Influencer marketing is still a proven trend in Germany and has become an integral part of the marketing mix. A digital survey of conducted by the German Digital Industry Association (BVDW) has now revealed in April 2020 that more than one in five Germans (21.6 percent) has already bought a product at least once after seeing it on an influencer. This goes to show how vital the social media stars are for the customer journey and the success of a brand.

But as with every hype, the marketing method also raises negative voices: The posts are too fake, while the market is oversaturated with sponsored posts.

That view is reflected by the German government, investigating the question of how influencer advertising must be labelled to be transparent for consumers.

In a time of confusion how can brands use influencers effectively?

While the boom continues, brands now have to deal with the influencer phenomenon in a professional manner. At Public Link we therefore recommend the cooperation with micro- and medi-influencers (up to 100.000 followers), especially to our clients with products situated in a particular field of interest.

These smaller influencers are not only attractive for brands with smaller budgets – there are 5 main reasons to work with them:

1. The basic formula is: The higher the reach, the lower the engagement rate – but the better the engagement rate, the greater the relevance and credibility of an influencer.
2. Smaller influencers have an intimate community. They are authentic and thus create trust. Any referral is like a recommendation from a good friend. As they are specialists in a particular field of interest (e.g. family or plant-based nutrition) where followers tend to be more engaged.
3. Their content is mostly embedded in their daily life where brands can place themselves more authentically.
4. Collaboration terms, such as labelling requirements, can be more easily driven by the brand, who often serves as the more experienced partner in this relationship.
5. Micro-influencers show greater enthusiasm and initiative for the brand and collaboration – it’s not just the money that counts.

Choosing the right micro-influencer

The smaller the influencer’s reach the more difficult the identification of the right partners. Search engines, databases and social listening tools can help to find the right match. If resources are scarce, the selection should be handled by specialized agencies.

First step is defining the target – e.g. should the campaign push awareness or increase sales?

To reach the target group effectively, the right social media platform should be defined next. Here, the content of the influencer should be checked as a reference for future results. Finally, it is recommendable to find out:

• If demography and geography of the followers match the campaign?
• If followers and engagement are real and positive?
• If the influencer fits the brand to be able to reach potential customers?

There is no doubt that working with micro-influencers involves more work, as often several of them have to be activated and tended to at the same time. The investment, on the other hand, remains almost identical to collaborating with one celebrity and is therefore definitely worth considering for certain brands.