High Spending, Low Following: Meet the New Influencers

Information in this blog post was obtained from Pretty Little Marketer, Sprout Social, and Grin.

Image Courtesy of Unsplash

Once upon a time, brands scrambled to get tagged by influencers with millions of followers. But in 2025, it’s not about who has the biggest audience—it’s about who has the biggest impact. According to Sprout Social, influencer marketing has matured, evolving into a more intentional, ROI-driven channel. Today’s brands are seeking:

• Authenticity over aesthetics

• Niche engagement over mass visibility

• Long-term relationships over one-off posts

  
  

This shift is also supported by GRIN, which found that brands seeing a 160% ROI from influencer marketing aren’t just “using” creators—they’re partnering with them.

Meet the VICs – Very Important Clients

As Pretty Little Marketer puts it, the most effective influencers today may not even consider themselves influencers. These “Very Important Clients” (VICs) have small (or private) audiences but big spending power—and bigger sway within their communities.

What Makes a VIC?

• High purchasing power

• Trust-rich social circles

• Loyalty to select brands

• Silent but impactful presence

  
  

The VIC effect means brands must look beyond follower count and start paying attention to customer behavior, conversion data, and influence within closed networks.

Building Influence Into Your Strategy

So how do you go from admiring creators on TikTok to integrating them into your long-term marketing plan? Let’s break it down:

1. Define Clear Campaign Goals

Start by understanding what success looks like. Do you want to:

• Increase brand awareness?

• Boost product sales?

• Drive website traffic?

• Generate user content?

  
  

Your goal will inform what kind of influencer you need and how you measure ROI.

2. Identify the Right Creators (and VICs)

Instead of reaching for mega-influencers, use data to find brand-aligned creators who:

• Share your values

• Reach your target audience

• Have high engagement (even with smaller audiences)

  
  

Tip from GRIN: Analyze not just the creator, but their audience demographics and interests.

3. Use a Tiered Influencer Strategy

Successful brands often build a portfolio of:

• Paid partnerships with 5–10 high-impact creators

• Affiliate influencers who earn commission

• Gifting-only VICs who influence through loyalty

  
  

This “ecosystem” allows you to scale with both breadth and depth.

4. Build Real Relationships

Creators aren’t content vending machines. The best results come from partnerships rooted in mutual respect.

Ways to build creator trust:

• Involve them in campaign planning

• Send personalized gifts

• Invite them to product launches or internal events

• Provide performance feedback and recognition

  
  

As GRIN emphasizes, “Treat them like partners—not transactions.”

5. Give Them Creative Freedom

You picked the creator for a reason—let them tell your brand story their way. Consumers can sniff out scripted posts from a mile away. Real influence happens when creators infuse your brand into their lives.

Tools & Tech for Influencer Success

Once you scale, manual tracking won’t cut it. Invest in platforms (like GRIN) that help you:

• Discover creators with the right data filters

• Manage campaigns and communication

• Track ROI with real-time analytics

• Automate payments, contracts, and reporting

  
  

This isn’t just about efficiency—it’s about keeping relationships personal at scale.

Metrics That Matter

Don’t fall into the vanity trap. Instead, track these meaningful KPIs:

• Engagement rate

• Conversion rate

• Customer acquisition cost (CAC)

• Customer lifetime value (CLV) from influencer campaigns

• Brand sentiment and share of voice

  
  

With these metrics, you can make data-driven decisions—and continuously optimize your strategy.

Conclusion

In 2025, it’s no longer enough to just work with influencers. Brands that thrive are those who collaborate, co-create, and commit to long-term partnerships rooted in authenticity and mutual value. The metrics that matter have changed—from likes to loyalty, from impressions to impact.

Whether you’re tapping into VICs who move in private, trust-based circles or building multi-tiered creator programs that prioritize niche engagement, the goal remains the same: meaningful connections that drive measurable results.

Influencer marketing isn’t a trend—it’s a toolbox. And when used intentionally, it becomes one of your most powerful assets for growth, trust, and brand advocacy.

Now’s the time to stop scrambling and start strategizing. Because in this new era, influence isn’t given—it’s earned.

Want to learn more about influencer strategies? Check out Jaxon's Blog Post next!

Disclaimer: No A.I. was injured in the production of this content. AI (ChatGPT) was used as a tool to supplement, enhance, and make suggestions in writing this blog post.

Resources

O'Reilly, D. (2025, April 3). The vic effect: How “very important clients” are redefining influencer marketing. Pretty Little Marketer. https://www.prettylittlemarketer.com/blog/the-vic-effect

The future of influencer marketing: Invest now, win tomorrow - grin - influencer marketing software. GRIN. (2024, November 6). https://grin.co/blog/the-future-of-influencer-marketing-invest-now-win-tomorrow/

What is Influencer Marketing: An influencer strategy guide for 2025. Sprout Social. (2025, April 14). https://sproutsocial.com/insights/influencer-marketing/