Why “bestie” influencers are better for your brand
When people think about influencer marketing, they often picture their favorite celebrities promoting skincare products to millions of adoring fans who immediately click “add to cart” after watching a 5-second video. (We’ve heard this happens; it’s not like we have everything JenniferAniston has ever mentioned in our medicine cabinets or anything.)
It’s easy to assume that these mega endorsements are the only way to go, but many brands are finding success with smaller influencers—creators with fewer but still highly engaged audiences.
According to HubSpot, besides the A-list stratosphere, there are three main types of influencers on social media:
One of the greatest benefits of working with macro-, micro-,and nano-influencers is the authentic relationships that they’ve already built with their audiences. These creators invest a ton of time engaging directly with their followers, and their content often feels more like a recommendation from a friend than a paid sponsorship.
For example, @rachel.waldorf typically posts about training for a half-marathon and the full marathon of her dating life, but she also posts about happenings around her home in Seattle and general tips for organization, finances, and more. Her sponsored posts feel like she’s our friend from college catching up on FaceTime; such as in this post when she heads to Costco to try a specific (sponsored) product.
Another Seattleite, photographer @benjaminedward, ensures sponsored content like posts he did for Elysian Brewing are just as beautiful as the rest of his feed so followers there to be inspired by photography aren’t caught off guard by anything that screams: PROMOTIONAL CONTENT AHEAD.
Another benefit of smaller influencers is that their focus on specific industries, interests, or communities enables more laser-focused targeting for brands, since their audiences follow them because of a shared interest.
This allows brands to connect with highly relevant audiences rather than blasting messages to a broad audience, hoping the right target audience pays attention, which can waste budget.
Au contraire! While the concept of influencers initially gained popularity in beauty and fashion, brands across industries have successfully utilized smaller influencers to make a splash and reach new audiences. It’s about thinking creatively about who might work for what you want to promote. Here’s some inspiration across industries:
Environmental brand: Let’s say your energy efficiency consortium in Colorado wants to promote heat pump adoption this summer. You could start by developing a list of local influencers like @megan_married_megan, whose feel-good content, which focuses on “bringing you smiles when things are difficult,” has attracted 384K enthusiastic Instagram followers. You could then contract with the influencers to create a post like this one joking about how people converse when it’s hot out, and ask them to weave in messaging about why heat pumps are glorious into the caption of their sponsored post.
Technology brand: Imagine your AI-powered note-taking app wants to help college students stay organized throughout the year. You could partner with creators like @itsmariahbrunner and @techwithhelen, who regularly share productivity tips, organization strategies, and new technology tools with their audiences. Instead of saying “Here’s another note-taking app,” they could show followers how to actually use it. Whether it’s a short attention-grabbingReel or a quick carousel like this one, audiences are much more likely to seethe app as a genuine tool, rather than every other advertisement.
Finance brand: Picture this: Your community bank wants to help recent college graduates feel more confident with managing their money.You could partner with @angieonabudget, whose budgeting tips have earned the trust of her audience, especially young adults. She’s nailed the quick, to-the-point Reels that grab attention while making personal finance feel easier to grasp. A sponsored Reel like this could seamlessly incorporate your bank’s tools and resources for saving and budgeting. Plus, Angie refers to herself as “your budget loving bestie,” immediately putting new followers a tease. Bestie say what?
Healthcare brand: Pretend your Texas-based healthcare system wants to hire an influx of nurses to staff a new clinic. You might partner withSugar, who has 712.7K TikTok followers and plenty of tips for nursing students delivered in a relatable, authoritative, yet approachable way. (One of her tips applies to all of us. “Eat! Feed your belly; feed your brain.”) The sponsored post could mention the new facility and why it’s a great place to launch a nursing career.
Government brand: Think government agencies can’t use influencers? Think again. Let’s say your state’s tourism office wants to encourage residents to explore destinations closer to home this summer. You could partner with a travel creator like @twothewonder, whose photography and weekend getaway recommendations already inspire followers to plan their next adventure. A sponsored Reel could take viewers along for a weekend-in-the-life, exploring hidden beaches, charming small towns, and scenic lookouts that they otherwise would’ve driven right past. By the end, followers aren’t just thinking about the destination, they’re already planning the drive.
Celebrity endorsements often come with a costly price that can be unrealistic for many companies. Micro-influencer partnerships provide a much more flexible approach. Instead of distributing your entire budget into one high-profile celebrity, you can partner with multiple creators who each bring credibility, personality, and their own communities of followers.
This allows brands to try multiple different messages, reach new audiences, and build a stronger connection with followers without affecting their entire budget.
When evaluating influencer partnerships, you should focus on creators who:
The most successful partnerships feel like a natural fit, not just another sponsored post.
Celebrity endorsements still have their place. But for many companies, the most effective influencer might not be the one with the biggest audience; it’s one with the strongest connection and authenticity towards their community.
By prioritizing trust and engagement, brands can build partnerships that create meaningful relationships and provide positive results.
