Micro-ambassadors vs. Macro-ambassadors

Which one is right for your Brand?

Brand advocate marketing is a well-established form of promotion that connects brands with real people who share content online to their engaged audiences and networks. An advocate elevates a product or brand by reviewing, recommending or supporting it in the form of social media posts and authentic content. An advocate is effective because they are genuinely passionate about the product or brand that they endorse and have the ability to start conversations and generate organic traction. Being ‘real people’ means that brand advocates are more trusted than businesses or third-parties who often have vested motives — brand advocates operate more like a close friend, offering a personalised and trusted recommendation to their community.

Consider your own buying behaviour for a moment — how often do you reach out to friends, search forums, read reviews or watch videos before spending any of your hard-earned cash on a new product? You are not in the minority; in fact, it’s no secret that 92% of customers seek social recommendations before making a purchase. Through the pandemic the influence of user-generated content has become apparent with more brands than ever leaning on the power of advocates to create compelling content. This sort of content can be created quickly, within budget and generate genuine leads. Some in the industry are calling this kind of marketing a revolution because of its efficacy.

So you want to join the revolution?

So your brand wants to try advocacy marketing but is overwhelmed by the sheer amount of advocates out there. Statistics tell us that there are 1 billion monthly active users and around 25 million businesses currently on Instagram. Of those billion people actively using the platform is a plethora of future brand advocates who could potentially represent your business. There are advocates who are passionate about nearly every niche that you could imagine, each with their own style and approach to content creation.

There are many factors to take into consideration but perhaps one of the main areas for confusion for brands is macro-ambassadors vs. micro-ambassadors. What do these terms actually mean and how can a brand decide what kind of ambassador is the right fit for their specific goals?

Below we explore the specific benefits of macro-ambassadors and micro-ambassadors and uncover which one is right for your brand:

What are the benefits of working with macro-ambassadors?

A macro-ambassador is a widely recognised personality on social media who has a substantial following. They are known as tastemakers and have established a large audience over several years of dedicated work and content creation. They are most likely making a living from ambassadorships or they have crafted an audience from another facet, for example they are a known TV personality, athlete, thought-leader or celebrity. They can engage and create messaging on am impactful scale and they are already a trusted source of inspiration to others.

Some of the key advantages of working with macro-ambassadors:

• If your goal is visibility and awareness than macro-ambassadors are effective because they have already amassed a large audience.
• Macro-ambassadors tend to be knowledgeable about certain categories and are widely seen as trusted trendsetters or tastemakers.
• They have an established style or personal brand that is immediately recognisable. Future brand partners can therefore instantly understand whether there is brand and advocate alignment.
• They are used to creating content regularly and are accustomed to all facets of digital marketing and brand partnerships.
• Macro-influencers have greater resources to create more stylised and editorial campaigns.

What are the benefits of working with micro-ambassadors?

In recent years the use of micro-ambassadors has sky rocketed among brands, with 46% of professionals reporting that micro are the most effective tier of influence for their brands. A micro-ambassador, as you might expect, has a smaller audience — they are everyday people who have amassed a decent following of 1,000 followers or more. While they might have a smaller reach they tend to have high engagement with their audience because they are seen as trustworthy, relatable and authentic. Oftentimes micro-ambassadors have a certain niche or are interested in quite a specific topic, from vegan dessert recipes to propagating plants and hand-woven macramé — these niche areas of interest means that they have a highly invested audience who shares the same interests or values.

Some of the key advantages of working with micro-ambassadors:

• If your goal is engagement, many social media experts have found that micro-ambassadors tend to get higher engagement despite having smaller audiences.
• Micro-ambassadors have a very targeted and specific audience, which can directly result in lead-generation.
• Working with micro-ambassadors is more affordable and budget-friendly than working with macro-ambassadors or celebrities.
• Micro-ambassadors are seen as more authentic because they are regular people and can therefore build brand credibility.
• Micro-ambassadors have a smaller following so are more likely to post content themselves and reply to comments, messages and engage in more authentic ways.

What is right for my brand?

Working with brand ambassadors is a fantastic way to build engaging content, generate leads and build brand credibility. Ultimately consumers are more likely to trust recommendations from real people because they are far more tangible, relatable and aspirational than a standard advertisement.

Choosing what is right for your brand comes down to understanding your goals and what you want to achieve from a partnership. Both macro and micro-ambassadors have advantages and can offer specific benefits. The YTAO platform can help brands to automatically connect with ambassadors according to social media reach and location and empower brands to create partnerships that build amazing communities.

Visit YTAO to register as an ethical brand or as a brand that wants to become ethical.