Photo by Mark mc neill on Unsplash

I’ve explained parasocial influencers and their impact on marketing earlier on Medium and also on my website.

Now, let’s deep-dive further. 

Influencers are in vogue and great demand, especially after the revolutionization of the internet and the rapid rise of social media. They have facilitated bridging the gap between products and consumers.

Influencers are primarily segregated into two categories: Macro and Micro-influencers, with their baggage of pros and cons.

Let’s dissect it further.

The Macro-influencers

Macro-influencers usually have large followers, ranging anything from a lakh (100,000) to even over a million (1000,000). They almost have the status of celebrities and are usually popular personalities in their respective fields.

Earlier, perhaps only movie stars used to fit the definition, but now with the advent of television and the internet, the proportion of celebrities and the categories (apart from movies) have extensively widened.

They endorse like the way the film stars used to endorse products.

Paramount of all pros is the reach that they have. Popularity brings reach and as the saying goes in Hindi, translated as “what is visible, sells”. Hence, the more popular the brand ambassador is, the more popular the brand. Endorsement by a celebrity perhaps also ensures credibility of the brand.

Contrarily, at times, the believability of a celebrity endorsing a product (brand) poses serious doubt in the minds of consumers about the authenticity of the claim. In reality, it is hard to believe that celebrities are ‘using’ the product (brand) of (say) soap or detergent, given their perceived lifestyle.   

Furthermore, people are moving away from films to YouTube, Instagram, and OTT, where they can browse and scroll at their will. People are engaged with their smartphones as never before. What worked a few years back is now obsolete.

Needless to say, celebrity endorsement is still vibrant but is perhaps more relevant for large campaigns.

Micro-influencers

‘Small is beautiful’ is perhaps what defines the micro-influencers.

Micro-influencers, characteristically have a follower count of as low as a thousand to a lakh (100,000). They have a dedicated and hardcore following. They have a niche and the followers are drawn to this niche that they nurture. They would endorse, if at all, products or services around their niche.

Unlike celebrities, micro-influencers are focused and relatable as they adhere to the niche in which they have created their fan following.

Being in a closely knit circuit, micro-influencers ensure very high engagement with the followers (read consumers), translating it into trust and authenticity. The group can communicate and hence, enhance trust and reassure themselves. The micro-influencer has a dedicated set of consumers.

On the flip side, it is apparent that a micro-influencer will always have a limited reach and scalability will always be restricted.

Hybrid, the best approach?

Most brands now are adopting a hybrid model involving both macro and micro-influencers. It ensures scalability and reach, on one hand, and authenticity and engagement with the consumers on the other.