Maximizing Vtuber Engagement Rate vs. Follower Count
The emergence of social media and Vtubers have brought about significant changes in the business arena, especially in the way businesses operate.
This includes the way businesses market their products or services. In recent years, the rise of social media platforms has provided businesses with a new way to reach a larger audience and attract potential customers.
One particular marketing strategy that has gained popularity in this era is Influencer Marketing, which involves partnering with social media influencers to promote products or services.
In addition to traditional influencers, a new category of influencers has also emerged in recent years known as Vtubers. These virtual content creators use digital avatars and personas to engage with their audience and have become increasingly popular on social media streaming and video content platforms, YouTube , TikTok and Twitch .
Partnering with ENVtubers the first Vtuber influencer agency, can provide businesses and brands with a unique and creative way to promote their products or services to a diverse and engaged audience.
By leveraging the power of social media and Vtuber influencer marketing, businesses can successfully scale and grow in this competitive digital landscape.
Agency Vtubers vs. Independent Vtubers
In the past, advertising for businesses typically revolved around television, radio, and print media. To enhance the effectiveness of these advertisements, Marketing agencies would partner with brands to attract more customers.
The selection of which talent to use for branding was often dependent on the agencies’ priorities. The more popular the talent the higher the price tag, making it difficult for smaller, independent creators to secure partnerships without relying on word-of-mouth or reaching out to brands directly.
However, with the emergence of social media, brands now have an additional avenue to promote their products. By leveraging the voices and talents of Vtuber Influencers through their content, brands can effectively target their desired audience.
To identify an appropriate Vtuber influencer and to help promote a brand, the number of followers and engagement rate are critical factors to consider. But before delving into those details, it’s essential to understand the various tiers of influencers to make an informed decision.
The Tiers of Vtuber Influencers
To develop an effective influencer marketing strategy, it’s essential to target the sphere of influence of an individual, which is often based on their number of followers. Social media platforms can significantly impact followers, depending on their reach and the nature of the platform.
For instance, YouTube is a dynamic platform wherein a Vtuber creator uses video to demo, raise awareness, narrate, or explain something, often to inform or educate the viewers. vtubers use different elements to captivate the audience such as short form video , and livestreaming to gather more followers interested in like storytelling, music, content, animation, etc.
Influencers are individuals who utilize social media platforms to disseminate their message within their chosen niche. They often connect with their audience by sharing their real-life experiences, stories, and moments. Influencers come in various niches, including parents, doctors, beauty advocates, and wellness gurus.
What makes influencers effective marketers is the authenticity of their message, even without celebrity or advertising experience.
To identify the right influencers for a brand, it’s crucial to categorize them into tiers. This approach helps organize the selection process and narrow down options.
While there are many ways to categorize influencers, such as video views, average number of likes, niche, and content, the number of followers remains a critical factor. The influencer marketing industry typically divides influencers into five tiers.
What makes Vtubers great marketers is the authenticity of their message. Often, these people aren’t celebrities or professionals in advertising. They usually just love to voice out their opinions about many things in their niche and use social media for that.
Envtuber agency has has divided Vtubers into 5 industry standard tiers
- Nano – 1,000 – 10,000 followers
- Micro – 10,000 – 50,000 followers
- Mid-tier – 50,000 – 500,000 followers
- Macro – 500,000 – 1,000,000 followers
- Mega – 1,000,000 and up followers
While having a high follower count can be appealing to brands, it is important to note that it is not the only factor to consider when choosing an influencer for your marketing campaign.
It is just a starting point for making your decision. Additionally, it is essential to also consider the engagement rate of the influencer.
Follower Count vs. Engagement Rate
It’s not difficult to grasp the concept of follower count, especially when considering the different tiers of influencers. However, when it comes to evaluating an influencer’s impact, engagement rate is a crucial metric that should not be overlooked.
In line with the saying “quality over quantity,” engagement rate is an important factor that adds meaning and value to an influencer’s influence.
Engagement rate measures the level of interaction and connection an influencer has with their audience. You can either use an engagement rate calculator or calculate it manually using the formula to fully comprehend what it entails.
The term “engagement” refers to how an influencer’s followers engage with their posts or content.
This engagement can take the form of likes, comments, reactions, or shares. It is important to note the timeframe in which these engagements occur, such as within a week or a month.
Engagement Means Interest
While a high engagement rate can suggest that an influencer’s content is attracting a significant level of interest from their followers, it also speaks to the quality of their content. However, it’s worth noting that industry reports have found that as influencers move up the tiers, their engagement rate tends to decrease.
This raises the question of whether nano-influencers are a more effective choice for influencer marketing, or if it’s better to aim for a balance with micro-influencers.
However, it’s not as simple as just focusing on the engagement rate.
