Pros and Cons of Being a Macro and Micro-Influencer

Assignment 3
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Micro-influencers are everyday people who share their likes, opinions, and recommendations of products and services of a particular niche with a follower base of 2,000 to 100,000 followers. Being a micro-influencer is beneficial for several reasons. The influencer has a high engagement rate and authenticity from their small audience enabling them to keep things relatively personal and genuine. The influencers have low engagement rates as they take social media influencing as a hobby; thus, their cost is relatively low. Also, they cover a vast range of niches based on their diverse interests, meaning they can work with different brands. Being a micro-influencer has its drawbacks. Having fewer followers translates to having a lower reach; thus, impossible to have a significant impact is almost impossible (P2P, 2022). The influencers have less brand recognition and awareness due to their limited ability to change the public’s perception. Micro-influencers tend to have poor engagement rates with their followers, thus no substantial influence to utilize. Additionally, they are highly inconsistent in content and pricing, creating reliability issues.
Macro-influencers are celebrities or full time social media personalities with a following of more than 500 000 followers. Influencers have an excellent opportunity to reach a large audience quickly. They have a high-value brand association due to their massive following and capacity to reach and create reliable polished and well-composed content, making them professionals. Additionally, their brands transcend one niche or area of interest. Being a macro-influencer is disadvantageous as having a large audience means a lower engagement rate, which makes it challenging to bring in brand business. As a professional, one works on different projects, thereby losing authenticity (P2P, 2022). Also, due to being busy, reliance on agents deprives one of the one-on-one connections with potential business, thus losing business.
The most effective influencer an organization should partner with is micro-influencers. While small and with a relatively lower following, micro-influencers are impactful for several reasons. One, micro-influencers have small and targeted audiences. The influencers tend to take on a niche of interest to them and, with it, grow a specific following of people with similar interests and needs (Sánchez, 2021, p. 42). Thus, if an organization wants to have more penetrative reach to a particular population, for instance, stay-at-home mums, working with stay-at-home mum micro-influencer offers precisely what an organization wants.
Two, the influencers offer credibility. A micro-influencer’s following comprises people who have followed them for years because they love them and their content and are as devoted to their lives as a friend. As everyday people, others view them as credible as they have built their brands for years and have made genuine connections (Sánchez, 2021, p. 42-43). Thus, they are held in high regard by their community, therefore, more effective in marketing to them due to trust.
According to Sanchez (2021, p. 42-44), they are easi...