More and more brands realize the power of Instagram. In fact, a 2017 study revealed that 71% of US companies use this platform for marketing.
Why? Because of its visual appeal, mobile functionality, and community approach.
What better way to utilize this visual platform than to collaborate with influencers?
Instagram influencer marketing is highly effective in growing your brand.
By partnering with the right influencer, you’ll reach new audiences on the platform. It is crucial to collaborate with someone who:
- Knows your target audience
- Showcases your products and services in a visually creative way
Ready to get started?
We’ve come up with a basic guide to Instagram influencer marketing. This covers how this strategy works and how to find the right influencer.
What Is An Instagram Influencer?
Instagram influencers are not limited to A-list celebrities. Often, influencers are regular Instagram users with a considerable number of followers.
Influencers have established credibility in their industry. Plus, their account gathers high engagement rates.
These Instagram users use their influence to persuade their audience. With that said, they present an incredible impact on the market.
There are two types of Instagram influencers:
- Macro influencers: They are users who have a following of more than 10,000. They have built a large following in their industry.
- Micro influencers: They have a smaller, yet highly engaged, following. Usually between 1,000 to 10,000 followers.
Why is Instagram the Best Place For Influencer Collaboration?
In 2018, Instagram influencer marketing has become widespread.
Why?
- Instagram’s growing popularity among brands
- Highly engaged users
According to Quintly, Instagram has the highest engagement rate among all social media platforms.
This is why a lot of influencers are on Instagram.
Instagram influencer marketing revolutionized traditional advertising. It markets products to audiences through a more trustworthy source – the influencer.
With their excellent reach towards targeted groups, the demand for influencer marketing skyrocketed.
This strategy has amounted to hundreds of dollars with free products. Based on research, it generated over $1 billion at the end of 2017.
Mediakix, an influencer marketing agency, predicted that sponsored posts will total 32.3 million in 2019.
With that said, Instagram is a great platform for brands to collaborate with influencers.
As long as users can publish their content, this app will remain a leader in the marketing industry.
Why You Should Seriously Consider Instagram Influencer Marketing
Nowadays, consumers are more likely to trust reviews than what most brand claims.
When you collaborate with an influencer, you’ll grab hold of audience attention. Trusted voice of an influencer is all the rage.
Still not sure how Instagram influencer marketing can help grow your brand? Here are the top 5 reasons:
Increase Brand Awareness
Businesses, small or large, aim to build brand awareness. This is crucial especially when you’re a start-up brand.
Influencer marketing makes this a lot easier! Content created by influencers exposes your product or services to a wider audience.
For example: If you work with at least 2 influencers with a highly engaged audience, you’ll reach more people in just a few IG posts.
CoCo Fresh Tea & Juice is the world’s largest bubble tea brand. According to their IG bio, they have over 3000 stores worldwide!
In order to raise brand awareness, they collaborated with Instagram influencers in the food industry.
Along with sponsored content, brands also send products for influencers to try for free. Take a look at this post from @findingpaola. Anthropology, a clothing brand, gifted her with boots, a jacket, and skirt.
Drive Sales
Aside from brand awareness, Instagram influencers also drive sales. When a trusted influencer talks about loving a product or service, brands start to generate sales.
Today, brands gift influencers products and promo code. This gives the audience a discount on their purchases.
Typically, promo codes have an expiry date. This encourages the audience to hurry and buy now!
Tip: Giveaways or promo codes encourage engagement. By offering them a discount or an opportunity to win, they are more likely to participate.
Content Creation
Collaborating with influencers means you’ll have plenty of content. They are highly capable of delivering high quality, engaging content.
They are any brand’s perfect source of user-generated content. You can use these posts in any platform.
Tip: You don’t own the content created by your influencer partner. Asking permission and approval to use any of it is still necessary.
Promote Instagram Marketing Campaign
Collaborating with IG influencers is a great way to amplify your new campaign.
