With the rise of social networks, micro-influencers have become an essential marketing lever for brands. True prescribers, occupy a place of choice in the life of their community. With less than 100,000 followers, these “small” influencers get a higher engagement rate than larger Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok accounts. In this article, we explain to you what makes the success of these 3.0 content creators and why they are a safe bet for your digital strategy.

1. The expertise of “small” influencers: the key to reaching a niche audience

What makes the strength of the micro-influencer is their expertise in a very specific field. Whether he is passionate about fashion, vegan cuisine, gaming, or even entrepreneurship, his content will always be articulated around the same theme, thus meeting the expectations of his subscribers. When macro-influencers promote a shampoo and a robot vacuum cleaner on the same day, the micro-influencer focuses on his universe. The primary objective of its digital presence is therefore to federate a community around its favorite subject.

This specialist gets his hands dirty for his followers: he tests new products, familiarizes himself with products, and shares his experience. In addition to his in-depth knowledge, he brings solutions to the problems encountered by his audience and this can make all the difference! Another asset that hits the mark with his audience: is his ability to hide behind the product he presents, without trying to put himself in the spotlight.

By dint of publications, this content creator masters his subject at his fingertips. His subscribers are then more attentive to his recommendations, they give him credit and trust him. They react willingly to his interventions by leaving a comment, by sharing his snack content (understanding a short content that goes to the essentials), or by buying the products put forward. The expertise and power of persuasion of this “small” influencer then establish him as a major opinion leader.

2. Proximity: a value that wins the hearts of followers

Advantaged by a small community, micro-influencers interact easily and spontaneously, which gives them an accessible and sincere side in the eyes of subscribers. The more human and personalized dimension of their communication allows them to establish a relationship of trust and build a base of loyal and committed followers. These talented prescribers become familiar and endearing figures, who enter into the daily lives of your potential customers. By consuming realistic content, which echoes “real” life, the audience will then cultivate this feeling of belonging and closeness.

The power of the “small” influencer also lies in their original and personal approach to content creation. Its editorial line and style are easily recognizable. He works his publications with care and creates his own DNA. This proximity, coupled with expertise, gives the latter a certain authenticity, and this is exactly what consumers are looking for today.

To confirm this trend, just look at the engagement rate! According to Up fluence, an influencer marketing platform, influencers with less than 100,000 followers have a more loyal and responsive community than big social media stars. Whether on Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok, nano and micro-influencers are undeniably powerful vectors of communication!

🎯 To retain your online customers, also consider implementing these 9 essential tips!

3. Transparency: a pledge of trust that enhances brand image

If the micro-influencers community is looking for authenticity and a certain closeness, it also expects him to show loyalty. As we mentioned, trust is the key to retaining and engaging an audience. What interest would he have in not being honest with his subscribers? He could then lose all credibility and see his popularity and his collaboration proposals melt like snow in the sun.

By playing the card of transparency, he remains faithful to his convictions and does not seek to deceive his public. If he doesn’t like a product he’s testing, he’ll say so. His goal is not to sell at all costs, but rather to share his experiences, with sincerity.

When the proposed content comes from a paid partnership, the influencer mentions it explicitly so that the objectives behind his communication are clear and not concealed. He thus protects his image and that of the brand with which he collaborates.

4. The accessibility of micro-influencers: holy bread for your digital strategy

The omnipresence of micro-influencers, on any social media by the social media verification agency, is an undeniable advantage! In this ocean of experts, you will inevitably find your rare pearl. And to meet him, you can opt for two approaches:

• The “push “ method: you are the one who sets out to conquer the Grail! By browsing social networks strategically, you will be able to identify influencers who match your values, your image, and above all the message you want to convey to your target audience. You are therefore dealing “directly”. However, this technique can be very time-consuming.
• The “pull” method: simplifies your task and saves you time. To unearth the future prescribers of your brand, all you have to do is use platforms specializing in influence marketing that can put you in touch with relevant profiles, according to your criteria and your needs. You can submit a campaign on sites like Octuply, Influence4You or Havens, and wait for content creators to apply. All you have to do is make your choice!

