Did you know that the expenses on influencer marketing in the US will rise up to $4.14 billion in 2022? This astounding number is just one indication of how influencers are changing the marketing game in the digital age.

In fact, collaborating with nano- and micro-influencers can be even more beneficial for your business than affiliating with celebrities. 

Recent Markerly research studied around 800,000 Insta accounts, with more than 1,000 followers each. The findings were remarkable: lower follower counts directly corresponded with higher like and engagement rates. In other words, influencers with smaller follower communities have a stronger impact on their audiences. 

And your business can leverage that. 

Who Are Nano- and Micro-Influencers and Why Do They Matter? 

Unlike A-list celebrities and macro-influencers with millions of followers of social media, nano- and micro-influencers are people who have a high degree of authority and credibility within a relatively narrow sphere or niche. Hence, smaller but more loyal audiences. 

You can consider a person a nano-influencer if their follower count falls under 1,000. Today, the nano-influencer market is a relatively new yet quickly growing digital sphere.  

Micro-influencers are the next logical step: they have between 1,000 and 100,000 followers on their social media accounts. They share all the qualities of nano-influencers but have a larger audience outreach. Micro-influencers are trusted advisors whose opinion matters to their followers, especially when it comes to a purchasing decision.

So what makes nano- and micro-influencers so effective at driving leads to your business’s website?

• They have a much closer connection to their followers;
• They have higher engagement rates; 
• They represent your brand in a unique way relevant to their niche; 
• They are cost-effective: you invest less money but the collaboration brings you a high ROI.  
• They are easier to get in touch with: nano- and micro-influencers are willing to collaborate with brands for mutual benefit and growth. 
• They can give you a competitive advantage: your sponsored posts or collaboration campaign is likely to become the first ad content on a nano- or micro-influencer’s social media page. 

As you can see, promoting your brand becomes much easier when you partner with a nano- or micro-influencer within your chosen niche. 

Now, let’s take 5 effective ways influencers that can drive leads to your website. 

1. Use Affiliate Links

Affiliate links present an easy and efficient way to drive extra traffic to your website.

Added bonus: you’ll see exactly how many conversions you get from these links, and who clicks on them. Besides, it’s possible to track the degree of audience engagement you nano- or micro-influencer drives to your business. 

How does it work? Let’s take Instagram as an example: 

1. An influencer you’re collaborating with will create an Insta post related to your brand. They can do it in their feed, via stories, or on IGTV;
2. The post will include an affiliated link with a discount or another incentive accessible to the users who click on it;
3. The influencer gets a commission either per click or per sale made on your website – it’s your call. 

A good influencer will ensure your affiliate campaign is successful by giving their followers a good reason to click on the link. They will make a creative effort to demonstrate your product, tell the audience about your brand, and inspire trust in potential buyers. 

This is what micro-influencer Sheshopped does on her Instagram profile. The blogger posts eye-catching lifestyle images for her audience to get people curious about the products she uses. She then lets them know that it’s easy and convenient to shop for these goods with the help of her affiliate links. The influencer has even created a separate website with product descriptions and clickable links to the stores. Her devoted followers are frequent visitors to this resource. 

Bottom line: by generating leads to your webpage, affiliate links promoted by nano- and micro-influencers will eventually convert visitors to real customers.

2. Start Ambassador Programs

Why not offer a nano- or micro-influencer to become your brand ambassador? 

Ambassador is a person who will represent, promote, and spread awareness of your product by acting as a trusted spokesperson on behalf of your brand. And their audiences will be there to listen!

How do brand ambassadors drive leads to your website?

• They put the link to your company webpage on their profile bio;
• They regularly include your products in their posts (even those not directly related to promotion);
• They create trending content (Instagram Reels, TikTok hot videos, etc.) featuring your brand;
• They convey the value of your product to their audiences. 

Red Bull does an excellent job partnering with micro-influencer ambassadors. Look at Dani Roman – “Red Bull Athlete” with just under 38k followers. He regularly creates compelling videos featuring Red Bull brand products and logo, inspiring his audience – extreme sports aficionados – to associate the brand with their passion. And it works! 