Forever21, a popular clothing brand, is not new to strategy. They often employ the help of influencers to jumpstart their new releases.
Take this post as an example. They collaborated with @yensisters, influencers in the health and fitness industry, for their new #F21xActive line.
Another example is by Youfoodz, an Australian fresh meal company. They partnered with 81 influencers to launch their new winter menu.
As a result, the campaign garnered almost 70,000 direct engagement. Plus, they reached almost 1.5 million users across Instagram and Facebook!
Engage with the Audience
Influencers thrive on engagement. They produce creative, authentic, and engaging content. Then they spend hours interacting with fans.
Their followers look to them as an inspiration. Their honesty and wit keep the audience engaged even when they are posting promotional content.
They can tell an authentic story around your brand. This is why partnering with the right influencer will help you tap a wider audience.
If collaboration is successful, their engaged audience will be your paying customers.
Who Should You Pick For Your Instagram Influencer Marketing Strategy?
You don’t want to collaborate with just any influencer. However, finding “the one” can be challenging.
It’s crucial to first set your goals and expectations:
- Do you want to improve brand awareness?
- Are you looking into increasing sales?
- Do you need help raising awareness about a new campaign?
These will give you a good idea of how to plan your campaign. Additionally, you’ll know what performance metrics to look out for.
For instance, to raise brand awareness, metrics such as engagement and reach are relevant to you.
Here are a few things you should look into.
Engagement Rate and Insights
An influencer’s engagement rate is a good gauge of their authenticity. High engagement rate means their audience is active – they pay attention and take action.
Tip: You can consider accounts with 2-3% engagement rate. An account with a 4-6% rate is excellent.
Additionally, you should also analyze their insights.
Your goal should be:
- To determine both strengths and weaknesses of an influencer.
- Identify their target demographic
Data analysis will help you come up with an effective Instagram influencer marketing plan.
Industry Niche
Choosing a partner that’s in the same industry as your brand is highly advantageous.
Why? Because it maintains authenticity. Your influencer partner can create high-quality promotional posts without deviating from their usual content.
Take Supergoop!, a skincare brand dedicated to sun care, as an example. They partnered with Renee to promote their new mineral matte sunscreen.
Here’s a neat trick:
Identify the influencers who are already using your product or services. Additionally, find out who your fans follow.
In doing so, you’ll find someone who:
- Matches your brand image
- Knows your target audience
Invest in someone who genuinely likes your product. This authentic positive review will showcase your brand in a positive light.
Tip: Make it a point to partner with influencers in your niche. In doing so, you’ll reach a relevant audience and put your investment to good use.
Voice
Influencers are trusted by consumers for product recommendations. This claim is supported by the joint study between Twitter and analytics company Annalect.
That’s why you must partner with influencers with a voice that represents your brand.
What would your target audience prefer?
Will they prefer to hear from someone with a professional tone? Or someone casual and friendly? Maybe your brand needs an influencer with a sense of humor?
Tip: Consider offering unique experiences to influencers. This will give them something to share with their followers. Allow them to use their own voice for authenticity.
Technical Skills
Choosing the right partner for your Instagram influencer marketing is like a job interview.
It requires a lot of effort.
Don’t only go for a good-looking face. Or a charming personality. Although these are crucial social skills, an influencer should have more than that.
Remember that Instagram marketing involves social media communication. It isn’t only about likes and engagement. An influencer should also have technical skills.
For instance, take into account their crisis management skills. Ask about their previous campaigns:
- Were there any setbacks?
- If so, how did they handle them?
- How will they deal with problems as they arise?
These are crucial factors that could affect your collaboration.
Conclusion
More and more brands are realizing the power of Instagram. We can expect Instagram influencer marketing to continue growing in the coming years.
There are plenty of ways to leverage this strategy to grow your brand! So, utilize the power of Instagram influencers to reach a wider audience.
Want to grow your account but don’t know how to reach out to influencers? We at Upleap can help grow your account and drive more sales. Let our social media manager help you out. Try us for free!