The accessibility of these ambassadors with less than 100,000 subscribers is also understood in terms of remuneration. Good news for your marketing budget, they do not ask for colossal sums! Moreover, the majority of them are satisfied with an exchange of services, that is to say, the sending of a product against a publication of content. According to influencer marketing agency Influencer Marketing Hub, 36% of professionals (brands or marketing agencies) “paid” them by simply giving them the product they promoted in their content, compared to 32.4% who transferred money to them. In the table below, the Ko Square digital solution presents the average prices charged by influencers in 2020, according to their profile:

According to figures from Influencer Marketing Hub, ex-reality TV star Kim Kardashian charges an average of 440,000 euros for a simple post on Instagram. You will then agree that collaborating with several “small” influencers will be much cheaper than calling on influencer stars!

Thanks to a communication strategy articulated around strong values, micro-influencers are the best allies to promote a company on social networks. Betting on them is a sure bet to win the hearts of your target. At a lower cost, they know how to retain a community, enhance a brand image and create consumer needs. It would be a shame to deprive yourself of their services, right?

By now, everyone understands the importance of content creation to the success of an entrepreneurial venture. However, publishing material online that will attract the intended audience can be a colossal undertaking when you consider the sheer volume of articles, blog posts, and other pieces of digital content, all vying for the attention of the targeted users.   

So, how do you make the content you produce compelling enough to stand out amongst the competition? You’ll be happy to know that the answer is much more straightforward than you think. In this guide, we’ll discuss five simple tips to ensure that yours is as engaging as possible.   

1. Diversify your content 

While carefully produced blog posts remain the standard, it’s crucial not to limit yourself to written pieces. After all, other mediums for the delivery of information like podcasts and videos are growing in popularity, and if you don’t take advantage of them, you’ll miss out on opportunities to reel in your audience. For this reason, you must diversify your content offerings. 

The addition of infographics, illustrations, and many others might sound like more work — and in reality, it is. However, it’s an investment of time and effort worth taking when you consider the fact that you’ll reach a broader audience by doing so. 

2. Make it more accessible 

Many businesses forget that not everyone has the same level of access to digital content. For example, the disabled community can’t engage with articles, videos, and other types of content in the same way that everybody else can. Therefore, you must make sure that yours is as accessible.  

From the use of automatic video captioning software to keep those with hearing problems in the look for your video content, to alt text for images to accommodate people with vision impairment, making your content more inclusive can go a long way in improving its engagement. 

3. Create compelling titles 

Whether or not it’s fair, users tend to judge content based on its title. Most people these days have limited time and attention span, making them more likely to scroll past material that doesn’t strike them as immediately compelling. And for many, the most common indicator of this is the title of the content. As such, you must make sure that yours is compelling. 

For example, instead of a title like “How to Organize the Workplace,” you can use “Beautiful Ways for Organizing an Office.” This may not sound like a significant change, but you’ll be surprised at how much more enticing it’ll be for users. Always remember to tug into the emotional strings of your audience whenever possible. As long as they react to it, any emotion you inspire will always be a good thing.

4. Look at your competitors for inspiration 

There’s a good chance that your competitors are producing content of their own. If their material is engaging users in ways that you’re not, it’s always a good idea to look at what they’re doing and see if you can adopt some of the strengths of their content creation practices. You may even find new ideas for topics and subjects to produce content about.

5. Make the content interactive

 Last but not least, one of the best ways to create more engaging content is to make content interactive. Whether it’s a visual element that’s displayed whenever the mouse cursor hits a specific part of the page or including a few buttons or links on it, interactivity can make a difference when it comes to engagement. 

