What is long-tail influencer marketing?

Fear not. We aren’t talking about a super breed of influencers who’ve evolved to grow long-tails. Rather, we’re talking about niche influencers and how they can boost your brand’s reputation.

Why long-tail influencers?

It may seem strange that we’re steering you away from influencers with the most followers, but as buzZoole put it: “they may not have a follower base in millions, but they have influence in their own right. Unlike their A-list counterparts, they’re easier to reach and have deeper connections with other like-minded individuals.” When you choose a long-tail influencer, your brand can leverage the trust of the niche audience to drive conversions.

Just imagine you’re a skincare retailer looking to hire an influencer to spruik your lotions and potions. Your options are:

1. The famous vlogger with 10 million random subscribers; or
2. A smaller skincare expert with 300,000 subscribers, who come to their YouTube channel for real skincare advice.

Assuming that both channels have an active audience, the obvious assumption would be that the greatest results will come from
hiring the superstar with 10 million subscribers. Yes, your brand awareness will increase, but will you convert? Potentially. But, according to Affinio, “the next up-and-coming stars - or - the smaller scale bloggers… are still powerful in their own right. These influencers are known as the longtails. While they may not boast millions of followers, they have an extremely niche following of engaged fans who trust them.” And trust equals purchases.

Because of the esteem with which long-tails are held, those watching them are likely to be enthusiasts or those looking to make a purchase really soon, so it really is a great way to get your product or service as close to the buying circle as possible. A great solution in a country like Malaysia with only a handful of big scale influencers, who may not always be available.

Hello conversion! Plus you’ll get that warm fuzzy feeling that comes from helping the next generation on their way.

So, should I only use long-tail influencers from now on?

Still, there’s a time and a place for all influencers – some campaigns may work better with a superstar than a long-tail. Which is why influencer marketing is so great when compared with traditional advertising, which can be cost prohibitive.

For the price of one standard commercial, you can choose from an array of sponsorship and video styles, with an array of influencers; male, female, Chinese, Malaysian, Indonesian, serious, comedian… Influencer marketing allows you to try out absolutely everything and test your analytics. With Google SEO wielding so much power, A/B testing has never been so crucial.

Take-aways

If you’re intrigued about what influencer marketing can do for your business, get in touch today to discuss your next campaign. [email protected] would love to talk to you, and hey, she may even shout you a nori roll!

Want to know what to avoid when hiring an influencer? Click here to read more.