The cherry on top: what is especially valuable about brand ambassador campaigns is the long-term commitment the influencer will have to your brand (and vice-versa, of course). The more their audience grows, the more it will translate into higher lead numbers to your website. 

3. Organize Giveaways 

What can we say, people adore free stuff offered to them. That’s why giveaways organized on social media platforms are incredibly popular among all kinds of users. 

Take advantage of that and make giveaways an effective marketing tool together with an enthusiastic influencer. Their followers will convert the enthusiasm into leads.  

Micro- and nano-influencers don’t have impressive budgets to give away pricey gifts to their followers, and that’s where your sponsorship can make a real difference. Being a giveaway sponsor will increase the visibility of your brand among the influencer’s audience. 

Besides, you can make your best-selling or new product as a gift to followers. This way, people will be even more willing to come back to your website for more. 

To generate as many leads as possible, choose the type of giveaway your (and the influencer’s) target audience will be the most excited about. It could be: 

• A hashtag contest;
• Photo/video contest;
• Comment contest;
• Repost “lottery”, etc. 

Passion Planner, for instance, regularly teams up with micro-influencers to promote product giveaways via repost contests. As people tag their friends and comment on posts, this activity converts into actual leads.  

Pro tip: if you decide to opt for a giveaway as a means of promotion, let the influencer market the event. They will promote and announce them on their social media platform, focusing on the aspects of the product that will draw their audience’s attention and interest. All you need to do is sponsor the event itself.  

4. Get traction with the help of UGC

Why is UGC a beneficial addition to your influencer marketing collaboration? Just think about this: 

Millennials spend more than 5 hours every day looking at user-generated media, reporting that UGC is 35% more memorable than other kinds of online materials. This content type is guiding purchasing decisions, opinions, and trends for a whole generation of consumers. You would be crazy not to take advantage of that. 

You and the influencer you’re working with can come up with nearly endless ways to encourage UGC as part of the marketing campaign. Here are some of them:

• Have the influencers post questions related to your product. Say, you’re a clothing brand – ask the audiences how they fit your item into their everyday looks. 
• Better yet, have the influencer’s followers post a picture/video of your product in use! Nothing encourages more leads to your website than realistic visuals from actual users. 
• Request product reviews from users: people will be happy to share their impressions with the influencer’s community.   

Want an outstanding example?

Aerie is a clothing brand that aced UGC through nano- and micro-influencer collaborations. The company is dedicated to body positivity, and they ask both the influencers and their audiences to take unretouched pictures wearing Aerie pieces, which the brand then reposts to their main account. This campaign is both promotional and social – an excellent recipe for lead generation. 

Don’t be afraid to leverage UGC within a collaboration with an influencer. Consumers love the sense of belonging and participation. 

5. Include Sponsored Posts

Let’s be honest: people are tired of traditional polished ads. They are simply getting old and annoying, generating fewer leads as digital marketing is expanding its dominance. 

Here’s where sponsored posts come into play as a plausible alternative. 

Sponsored content is what marketers refer to as native advertising – it is less intrusive, glamorous, and more authentic. Research shows that young consumers don’t mind seeing native ads on their favorite social media profiles. 

Influencers do a great job promoting brands in a natural, subtle way, and their audiences react to this gentle yet straightforward approach. Besides, your brand gets the reputation of supporting talented content creators – kudos (and more leads) to you. 

You can sponsor all types of content, depending on your niche as well as the chosen influencer’s content format. Be as creative as you wish! The more the influencer mentions you in sponsored posts, the more leads it will generate. 

Final Thoughts 

Nothing creates more organic traffic to your webpage than promoting your brand on social media. 

And partnering with nano- and micro-influencers is a powerful strategy that will help you ace lead generation on Instagram, TikTok. YouTube, and other social media platforms. 

Organize contests, giveaways, develop ambassador programs, and leverage UGC – all these marketing gems work much more effectively when you collaborate with a talented content creator with a devoted audience. 

Who knows? Your campaign might even go viral!