Influencer marketing is now a $1 billion industry and it’s no surprise. Everywhere you turn, influencers are there – from a Facebook post talking about their favorite chocolates to an Instagrammer sharing their favorite food recipe.

As food marketers plan for 2021, the question is no longer whether or not to work with influencers, but instead which influencer is right for your brand. At Thought For Food & Son, we believe in the power of the micro-influencer. We define micro-influencers as those with a reach less than 50,000.

Below are four key reasons to consider micro-influencers as part of your integrated marking mix in 2020:

Authenticity

Word of mouth marketing continues to be a powerful way to influence consumer behavior. According to a Nielson study, 90% of consumers trust peer recommendations compared to only 33% who trust online ads. So, the best influencers are those who have a relationship with their audience and aren’t creating ad-like content. Micro-influencers build their audience by relating to their followers, so brands can capitalize on that relationship and trust.

Engagement

It’s not enough to have a large potential reach; brands need to ensure that consumers are seeing and interacting with the sponsored content. Multiple studies have shown that engagement rates are higher for influencers with a lower number of followers. Micro-influencers with 1,000 to 10,000 followers have some of the highest engagement rates – close to 4%, significantly higher than celebrities and top-tier influencers.

Cost

As the influencer marketing industry grows, influencers are charging brands more and more to create content. Micro-influencers cost significantly less, allowing brands to work with more influencers at the same time.

Content

One scroll through your Instagram feed shows just how skilled the everyday person is at photography and influencers can take this to the next level. With an iPhone and some editing software, micro-influencers can create high-quality images that rival those seen in professional photoshoots. We know this first-hand through implementing our blogger recipe challenges. (see photos below) As brands move toward “food style imagery” and away from stuffy stock food photos, influencers can provide the content brands need to showcase their products in the most authentic way.

There are a lot of advantages to choosing micro-influencers, especially when activating them in masses. Brands can engage more influencers to create quality content with a more authentic brand message, and benefit from higher engagement. It’s an audience that’s worth tapping into in 2020.