(Tribune) Macro-influencers on the grill

To understand the situation, it is necessary to take a leap into the past, more precisely to the 2010s, a period when the first influencers emerged. They are, for the most part, teenagers or young adults who create content out of passion and who do not make a living from this activity.

With the camera off, they are simple students or workers with whom their communities can easily identify: same life, same problems and same desires. Then come the first paid collaborations, which gradually establish this new profession of content creator. Influencers gain popularity, are recognized in the streets and adored by their community. In short, real network stars.

The arrival of TikTok as a tipping point

Then comes the climax of Tiktok. The network offers new creation codes, very different from META, and above all, a new algorithm which offers the possibility to everyone to “break through”. New creators, who offer more authentic content, based on self-deprecation, are emerging in the face of an audience seeking authenticity and freshness.

At the same time, big influencers are slow to launch on this new network: it must be said that we almost have to start from scratch, tell our stories and create differently. Understand a new algorithm and find your community. The contrast between “showcasing a perfect life” content and authentic content is increasingly difficult to bear for some users.

Tired, they turn away from macro-influencers in favor of small, simpler creators close to their daily reality. This detachment reveals several points.

First, the difficulty of identification. In fact, these influencers lead a lifestyle that no longer corresponds to their audience. This gap creates a feeling of complete disconnection with their audience.

Second, the mismatch of priorities and values. We saw this with the Met Gala which was compared to the Hungers Games to illustrate the society of opulence on one side and poverty on the other. We must also be aware that audiences naturally age and become more demanding and less influenceable over time.

Third, the difficulty of combining proximity and popularity. As the influencer business grows, there is not enough time to maintain ties with the community. Thus, this proximity fades, leaving the feeling of being part of an audience without being recognized.

Fourth, the emergence of new profiles of content creators. They represent what great influencers were in their early days: fresh and spontaneous. Faced with competition, you have to know how to create a difference to emerge and Tiktok content creators have understood this perfectly. Their strategy? Make yourself known by attracting a niche community, and break the codes of Instagram which are becoming boring by imposing your style.

What can we take from all this when we are a brand?

Don’t rely on a creator’s popularity (i.e., their followers) to choose a partnership, but rather pay attention to the quality of their interactions with their community. Don’t be afraid to show your brand with authenticity, difference, reality (we can never say this enough). And respect the editorial line of the content creator.

Finally, micro-influence offers a superb opportunity to speak to communities, sometimes niche, very engaged with controlled costs! Ultimately, influence is an eternal beginning again: the profiles of star influencers are sooner or later swept away by a new generation of creators who will stand out for their freshness, their new approach to a subject, and above all their accessibility.

So, don’t be afraid of micro-influencers and emerging people… they are the future!