The Rise of Nano-Influencers

The word “influencer” is used broadly in the digital marketing world to refer to anyone who has built up a social media following, or has a certain sway over the purchasing decisions of a particular demographic or niche. But to truly understand what an influencer is and how working with them can benefit your brand, it's important to recognize that influencers come in all shapes and sizes. In this article, we're going to take a look at specific types of influencers: nano-influencers. They’re a group of influencers who are known for having a small, but well-nurtured following - and they’re becoming a popular choice among marketers. Here’s everything you need to know about them!

What’re nano influencers?

In a nutshell, nano-influencers are individuals who have up to 10,000 followers on Instagram or other leading social media platforms. Usually, nano-influencers produce content around a specific niche, which helps them attract a small, but highly cultivated group of loyal followers. Compared to larger influencers, nano-influencers take part in fewer brand collaborations. They also tend to be cheaper to work with. But that doesn't mean that their promotions pack less of a punch!Many brands choose to work with nano-influencers, rather than macro- or micro-influencers, because there are many benefits that come with working with them.

Why should you work with nano-influencers?

So, now that we’ve covered what nano-influencers are, let’s move onto the next important topic: how can working with nano-influencers benefit your brand? Here’s several main advantages of working with a nano-influencer.

They have close-knit, highly engaged followers

One of the great things about nano-influencers is that their followers tend to be more engaged than other types of influencers. Because of their smaller follower size, nano-influencers tend to develop a much closer relationship with their followers. They often converse directly with them via DM or comments, which helps them build meaningful relationships with their followers. Influencers with larger follower counts, such as macro- and mega-influencers, find it harder to forge this type of community due to the sheer size of their following. So, while larger influencers have a wider reach, their engagement rates are usually lower than that of nano-influencers.

They’re authentic and trustworthy

Nano-influencers have tighter-knit communities than larger influencers, so they’re able to build up trust with their followers. In a lot of cases, nano-influencers know a good proportion of their followers personally or have at least interacted with them several times on social media. This means that when they sponsor a product, followers feel as though they’re receiving an authentic recommendation from a friend.

They’re hyper-relevant for brands

Most nano-influencers focus their content around a specific niche or category, such as zero-waste living. By doing this, they’re able to attract a following that’s highly engaged and interested in the topic. Nano-influencers are the perfect partners for brands who are looking to run a campaign that promotes their offerings to a very specific segment of their audience. But to succeed in this, you’ll need to find influencers whose interests align with your brand. They’re more likely to have an audience that’s relevant to you.

They have better availability

Though there are a lot of benefits to working with nano-influencers, they’re still somewhat undiscovered by brands. This means that nano-influencers usually have better availability than larger influencers. Plus, because more influencers fall under the nano- category, you’ll have a huge pool of influencers to choose from.

They’re more affordable

If you're on a budget, nano-influencers provide a lot of bang for your buck. Compared to other influencers, nano-influencers are usually less expensive to work with. Because they’re eager to add brands to their portfolios, they may be open to accepting products or services instead of payment.

It’s easily scalable

Working with nano-influencers is easy to scale up or down according to your marketing needs. Because they’re great value for money, and there are so many influencers to choose from, you can easily work with more than one influencer at a time. With a scalable strategy, you’ll be able to control your flow of reusable content. Plus, you can target specific audiences by working with nano-influencers across different niches. This allows you to create more personalized branded content, which will resonate better with your audience.

Potential drawbacks of working with nano-influencers

Working with nano-influencers comes with a bunch of great benefits, but there are also a few drawbacks that are worth noting.

Great nano-influencers can be hard to find

Finding nano-influencers that are related to your niche can be challenging. Because social media is often just a hobby, they may not identify as an influencer. This can make them difficult to find. To help, you can use our guide on how to find Instagram influencers, which will help speed up the process!

They have less reach

There's no debating that the reach that nano-influencers have is targeted and worthwhile. But because of their smaller following, they have limited reach compared to other types of influencers. Brands who want to reach a large audience would either need to work with larger influencers or scale their collaborations with nano-influencers significantly. The latter option can be challenging for brands with limited resources.

They might be less professional than other types of influencers

When working with nano-influencers, you may find that you're one of the first brands they're collaborating with. As a result, they may not have mastered the art of professionalism and influencer marketing just yet. Because nano-influencers aren’t accustomed to working with brands, they may be unfamiliar with the different responsibilities they need to fulfill. This can lead to hiccups during the collaboration process. To ensure your collaborations run smoothly, be sure to always have aninfluencer contract in place that clearly defines any guidelines or expectations!

Nano-influencers vs. Micro-influencers

If you're considering hiring an influencer with a targeted following, you’ll likely be deciding between a nano-influencer or micro-influencer.There are pros and cons of working with either type, and your choice should be largely based on what you want to achieve in your campaign.Nano-influencers have a super-targeted and highly engaged following. Their content is hyper-relevant to their specific niche, and this can offer good ROI. However, their reach is limited and they may lack professionalism.Micro-influencers, in contrast, have a larger reach than nano-influencers. Their following can be anywhere between 10,000 and 100,000. Though they have a larger following, they still share a lot of the same benefits as nano-influencers. They tend to have a good level of trust and authenticity in their niche, and their content can be high-quality. Compared to larger influencers, micro-influencers also have a good proportion of niche-oriented and engaged followers. Unlike nano-influencers, they tend to be a little more organized and well versed when it comes to working with brands. But this extended reach and added expertise bumps up their prices significantly, which makes nano-influencers a better option for many brands, particularly small businesses.

5 examples of nano-influencers

Want to know what great nano-influencers look like? Below, we’ve shared some examples of nano-influencers that are killing it when it comes to influencer marketing partnerships!

Lauren | thelittlelowdown — 6,255 Followers

Lauren from thelittlelowdown is a nano-influencer that focuses on fashion, parenthood, and general lifestyle topics. Though she has a small following, she produces extremely high-quality content and has partnered with well-known brands such as Marks and Spencer, Godiva, Primark, Lloyd’s Pharmacy, and Co-op.

Nina Webb | ninafashionblur — 8,750 Followers

Nina Webb is a fashion and style blogger based in London. She produces fashion based content, with hints of lifestyle and travel too. Besides being a nano-influencer, Nina also works in marketing, so she knows her way around a brand partnership. Nina has less than 10,000 followers, but that hasn’t stopped her from scoring partnerships with high-profile fashion and lifestyle brands like Topshop, Missy Empire, Superdrug, and Gant.

Susanne Melker | susannemelker — 5,604 Followers

Susanne Melker is a Gothenburg based influencer with less than 6,000 followers. Her content is mainly focused on topics like fashion, lifestyle, and travel. Susanne is a great example of a nano-influencer worth working with. She has great engagement and content, and has already partnered with many brands, including: cocopanda, Carmex, and eos.

Kristine Tofte | kristine.tofte — 3,707 Followers

Kristine Tofte is a growing nano-influencer that creates travel and outdoor content. She’s a talented photographer who has an active following of outdoorsy travel lovers. Kristine’s partnerships include local travel and lifestyle brands like Scandic Hotels and Skogstad Sport.

Teemu Nurmela | teemunur - 1,804 Followers

Teemu Nurmela is a photographer who shoots eye-catching outdoor, nature, and lifestyle content. Despite having a small following, Teemu partners with brands who are relevant to his content, such as the hiking fashion brand Revolution Race.

Final Thoughts

Nano-influencers are growing in popularity, and they provide a great option for brands looking to make the most out of a smaller marketing budget. If you’re interested in learning more about the benefits and drawbacks of working with different influencers, check out this post highlighting various types of influencers.