According to many statistics, influencer marketing is not only here to stay but also has an amazing reach when it comes to business marketing. No wonder more and more businesses are resorting to influencer marketing on various social media platforms, where Instagram is among their first preference.
If a significant number of people buy a product on someone’s recommendation on social media platforms like Instagram, he/she is an influencer. And nowadays people who have Instagram and a certain number of followers want to become Influencers and earn money, but not everyone knows what it takes and how to become an influencer. So, if you want to be an influencer on this popular platform, you must know how to grow followers on Instagram. Also, you can follow this link for some useful tips.
Now coming to our question “How many followers do you need to be an influencer?”
Even though it is said that there is no magic number yet there is a specific number of followers that make one fall in the category of a ‘powerful’ or a ‘strong’ influencer.
It is commonly believed that one needs to have around 15K-30K followers and more to be an influencer, which is true to a large extent. This is because when companies hire influencers, the first thing they see is the number of followers they have.
It also needs to be understood that the number of followers one has is just one side of the coin when it comes to being an influencer. The frequency and quality of engagement with the target audience also matter significantly. It has also been observed that sometimes companies consider a person with mere 3000 influencers more effective in influencing their target audience simply because of the quality of engagement.
Even though there is no certain number that you need to cross to be an influencer according to many experts, yet influencers are categorized based on the number of followers. Let’s take a look.
Different types of influencers:
Nano-influencers: These influencers have around 1,000-5000 followers. They usually have their friends and family on their list of followers. Their level of engagement is amazing, and they communicate with their followers one-on-one answering each comment. Due to such close interaction, they develop a great bond with their audience and become highly influential and effective as influencers.
People trust nano-influencers because they know that such influencers will not lie to them. They share their experiences and sound like the “guy next door”. They don’t have glamorous pictures or those “perfect” posts, so people trust them.
Most importantly, nano-influencers generally charge a very less amount for promoting a brand or business. They are an effective advertising tool for small-scale businesses and start-ups.
Micro-Influencers: Micro-influencers have 1000- 100,000 followers. They are like subject matter experts and focus on a specific niche like fitness, beauty, childcare, etc. Also, they know how to create good quality content for a brand or business. They have the best marketing skills to promote the same and interact with their followers to promote a product or brand. Micro-influencers are quite affordable as compared to macro-influencers.
Macro-Influencer: Growing followers on Instagram is not an easy task, and it generally becomes more difficult for everyday people. Macro influencers are like you and me but are known in their domain. People having more than 100,000 followers are considered macro-influencers.
Macro-influencers are not looking for companies to earn money. They are hired by the companies to promote their brand or products. Companies looking to increase their brand awareness can hire a macro influencer. Also, they help to reach a broad demographic like young adults or females. These influencers do not interact with their followers on regular basis.
Mega Influencer: Celebrities, actors, popular singers and recognizable sportspeople are known as mega influencers. They are not aware of the products they are endorsing. Also, their audience doesn’t belong to any specific niche. Therefore, they don’t prove effective when it comes to conversions. However, their reach is huge, which is why they are hired.
Mega influencers charge a huge amount for a single post on Instagram. Only high-end companies hire them to increase their product’s visibility among the masses.
Conclusion
Influencer marketing is a booming industry today, and most businesses are aware of its reach. About 90% of all influencer campaigns promote on Instagram as part of their campaign. Even though the number of followers is the first criteria of hiring influencers, the quality of engagement does matter.
A business owner can start promoting his brand by hiring an influencer. The choice of influencers must depend on the product and its target audience. For a specific audience nano and micro-influencers must be hired while to appeal to a wider audience, macro and mega influencers are suitable. Also, one needs to consider his marketing budget.
