A Comprehensive Guide to Micro-Influencers
photo by Peachy Keen Social
If you have been following Peachy Keen for awhile, you are well aware that we work with a number of different brands who utilize smaller companies and influencers alike to showcase their products. The use of influencers as marketing tools is known as influencer marketing and has most recently been one of the top social media trends when it comes to company branding. We have seen influencer marketing take off exponentially since COVID hit, which had to do with almost everyone being stuck at home and having more time to create content on their off hours.
When it comes to brands and marketing, especially on a social space like Instagram, it begs the question: what are micro-influencers and how do they help brands grow?
Micro-influencers are influencers who have a following of 1,000 or more and usually have a more uniform set of followers. Unlike mega influencers and celebrities, micro-influencers are seen as more down to earth and humble, having relatability with their followers and community. Bigger companies like Amazon and Urban Outfitters have recently been teaming up with micro-influencers to advertise their products in a more specified market. Brands such as Glossier and Frank Body have become cult classics because of influencer marketing and are now some of the leadings companies in makeup and skincare.
Influencers are a great tool to utilize because they add a personal antidote to a company’s brand and overall image. When a brand showcases a micro-influencer using their products and giving an authentic review, they are more likely to see an influx of like-minded customers and engage in genuine conversations with them. This helps the company create a community within their brand as well as hone in on who their clientele is.
With so many brands hopping on the influencer marketing train, we thought it would be a good idea to showcase some companies that actively use influencer marketing in their brand practices as well as micro-influencers who advocate for both social causes and local, sustainable brands.
Brands
Golde
Best known for their matcha powder and Clean Greens mask, Golde is a Brooklyn based wellness company created by Trinity Mouzon Wofford and her partner, Issey. When they launched back in 2017, they only had one product which was their Turmeric Latte powder. Now, the brand boasts a plethora of wellness powders, clean face masks, drink aides and a highly coveted milk frother. Trinity and Issey make their own set-ups to take promotional photos for their Instagram and web pages, but constantly utilize content created by influencers to use as marketing photography on their social sites.
Cocokind
If you are a regular shopper at Target, you may have seen this brand sold out in the skincare section. Cocokind is a sustainable, cruelty-free, and plant powered skincare company from San Francisco, CA. They are well known for their clean, effective products as well as their influencer-based marketing tactics. If you look on their Instagram page, almost all of the photos on their grid are of influencers raving about specific products through selfies or product photography. The brand loves their influencers so much that they even created a limited edition selfie toner spray that showcases the many faces that make up the Cocokind community.
Parade
One of the most well known and notorious brands for using heavy influencer marketing is the sustainable underwear company, Parade. Also known as the “influencer underwear company”, Parade prides itself on being able to gift their bright underwear to almost everyone who applies to be in their affiliate program and donates a significant amount of their proceeds to a charity of their choice. The brand is also size inclusive and regularly posts a plethora of different body sizes on their account.
Influencers
Jazmine has over 68,000 followers and is known for her stylish approach to living a sustainable lifestyle. She regularly talks about the ethics of fashion, how we can become better environmentalists, how to be a better ally to POC communities, and how she keeps herself accountable when it comes to sustainable living. We are always inspired by her colorful and ethical outfits and love how she uses her platform to speak on topics that are imperative to our lives.
Gabby is another influencer who is all about sustainable fashion and living your best authentic and ethical life. Like Jazmine, she also regularly posts about the racism she has encountered in her life and how we can all do better as allies to our POC friends, family, and milieu. Gabby has over 15,000 followers and we love her because she is able to strike a balance between having an aesthetic feed and approaching subject matters that may be difficult for others to speak on so eloquently.
Janai is a tattoo and plant loving influencer who is well known for her aesthetic beige feed and her adoration with coffee culture. If you are looking to follow an influencer who is always posting about their favorite coffee order or sustainable fashion brand, then Janai is the person to follow! We are inspired by her laid back yet fashion forward outfits as well as her love for everything art, plant, and coffee related.
If you are a creator just getting started out in the influencing world, always remember that the more authentic and genuine you are with your content, the more brands and other influencers alike will look to you as inspiration. Micro-influencing is a market that is quickly gaining momentum, and while it can be fun keeping up with cool new trends, it is always better to be true to yourself and the art you create.
We hope this blog has shed some light on the micro-influencing world and why it has become the main marketing strategy for millions of popular brands.