining content.
9. Have a hashtag strategy
Do you want to get noticed by brands in your niche? Start tagging them on your posts. You may even tag famous influencers in the niche as well. Not just that, you should develop a hashtag strategy as it will help increase online exposure. The hashtags should be relevant to your posts and niche. Since hashtags are searchable, you should also create a branded hashtag associated with your micro influencer brand.
10. Have a strategy to make money
Indeed, you will eventually become a content creator. But, you should try mastering the business side of the journey too. Learn how to negotiate with brands willing to collaborate with you. Figure out different ways you can monetize your online presence and generate revenue. Once you hit a balance between creativity and money-making, you will find it easier to approach online influencing as a career option.
What do brands look for in micro influencers?
As a budding micro influencer, you must be curious to find out what brands look for when collaborating with influencers. Most brands have a common selection process.
First, they check the micro influencer’s post quality. It’s quite obvious that micro influencers build a following based on their content. So, brands will take a close look at the quality of posts and check whether or not the tone and personality match their brand.
Second, brands and marketers will want to know if you are dedicated to your niche. After all, companies will shortlist micro influencers that create content for their niche. The more niche-oriented you are, the better.
Third, their focus moves to the overall engagement on your online profile. They will want to know the average audience sentiment on your posts. Brands will see the kind of comments you receive and whether or not you engage with them.
Lastly, companies will want to know the frequency at which you post online. They want to know if you are consistent with your posting schedule or not. Nail these points and you will soon come under the radar of brands that are willing to collaborate with micro influencers.
Final Thoughts!
Indeed, it won’t take you much time to become a micro influencer. But, the idea is to become an effective, authentic, and relatable micro influencer — something that demands time and effort. Therefore, we suggest you follow the steps to become a micro influencer and stay true to your audience. It’s all about how consistently you follow the fundamentals to becoming a micro influencer as it will help you build a unique network that can even generate significant revenue for your brand. The basics will help you gain audiences’ trust and stay truly connected with your core audience. Did you find this guide helpful? Let us know in the comments. Also, don’t forget to check out other informative posts on the blog!
