February 28, 2025

Why brands are choosing nano-influencers over celebrities

By
Dominique Frappier
A look at why brands are favoring nano-influencers over celebrities

Over the years, influencer marketing has become a dominant force in brand communication strategies. Traditionally, companies had turned to celebrities to promote their products, capitalizing on their fame to reach a wider audience. A new trend has recently emerged, nano-influencers, individuals with a smaller following but growing impact. Why are brands increasingly turning to these niche influencers instead of celebrities? The shift is driven by several key factors that are transforming the digital marketing landscape.

A More Engaged Audience

One of the main strengths of nano-influencers lies in the authentic engagement they generate with their followers. Unlike celebrities, nano-influencers are seen as accessible individuals who are close to their community.

A Strong Connection

A nano-influencer maintains a more personal relationship with their followers, regularly interacting, responding to comments, and sharing life moments. This closeness creates an authentic connection, often missing in celebrity interactions, which tend to be more impersonal. This strong bond leads to higher engagement rates because followers feel they genuinely know the influencer.

Increased Trust

Nano-influencers’ followers are often friends, family, or acquaintances, which enhances the credibility of their recommendations. This intimate, trusted relationship makes nano-influencers’ suggestions carry more weight than those from celebrities.

Authenticity

Nano-influencers often recommend products they genuinely use, making them more credible in the eyes of their audience. This authenticity is key for brands seeking to stand out in a market where consumers are increasingly sensitive to sincerity and transparency. Followers are likely to perceive these recommendations as more genuine, rather than just a paid promotion.

Lower Costs 

The costs associated with collaborating with celebrities are often substantial, pushing brands to turn to nano-influencers as a more affordable alternative. This allows companies to diversify their strategies while also keeping an eye on their budgets.

Lower Spending

A celebrity can cost hundreds of thousands, even millions of dollars, for an advertising campaign. In contrast, nano-influencers, with their smaller audience, ask for much lower compensation. This has the benefit of allowing brands to achieve a broad coverage within a more reasonable marketing budget. Nano-influencers are often open to collaborations based on free products or a form of non-financial compensation.

Increased Profitability

Nearly 50% of marketers say nano-influencers deliver more impactful results due to their high engagement rates and more willingness to collaborate for non-financial compensation. This profitability also leads to a better return on investment (ROI) for brands.

Flexibility for Small Businesses

Small and medium-sized enterprises can work with several nano-influencers at once, allowing for a diverse message and broader geographic coverage while staying within their budget. Smaller brands can gain increased visibility at a moderate cost, without the need for costly contracts with celebrities.

Targeted Influence 

Nano-influencers, specializing in specific niches, allow brands to reach target market segments. This specialization is a major advantage when consumers are increasingly demanding and looking for recommendations tailored to their specific needs.

Specialization

Nano-influencers often share a particular passion with their followers, allowing brands to target communities that are aligned with their products. A nano-influencer can reach a very specific audience, such as yoga enthusiasts or fans of organic cosmetics, who are much more likely to be interested in those specific products.

Precise Targeting

By partnering with niche nano-influencers, companies can reach specific market segments, increasing brand visibility and improving the brand’s perception. This helps ensure that the brand's message resonates with the right people, maximizing the impact of the campaign.

Optimized ROI

By focusing on precise niches, brands can optimize the impact of their advertising campaigns and improve the return on investment in their marketing efforts. 

Local Proximity Effect 

One of the major advantages of nano-influencers lies in their local presence, which allows brands to strengthen their presence in specific geographic areas. This proximity is a powerful lever, especially for local brands or businesses looking to expand regionally.

Local Impact

Nano-influencers are often influential in a specific city, neighborhood, or community. Their ability to generate local interactions allows brands to strengthen their presence in more focused and specific markets. For small businesses or those wanting to expand into a specific area, nano-influencers can represent an excellent way to reach a relevant audience.

Strengthened Local Presence

Companies can leverage this proximity to better target consumers in specific areas. Nano-influencers bring visibility that goes beyond simple promotion, by creating a close relationship with their local community.

Proximity Relationship

The local anchoring of nano-influencers improves the trust with audiences who will now feel more represented by someone from their community. This fosters a sense of belonging and authenticity that enhances engagement and brand loyalty.

In the early days of influencer marketing, reach was the main criteria for choosing influencers. However, with the rise of nano-influencers, a shift has occurred in companies' marketing strategies. These influencers, thanks to their authentic engagement, moderate costs, and ability to target specific niches, have become preferred partners for many brands. They offer more personalized, authentic, and cost-effective collaborations than those offered by celebrities, allowing businesses to meet the growing demand for natural and sincere recommendations. Nano-influencers are thus redefining the influencer marketing landscape by providing measurable, concrete results for brands.