Kylie Jenner. Selena Gomez. Charli D'Amelio. Chances are you’ve heard of these influencers, even if you don’t follow them on social media. Traditionally, influencer marketing was comprised of celebrities and viral content creators; now, there’s an important-to-highlight nuance that sets micro-influencers apart as strategic brand partners. Micro-influencers are people who have a comparatively smaller follower base (typically 1,000-100,000 followers) than top content creators. Brands may choose to collaborate with them to promote products via authentic posts rather than paid ads. Because of their expertise in niche, focused areas, micro-influencers tend to have a very responsive and targeted follower base.For instance, on Instagram and YouTube, you will find beauty bloggers who review makeup products as well as travel vloggers who document different areas they visit. While a beauty brand may partner with the former, an activewear or sports brand will earn a buzz by posts from the latter.

Athleisure brand Alo Yoga sends gear to influential yogis and other athletes like @wanderwithwu who in turn feature it on their Instagram, tagging the brand.‍

Why Micro-Influencer Marketing?Since micro-influencers usually have a few thousand followers, they might not seem like the best choice for collaborations. However, if chosen correctly, you will find that such influencers have a better engagement rate in their posts than traditional influencers. 93% of marketers see improved brand exposure through influencer engagement, and businesses make $6.50 on average for every dollar invested in influencer marketing.

More from Pixlee’s Creator Economy InfographicThis might stem from social media being specifically popular among younger audiences; more American kids want to be a Youtube star (29%) than an astronaut (11%), and 70% of teenagers claim they can relate more to Youtubers than traditional celebrities.

Therefore, to build trust with the modern consumer, it is imperative to launch a successful influencer campaign. However, rather than going for people with a considerable following, seeking out micro-influencers is sometimes more effective – both for engagement and cost.

‍82% of consumers say they are highly likely to follow the recommendations of a micro-influencer. Therefore, partnering with them is excellent to realize the true benefits of influencer marketing.Finding the Right Micro-influencersTo launch a successful micro-influencer campaign, you must first find the right content creators: individuals whose social presences align with your brand values. There are several ways to begin this process, called Influencer Discovery. You can begin by manually sifting your brand’s social media profiles, since there is a chance that micro-influencers are already following or engaging with your brand online.  Employ a social listening tactic like tracking hashtags related to your industry, monitor brand mentions, and go through your follower list to find individuals with relevant content. Additionally, you can follow topics on your social media platforms associated with your brand’s product, and seek out individuals with higher followings and engagement rates.

Another way to find organic content involving your product that already exists on social media is to use a user-generated content platform like Pixlee to automatically find and share users who tag your brand or use certain hashtags. Pixlee also offers influencer marketing capabilities that suggests influencers to partner with based on location, interest, followers, and engagement. This is a powerful tool for influencer discovery, and saves the time and effort that comes with manually searching for the right micro-influencers.

Prioritizing the micro-influencer discovery process is the best way to find influencers that will yield the highest engagement and brand awareness within your target audience, because those followers already trust and relate to those individuals.Factors to Consider when Selecting Micro-influencersAfter you have compiled a list of all relevant influencers, you can then select the ones that are most aligned with your campaign and brand. Here are five factors you must consider.

1. Whether the content of the influencer is aligned with your brand image and campaign.
2. The number of followers as well as the engagement rate of the influencer chosen.
3. Whether or not the individual is influential within the niche you operate in.
4. The consistency and frequency of their posts.
5. Previous collaborations with brands and the outcome. Also, avoid influencers that have already worked with your competitors as it undermines their reliability as a fair advocate of a niche.

Retaining Micro-InfluencersThere are various ways you can reach out and retain the micro-influencers you feel are the best partners for your campaign.

This includes going through the traditional channel of emails or sending them a DM on their social media handles. To ensure that your efforts are not lost in the clutter, it is always a good idea to leave a comment on their posts as well.Regardless of the medium used, here are some elements you should include in the message:

• Introduction to your brand: Brief information about your brand and your key message.
• Transparency: How you found them, what you thought about their work, etc.

Empowering Micro-InfluencersA winning micro-influencer campaign is one that puts influencers on the center stage. Rather than focusing on the brand, for the content to be truly relatable and authentic in the eyes of your audience, the narrative should be focused on the influencer’s experience.

For instance, pet insurance brand Trupanion partnered with this micro-influencer to share her story caring for her dog, Jackson. The brand also reshared her post, validating the content of micro-influencers and showcasing that the brand cares about its community. This is far more relatable and influential in the eyes of pet owners than a run-of-the-mill branded post by Trupanion.

Make sure to relinquish some creative control to your micro-influencers, as this makes posts seem organic and aligned with the rest of their feed.

‍Prioritize AuthenticityBy reaching and collaborating with the right micro-influencers, you can successfully promote your brand in a way that resonates with consumers. In a world where many consumers are skeptical of paid and promotional content, leveraging the followers and relevancy of others is an excellent way to get your business noticed.

So, find the perfect mix of influencers, reach out to them, and empower them for a long-term relationship. Notice how the buzz surrounding your brand increases.Are there any other ways to get micro-influencers onboard? Let us all know.

‍Alma Causey is a freelancer and blog writer. She writes articles related to technology and medical. A writer by day and a reader by night. She is currently associated with growthproton.com.