Conclusion 

Drawing in an audience is one thing. Keeping them engaged is another. When leads and conversions hinge on engagement, it makes sense to craft material that’s engaging to users. By following these tips, not only will you attract your audience, but you’ll be able to keep their interest too. 

There is a lot of competition in eCommerce and customers are becoming more and more demanding. Personalization to the rescue! It helps to retain existing customers and increase sales. SmarterHQ report says that 90% of customers are ready to share personal information to simplify purchasing.

So what is eCommerce personalization? In a nutshell, it is a process of providing a customized experience to each user of an eCommerce website by utilizing user data. Such a targeted approach improves conversion. 

Here are 6 examples of personalization in eCommerce that will change your business drastically.

1. Personalized product feed (Wish)

Changing the homepage according to the user’s individual preferences is a smart move. Showing personalized feed is even smarter. You can offer products depending on customers’ social group, geographical location, previous online behavior.

For example, Wish, a fast-fashion eCommerce platform, owes most of its success to the hyper-personalized feed. The wish came up with a recommendation engine for a personalized shopping feed. AI analyzes customers’ personal information and creates a feed of the most relevant products. This makes shopping addictive and increases sales significantly.

Wish strategy

2. Price recommendations (Arcbazar)

It can be difficult to determine the right price for products and services. This becomes even more difficult when there are multiple sellers, especially with peer-to-peer transactions. Price recommendation algorithms can help find a golden ratio between competitive prices and good margins. As a result, you will get more sales and maintain an optimal profit margin.

For example, Arcbazar, a giant platform for architects and designers, has used machine learning to recommend the most relevant rewards for projects. There was an issue with customers leaving the order process unfinished as they were not sure what price to set. An AI-driven solution came to help. Now the Arcbazar system analyzes a customer’s intent, collects previous data from similar projects, and offers the most optimal price. This allowed increasing the number of successfully completed projects on the platform. 

3. Chatbots

Chatbots can boost customer satisfaction by providing personal assistance and problem solving 24\7. They can answer typical questions or connect a customer to a consultant, collect payments, take orders, and schedule deliveries. So when building a chatbot make sure it can analyze users’ profile details to create personalized answers, which will increase conversion. 

For example, the KAYAK chatbot is powered by AI and learns from previous answers to create personalized conversations with the users. Thanks to Natural Language Processing the chatbot interprets not only words but also the intent of phrases and is able to respond appropriately.

4. Personalized pop-ups 

Retargeting your customers within your website is much cheaper than off-site. One way to do this is by making popup offers that match some specific user activity on the website. These pop-ups can be automated considering such parameters as browsing behavior, cart value, and the number of sessions. 

Urbanara, an online homewares store, decided to offer a pop-up with a discount to new customers. When a first-time visitor adds items to the cart there is a pop-up offering discount or promotion in exchange for an email address.

5. Emails

Following the previous point, if you already have customers’ email addresses send them personalized emails. This helps to reengage customers to return to their abandoned carts and keep on shopping.

For example, Morvélo sends customers emails in case they’ve abandoned their carts. In this reminder, the store shows items that visitors intended to buy so they can finish the purchase.

6. Personalized search

Today users expect to find exactly what they want, not just something that slightly resembles it. So overall customer satisfaction depends on how helpful the onsite search is. 

Usually, an onsite search is one of the first things your potential customers will use upon entering your store. They will look up the keywords trying to find what they came for. However, if your search is inefficient and you have a lot of products it can quickly turn into a painful experience. 

For example, Neiman Marcus took advantage of smartphone usage and focused on the mobile experience. They created Snap.Find.Shop. a feature that allows customers to use pictures of items to find similar products. This made a search on the website much more fulfilling for visitors.

Wrapping up

The benefits of personalization in eCommerce are undeniable. It helps provide an individual experience to each customer which leads to growth in sales. In this article, we discussed eCommerce personalization tools like product and price recommendations, customized pop-ups, event-triggered emails, self-learning chatbots, and personalized search. Try them and let your business grow.