Having actual users promote your products is a great way to extend your reach and get your businesses noticed by other like-minded people. This can be especially beneficial if those users have a large following on social media. However, where can you find these individuals, and how do you know if they’ll be the right fit for your business?
This article will explore micro-influencers and what they can do for your business. We’ll also look at how you can automate the process of finding influencers by using tools like a Facebook or Instagram scraper, making it much easier.
The topics we’ll cover while looking at influencers include:
- What are micro-influencers?
- The difference between micro- and macro-influencers
- The benefits of working with micro-influencers
- How to use web scraping to find micro-influencers?
What Are Influencers?
Influencers are individuals or accounts on social media platforms that have large, loyal followings. These individuals have already spent a lot of time building up their expertise and influence on these platforms. They interact with their followers consistently and, by doing this, have built up strong relationships.
Influencers are seen as trustworthy experts by their followers, so if they recommend a product or service, there is a higher likelihood that at least some of their followers will check out the product or service and potentially make a purchase.
Many businesses have partnered successfully with influencers in a mutually beneficial relationship. The business gets brand exposure and increases in traffic and leads, while the influencer is compensated for their efforts. However, the only way this can work successfully is if the product or business is related to the influencer’s niche. For example, the followers of a fashion influencer are unlikely to look at products related to heavy machinery.
The Difference Between Micro- And Macro-Influencers
There are four main types of influencers, nano-, micro- and macro, and mega-influencers. However, we’ll focus on the two most common ones used for businesses, i.e., micro- and macro-influencers. Macro influencers are typically more famous and have extremely large followings. However, getting one of these influencers to promote your products or services can be difficult as they’re likely already promoting multiple products, or it’s just too expensive to enlist their services. A few examples of macro influencers on Instagram include Jeaniuseats, Fashion_Jackson, and JohnnyJet.
On the other hand, micro-influencers are much more affordable, but they can be more difficult to find. These influencers still have large followings, though maybe not quite as large as their macro counterparts. They often specialize in niche industries and are heavily considered experts on their chosen topic. Their followers are usually extremely loyal and have strong relationships built on trust. Partnering with a micro-influencer is a great idea for small and medium-sized businesses as there’s less competition, and you’ll be able to strike a more affordable arrangement that still benefits both parties.
The Benefits Of Working With Micro-Influencers
There are many benefits to working with micro-influencers. Some of those include:
- Higher audience engagement rates
- Higher return on investment (ROI)
- Access to niche communities
- More affordable
- More accessible and open to constructive feedback
- Willing to work with newer brands if they believe in the product or service
- Open to continuing the relationship as their influence grows
- Trusted within their niche
- Deep audience insights
- Authentic and original content
- Increased top-of-funnel and sales
- It can be a source of new ideas
- Intentional demographic and geo-targeting
- Brand advocacy
How To Use Web Scraping To Find Micro-Influencers?
Web scraping has many benefits for businesses, and it can also be used to find micro-influencers. These tools automate the process, making it faster and more efficient to find potential influencers, which means you can focus on your sales pitch to get them involved.
Scrapers, like an Instagram scraper, can quickly discover network connections and Instagram, as well as the important people on those networks. You can use your Instagram scraper to find individuals who have already mentioned your brand, product, or service and collect their profile details and the number of followers they have. This is a great starting point because if the person is already familiar with your company, it’ll be much easier to strike up a partnership.
Alternatively, you can use your scraper to look for individuals with the highest number of followers within a specific niche and collect their profile information. With this process, you’ll have to be sure that your brand and products match with the influencer.
Web scraping tools can collect all of this relevant information for you and compile it into a single format. From this point, you can evaluate the results and rank the influencers according to who you believe will be the best fit for your business. Once done, you can reach out to them and start discussing a partnership and other important details, such as remuneration.
Final Thoughts
Online marketing automation is continually pushing the boundaries of efficiency. This becomes evident when you’re looking for niche micro-influencers and you use automation tools like web scrapers. With these tools, you can have results in minutes to get the process started.
