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Instagram Influencers

Instagram has become a way for brands to personalize themselves before their customers. This is thanks to micro-influencers.

What are they?

A micro-influencer is someone who brands to their audience based on their own personal likes and interests. This strategy works well because these influencers are branding honestly. They aren’t always paid for what they do and still they are able to convince their followers that their favourite product needs to be yours too.

The audience of a micro-influencer may be small. But they achieve something celebrities and giant brands can’t: They create relationships. They also have much higher rates of consumer involvement opposed to celebrities.

A celebrity can have everything anyone could want materially. Tons of money, the perfect bod, being paid to attend events or workout. (We would all be in-shape if that was the reality for the rest of us, am I right?) You follow these famous people on social media, love and support them. But the lifestyle these people live is not a reality for most of us. The fraction of celebrities in the world is less than 1%. So when they tell us we need a certain product, it’s hard to take them seriously.

1. Because they were paid to sell the product — not genuine.

2. Maybe they do love the product but it still didn’t cost them anything to use the product.

3. They have everything you want anyways, what’s one more cool product they have that you don’t?

This is why the micro-influencers are so successful. They aren’t millionaires, they are real and they choose who they brand for.

The pictures they post are taken by them opposed to sponsored ads. They don’t have to brand for products they don’t like, meaning their reviews are genuine. They can use their account to be real with their audiences and create relationships.

From experience I know that it is very possible to become attached to an Instagram account.

I follow a girl on Instagram she is an artist who is still in art school and she takes pictures of mostly her art. In some cases she will advertise for her pieces. Otherwise she is just a student with amazing fashion sense who posts cute pictures with positive captions. I love it. She could convince me to buy products, no doubt. And she isn’t even a legitimate influencer!

(She is influencing me though . . . maybe she’s just that good, I don’t even know she’s an influencer! ?)

How do they do it?

They have charisma.

Just like writing a book or script for a TV show, the characters need a distinct personality. What is the character’s family like? What is her obsession? What is his weakness? How do they present themselves at work opposed to in front of their friends? What is their favourite food.

The answer to these questions are found not because the TV show literally says what their favourite food is. Instead you learn by watching the character get excited to eat when they find out there is going to be waffles and strawberries. You learn that they had a spoiled childhood because of the way their parents disapprove of their current lifestyle. Etc.

The same goes for micro-influencers. They are characters. They either have to come up with who their character is, or exaggerate their real personalities. This way people can grow attached to the perfectly molded character.

People don’t want another brand being thrown at them based on their likes and shares on the platform. They want to know what they need because their favourite influencer can’t remember what it was like to do their morning routine before this amazing product.

Not only do consumers get to hear from likeable people what products they recommend. But the good micro-influencers share the experience. They can give the why, who and how these products have worked for them. Not only are they characters, but storytellers themselves.

Micro-influencers have the ability to make their audience feel sorry for them when they have a hard day and rejoice when the micro-influencers can tell their faithful followers good news.

I mean, influence is in their title.

Maybe your small business could use a micro-influencer or you could be that person for your company!

If you see the value in your business having a micro-influencer but you find that you lack the creativity or time needed for such a job, you can find someone to be the influencer for you. Check out this blog for info:

Being a micro-influencer sounds rather glamorous. I love the idea of a job consisting of posting on Instagram, sharing my likes and interests, having a valid opinion, taking beautiful pictures, influencing people and being paid to do it!

As lovely as that all sounds, I know that it would all take a lot of work. To critique your compelling voice, to make sure you state your opinion strongly without offending others. The dedication and effort would take hours upon hours and money, at least for the beginning.

Who knows, maybe you are up for the task.

Tess Houcher

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