There are different types of influencers—ranked based on their number of followers—and figuring out which tier works for your business will help maximize your influencer marketing efforts.

According to the Asia Pacific Insights: Influencer Marketing Report 2023 released by Partipost and MSW Ventures, 60% of the brands here in the Philippines would allocate up to 50% of their budget to influencer marketing. This just goes to show how influencers play a crucial role in the marketing and potential sale of products and services these days.

Defined as “a person or thing that influences somebody or something, especially a person with the ability to influence potential buyers of a product or service by recommending it on social media,” influencers are an essential asset in a campaign, as they can help boost sales when done right.

However, influencer marketing in itself is not as simple as striking a deal with just anyone—especially when it comes to promoting your business or endorsing a product and/or service. It is actually a lot more complicated than that. For one thing, there are what is known as “influencer tiers,” which refer to the different types of influencers based on their number of followers.

In this article, we look into these influencer tiers, which one to choose for your brand, and how they can help your business.

What are Influencer Tiers?

Knowing and understanding influencer tiers will help you determine which is best for your business. According to Shopify, there are five different types or tiers for influencers, which are as follows:

• Nano influencers: those with 1,000 to 10,000 followers
• Micro-influencers: those with 10,000 to 100,000 followers
• Mid-tier influencers: those with 100,000 to 500,000 followers
• Macro influencers: those with 500,000 to one million followers
• Mega influencers: those with more than one million followers

Choosing the Right Influencers to Work With

At its very essence, the end goal of influencer marketing is to build brand awareness, strengthen brand image, increase social engagement and interactions, and ultimately, make sales. But in order to pull off a successful campaign, you’ll need to work with the right influencers.

So which tier is the best option for your business? The answer depends heavily on a number of factors, which include:

Budget

At the end of the day, you, as the business owner should choose the influencer tier as well as the specific influencers—based on the needs of your business. However, it’s important to note that the higher the influencer tier, the higher they charge for their services.

Influencers with hundreds of thousands of followers will likely charge a higher rate than those with fewer followers. This is why before choosing which tier to go for, it’s important to take a good look at your budget and determine how much of it you are willing to allocate for influencer marketing, how many influencers you will tap for a project, and for how long the project will be.

Niche

One of the most basic factors when picking an influencer to work with is the niche—not just of your business—but also of the influencer. This can pertain to the preferences, identity, or branding of the influencer, given that influencers have specialties. For instance, there are influencers who build their brand around food, fashion, parenting, travel, and the like.

Take this as an example: you have a clothing retail business. Wanting to reach as many people as you can, you choose an influencer with 500,000 followers. However, there is a problem. The influencer focuses on home decor and appliances. 

Making that kind of error will cost you not just money, but also time and the effort you put into looking for an influencer. You should always want those to match so that there is no disconnect for your customers, as well as the influencer’s audience. 

Persona or Image of the Influencer

Another factor to consider is the persona or image of the influencer and whether or not it fits your brand. Much like the niche of an influencer, it is preferable that the image of the influencer fits the brand, given that the influencer will represent your brand to the audience. 

Do you want a teenage influencer or someone already more than 30 years of age? Do you want someone who is more appealing to the masses or someone who fits right in the upper socioeconomic class? Do you want someone who is chic and trendy or someone who is more of a boy or girl next door? 

These are some of the questions you can ask yourself when selecting the influencer you want to work with for your brand. 

Social Media Platform

There are a number of social media platforms available today, including the latest addition from Meta called Threads. Given how each platform has a different audience and content, the specific social media platforms you want your business to be visible in should be a factor when picking an influencer. 

If you want to market heavily on TikTok, you can opt to pick someone with a good following on the app. If you want more video content, you can choose influencers who specialize in creating said content. And if you don’t think that you need to be visible on Facebook, you can forego influencers who are active on that platform—but not anywhere else. 

Target Audience 

Lastly, you should not forget to keep your target audience in mind when selecting an influencer. If you are trying to target parents for your business, it is best to pick an influencer who is also a parent. If you are trying to target athletes, pick an influencer who is a known sports figure or someone with an athletic image on social media. 

Picking someone who is not right for your target audience can create a disconnect between your customers and your brand. This will make it difficult for your audience to relate to your brand, which will, in turn, make it difficult to sell your products and services to your intended audience. 

Why Nano Influencers Seem to be the Best Choice

At the end of the day, the influencers’ number of followers should not be the only factor you consider. If anything, the engagements and reach are just as important. In fact, according to the Influencer Marketing Report 2023, nano influencers are the tier that brands engage with the most out of all the influencer tiers.

Why is this so? The Influencer Marketing Report 2023 notes that “nano influencers are known for their high engagement and high level of trust from their audiences.” What’s more, brands consider nano influencers as more affordable personalities to work with—especially in comparison to macro and mega influencers, who are usually celebrities. 

It is also the tier that “is followed the most by social media users at over 58%,” according to the report.