Looking at the follower count per tier can help us understand why solely prioritizing a high engagement rate isn’t always the best approach.
| Influencer Tier | Follower Count | Engagement Rate (ER) | No. of Engagements based on ER |
| Nano | 0 – 10,000 | 4% | 0 – 400 |
| Micro | 10,000 – 100,000 | 2% | 200 – 2,000 |
| Mid-Tier | 100,000 – 500,000 | 1.6% | 1,600 – 8000 |
| Macro | 500,000 – 1,000,000 | 1.3% | 6,500 – 13,000 |
| Mega | 1,000,000 up | 0.8% | 8,000 up |
When considering the follower count per tier, we can see that while Nano-influencers typically have the highest engagement rate, this may only translate to around 400 engagements. On the other hand, Mega influencers can potentially generate up to 8,000 engagements.
It’s important to note, however, that having a high level of interest in an influencer’s content does not necessarily equate to sales. It can, however, serve as a helpful benchmark for estimating conversions and targeting your audience.
Choosing The Right Influencer
While follower count and engagement rate are essential metrics to consider when selecting an influencer for your brand’s influencer marketing, there are other factors that are equally important.
Here are some key considerations to keep in mind when choosing the right influencer for your brand:
- Establish your targets and goals
Before selecting an influencer for your brand’s campaign, it’s crucial to consider what results you want to achieve and which audience you’re targeting. Rather than choosing an influencer with a large following outright, you need to ask yourself questions like:
Do you want to achieve a more widespread public reach or gain brand awareness to a specific group of individuals on social media?
Depending on your goals, selecting the right type of influencer can make all the difference.
For instance, if you’re aiming to reach a specific niche audience, a nano-influencer may be more effective than an influencer with a larger following. Though their follower count may be lower, nano-influencers often have more loyal and engaged audiences.
To make the right choice, it’s essential to define your end goal, whether it’s sales, awareness, leads, or something else, to determine the appropriate influencer for your brand.
- Look into the influencer’s relevance to your products
When selecting an influencer for your brand’s campaign, it’s important to consider the relevance of their content to your product. For example, if you’re selling fitness products, it would be more effective to work with an influencer who is into fitness. On the other hand, an influencer who frequently posts about cooking would be a good fit for cookware or ingredients.
Another way to find the right influencer is to check out the pages and accounts that your current followers or subscribers are following. This can provide valuable leads on influencers that may be a good match for your brand.
Working with influencers who are relevant to your niche has several advantages, such as a higher engagement rate between brands and followers in the same industry. This is because the content is more relatable, which encourages more interactions and organic views.
Ultimately, product recommendations from these influencers also become more credible.
- Check the marketing and technical skills and resources of the influencer
While the follower count and engagement rate are important factors to consider in influencer marketing, it’s also essential to evaluate the influencer as an individual. Does the influencer possess the communication skills needed to connect with their audience?
Are their posts edited and curated in a visually appealing way that will attract followers?
Good content creation tools are crucial for high-quality content creation.
Moreover, the writing skill of the influencer is just as important. They should be able to write compelling captions that can lead people to your products and help with potential conversions. It is also crucial to assess how the influencer handles crisis situations or negative comments, as this could be a potential challenge for your brand.
When selecting an influencer, it is essential to carefully review their profiles and ensure that their values and vision align with your brand.
Remember that influencer marketing has a significant impact, and people may associate your brand with the influencers you choose, even after you end the partnership.
- Set your budget and other resources
To succeed in influencer marketing, you need to invest resources that are commensurate with your goals. Mega-influencers may be the right choice for those who want to create massive awareness, but they come at a hefty price.
For those with a tight budget, nano-influencers may be a better option. When cost is a major concern, micro-influencers can provide a good balance between engagement rates and average price.
Another factor to consider is logistics and management. If you prefer to work with fewer influencers, then macro or mega-influencers may be the right choice for you.
However, if you choose to work with nano-influencers, you would need to engage with more of them to reach a wider audience.
- Designate applicable metrics
When you’re doing marketing, it’s important to see how well your campaign is doing. You can do this by choosing specific things to measure, called key performance indicators (KPIs). These KPIs will help you know how far and effective your influencer marketing campaign is.
You can use a tool to keep track of your KPIs. This will help you see if you’re getting what you paid for.
This doesn’t always have to be about money or sales, but can also be things like how many people now know your brand or how big your market is now.
Get Help for your Influencer Marketing
The tips provided above can assist you in expanding and advancing your business through influencer marketing. However, if you are more accustomed to traditional marketing techniques, delving into this new approach may require additional time and effort.
If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of implementing an influencer marketing campaign, rest assured that there are professionals who offer services to guide your brand through the entire process, allowing you to focus on other aspects of your business.
It’s worth noting that there’s a new breed of influencers in the form of virtual YouTubers or VTubers, and even environmental YouTubers, who have gained popularity in recent years. They provide a unique opportunity for brands to tap into a new and engaged audience, and to promote products and services in an innovative way.
However, the same principles of choosing the right influencer, defining goals, and measuring performance still apply.
