5 reasons SMEs should work with nano-influencers in 2022

Nano-influencers – generally defined as content creators with a following below 10,000 – are a good fit for SMEs because they offer an affordable and authentic way to engage with new and existing customers.

This is because nano-influencers are seen as authentic, primarily because their feeds aren’t only promotional.

Instead, they are a blend of everything they enjoy and do, and sharing the brands they love (and why) is just one more element of online life. Audiences appreciate this. Nano-influencers are seen almost as friends, and we trust our friends’ opinions above all else.

Here are five reasons influencer marketing should be in your 2022 marketing strategy:

1. Nano-influencers have close relationships with their communities

Nano-influencers are popular because they are extremely engaged on social media. They love their platforms, creating content, sharing their experiences and, above all, they love their audiences, most whom they know. This means they reply to comments, engage with their followers through direct messages and are known for their authenticity. Social commerce also means that influencers want to share the brands they love – and their followers want to hear about those brands. This is particularly relevant for local businesses that operate within a community and want to encourage their followers to support local businesses.

2. They are trustworthy

Because they immerse themselves in their communities, nano-influencers feel more like friends than strangers. Their unvarnished authenticity adds weight to their opinions and experiences. Small businesses that work with them immediately benefit from this pre-existing relationship because when a nano-influencer recommends a product or service, their word-of-mouth referral is trusted.

3. They are relevant in today’s social, media and marketing landscape

Nano-influencers are valuable to SMEs because they dominate the platforms where your customers spend the bulk of their time. Influencer marketing used to be dominated by celebrities and sports stars. Today, a nano-influencer with between 500 and 5,000 followers can have a bigger impact on an individual’s purchasing decision than anyone else in their lives.

This is because of three key ingredients. First, successful nano-influencers are specific. They tend to create content that is relevant to an area of interest or expertise, which adds credence to their recommendations. Second, they are creative and produce entertaining content, which means their followers enjoy their posts. And finally, everything they do is on social media. Brands that engage with influencers aren’t hoping motorists notice their billboard or don’t fast-forward through an advert (both of which tend to be out of reach for SMEs anyway). They are accessible with loyal followers who check in on their content daily.

4. They are cost-effective

SMEs don’t have large marketing and advertising budgets. The beauty of a nano-influencer with only a few thousand followers is that you are getting a lot of bang for your buck. We’ve already mentioned some of the reasons, from an engaged audience to trusted referrals. But there is another reason they are a great lever for small businesses. If you can identify the right influencer who wants to support your business and offering, you can use their target audience to understand who to boost their posts to. This reaches a far bigger audience than their followers alone, introducing more like-minded people and potential clients to your brand.

5. They bring new energy to your brand

Nano-influencers are fun. This might not sound like a critical requirement in a partnership, but when we consider that nano-influencers are who they are because of their ability to create content that resonates with audiences, your brand can benefit from that energy simply by being who you are and allowing the influencers you work with to authentically share their experiences with you. It’s real, it’s relevant and it speaks to audience needs, whether you are a B2B business looking to connect with business owners or a retail brand geared towards specific consumers.

Groenewald is the CEO of Nfinity