By Albert Makoeng
When people use the word 'influencer', it's likely that it conjures up the name or face of a celebrity or social media star with a huge following and a reputation for specialised knowledge, authority, or insight, into a product, service, or subject, that gives them significant sway with an audience. And that sway makes them the ideal candidate for collaborations with brands looking for a way to launch their product or presence with a higher degree of credibility through the advocacy of, and affiliation with, an influencer.
While that is all fundamentally correct, we're increasingly seeing a shift in the trend of who brands consider to be influencers that are worthy of their interest and investment.
Enter the nano-influencer!
On the surface, a nano-influencer looks like a regular social media user who shares pictures and videos to Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok, just like the rest of us, and they’d probably be the last person to call themselves an influencer.
However, while they probably have fewer than 3, 000 followers, when they talk, their followers listen. They engage. And they trust who they’re hearing from, viewing a recommendation or advocacy from them for a product or brand as highly reliable.