8 Oct, 2022 | Guides Insights

Types of Influencers

The influencer marketing industry seems to be taking giant strides into becoming one of the most frequently used industries every year. With this increase and the significant impact influencer marketing has had on the rise in profit made by different organisations; other brands are considering investing in the market. While that seems like a good idea, you must note all the different types of influencers and how they best suit your business. Read on to see how to begin your search on the right influencer. Categories of influencers and when to use them   There are four distinct categories of influencers available in the influencing industry.

• The Nano influencers

These are the smallest category of influencers with followers between 1k and 5k. This type of influencer is excellent for businesses trying to target a specific audience that the nano influencer is managing. This influencer will do well with a particular product because of the credibility they have built with their audience and the consistency in representing a type of product. For small businesses with a small budget or those willing to pay with their products, partnering with a nano influencer will be cost-effective and be a reasonable positioning.  

• The Micro-influencers

These types of influencers are the ones with about 5k to 50k followers who are also committed to the content produced. Like the nano influencers, the micro-influencers also have a high engagement rate and are committed to communicating to their followers better. If the budget for influencing is a little above that for nano-influencing, the best option is to go for the micro-influencer category. If your company's audience is active on social media, sourcing micro-influencers from the platform where they engage more will be a great move.  

• The Macro influencers

If you want to reach a larger audience of 50K to 500K followers, macro influencers will help your brand. These influencers have a strong understanding of influencing and would produce excellent content to promote top brands. All it takes for your brand to gain traction through these influencers are a few posts, and the message will be spread. However, because of the high level of engagement produced by the macro influencer, the budget required will be higher than for the micro or nano influencers.  

• The Mega influencers

This type of influencer reaches beyond your local community. They have a fan base of more than 500K followers and would get several reposts from loyal followers. Most influencers in this category are known as celebrities and usually have verified social media pages that show they are major influencers. Before partnering with mega influencers, you must sign legal documents as they are also brands. Note that you must exercise patience when working with such brands, as they are usually on different projects simultaneously. But they are worth the budget, especially if you want to reach a wider targeted audience at once.    How to source for the different categories of influencers   The next big question is how to get the right influencer for your business.  Depending on the budget, you can get nano-influencer by scrolling through the different influencers on social media or you can choose an employee who is ready to target your brand's audience and has the range specified for nano-influencers. For micro-influencers, the fastest way to reach them is through Instagram and the number of times they use your brand's hashtags. If they fall into the category of micro-influencing and they already have an interest in your brand, then you can partner with them. You will find macro influencers on Youtube, Tiktok, Instagram and any other platform used by content creators. By using platform tools, you can locate them quickly but check if they align with your brand's goals before partnering. Mega influencers are easily found as they occupy the social media space largely. If you have the budget and they are the right fit for your brand, you can get them on board effortlessly. Bookings Africa has a bank of influencers that you can partner with for any influencing gig be it nano, micro, mega and macro influencers. Search, Compare and Book verified  influencers suitable for your business.