Nano Influencer Recruiter: Do You Need One?

So you’ve been put in charge of finding nano influencers to launch your upcoming campaigns. Where should you start? Do you know a typical nano-influencer follower count? What about the average nano-influencer rates? Should you hire a nano-influencer recruiter — and what exactly is that?

If you don’t have the answers to these questions, don’t panic. We’ve put together some highlights about nano influencer marketing so you can better prepare yourself — and your team or clients — to launch a successful first influencer marketing campaign.

What is an influencer recruiter?

Like a talent agent, an influencer recruiter is paid to find matches for brands looking to partner with reliable content creators for upcoming marketing campaigns.

After speaking to a brand about their wants and needs in an influencer, the recruiter searches through potential matches, analyzing their profiles for follower count, engagement, target audience, and past content. With the brand’s approval, they may also contact the influencer to make offers and negotiate compensation.

Some influencer recruiters may work for themselves or as employees of an influencer marketing company.

What is a nano-influencer?

Unlike celebrities or other mega-influencers who may have tens of millions of fans from name recognition alone, nano-influencers have fewer than 10,000 followers on a single social media platform.

They may have a niche audience based on their expertise or interest in a particular topic, or they may simply share memes, videos, or personal content about their friends, family, pets, or town.

Why choose a nano-influencer?

Curious about a nano-influencer vs. micro-influencer or a mid-tier influencer? Consider the advantages of working with a nano influencer:

Infinite choices

Because nano-influencers are typically considered to be more like “everyday social media users” rather than professional content creators, they exist in greater numbers than micro- (10K-50K followers), mid-tier (50K-500K followers), or mega-influencers (500K+ followers). This means you’ll have plenty of options when scouting for nano-influencers.

Engagement and trust

Brands looking for nano-influencers shouldn’t assume that a smaller follower count means the campaign won’t gain traction. Nano-influencers tend to have a higher percentage of followers they’re personally connected to, providing a strong influence over their small network because they have earned their audience’s trust as a credible source.

Engagement, too, tends to be better on nano influencers’ content.

Low investment risk

Brands that work with nano-influencers for the first time are often surprised by their campaign’s return on investment, as these content creators tend to charge much lower rates than celebrity influencers.

Some newer nano-influencers may even be willing to promote your campaign in exchange for free products or services, depending on the value.

Nano-influencer content can also be amplified with paid media, providing a bigger reach for your buck.

Do you need a nano-influencer recruiter?

A recruiter can help you find and connect with the right influencers, but they’re unnecessary for every brand.

For most smaller brands that are just starting to dip their toes in the influencer marketing water, the answer is probably “no.” The same is true for popular industries in which nano-influencers are plentiful. (Just think about lifestyle, food, and fashion brands that work with small influencers.)

That’s not to say you can’t use a nano-influencer recruiter, but if you’re representing a niche industry, you may want to start by checking your brand’s followers. These engaged social media users have already demonstrated an interest in your products or services and care enough about the brand to stay informed through your social media posts.

Another option is to look at the best reviews from satisfied customers. Even if they’re not following your brand, they’ve taken the initiative to show they’re a promoter.

From either group — followers or vocal satisfied customers — choose a handful to research and head to their profiles on whichever platforms you plan to use for your campaign. How many followers do they have? Have they engaged with their followers in the comments? Do their posts and bio align with your brand’s values and interests? Do they have any experience with brand promotion? If everything seems like a match, reach out to make an initial introduction.

A third option is to use IZEA’s Marketplace. You’ll be able to quickly find and hire content creators based on various criteria, including location, industry, cost, follower count, engagement, and much more.

So, when might a brand want to use a nano influencer recruiter?

If you’re struggling to find a nano influencer for your niche.
If you’re looking for a handful of experienced influencers for a long-term campaign that needs more coordination than a one-off campaign.
If you’d like an expert to handle the details of finding, contacting, and negotiating with a nano influencer because your team is limited in numbers or scope.

If any of the above bullet points apply to your brand, consider partnering with our Managed Services team to help you find your next partnering content creator.