Instagram is the second most logged into app on a daily basis, after Facebook. But, considering how highly visual Instagram is, it’s no surprise that this is the platform that is most popular for influencer marketing. With as many as 83% of users discovering new products or services on the app, it’s becoming increasingly apparent that brands should be considering Instagram for their next marketing campaign.
So, let’s have a look at how Instagram influencers could help your brand to meet its marketing goals this year.
What are Instagram influencers?
Instagram influencers are exactly what you’d think – social media influencers whose primary platform for advertising is Instagram. It’s pretty common to find that their followers will be loyal enough to follow them on other social media platforms too, so keep this in mind.
Social media influencers are different from celebrities, hence why we have seen a rise here and a decline in celebrity endorsement in recent years. Celebrities will have a large follower count because they are famous outside of social media. However, influencers are regular people that have grown their follower count because of the content that they post on apps like Instagram.
Influencers will typically gain followers because of their knowledge and experience in a specific area, where followers are interested and would like to learn more. For example, users interested in fashion will follow influencers who give advice and recommendations on fashion brands, styling tips, outfit looks, etc. Or, those interested in cooking will follow influencers that post amazing recipes, cooking tutorials, and shop recommendations.
Finding Instagram influencers
As a brand interested in beginning a new marketing campaign through social media, we would recommend considering working with influencers. With 89% of marketers suggesting that ROI from influencer marketing campaigns is comparable or better than other marketing strategies, it’s without a doubt worth a shot for you, too.
When it comes to finding influencers on Instagram, it can seem slightly overwhelming. But, don’t worry – Heepsy can help you out. We would suggest using an influencer marketing platform to find influencers easily, without spending too much time searching directly on Instagram. You can of course do this, and a starting point would be to look through your brand’s own followers to discover any influencers that are already interested in your brand. However, the search can become time-consuming, and with several filters to search on Heepsy, you’ll be able to find the perfect influencer in no time!
As you can see above, by using an influencer marketing platform like Heepsy, you will be able to search for Instagram influencers by specifying age, gender, location, and much more! You will also be able to analyze the quality of these influencers’ profiles with the detailed analytics provided. For example, discovering their audience’s interests and authenticity, too.
What to look out for
Searching for influencers really is a simple process when working with an influencer marketing platform. However, whether searching organically or with a platform, there are a few red flags to be aware of.
Follower growth indicates the increase or decrease of an influencer’s follower numbers. Think – slow and steady wins the race! If there has been a sudden jump in followers, then this could indicate suspicious behavior.
Engagement rates are vital in ensuring an audience will be interested in your influencers’ content. A good engagement rate indicates that there is a trusted relationship between the influencer and their followers, where they trust their content and there is a valuable level of interaction due to interest. Be aware of particularly high engagement rates, possibly indicating bought likes or comments. But, equally look out for significantly low engagement rates, where an audience may have no interest in quality content.
The use of a platform like Heepsy will allow you to analyze many other aspects of importance regarding the quality of an influencer profile. You’ll want to ensure that the influencers’ audience location and interests are clearly aligned with that of your target audience. You can also take a look at previous brand partnerships to understand better the type of brands that they tend to work with.
Once you have found influencers that align with your brand’s audience and campaign objectives, you’ll want to consider the type of content that will be posted. Other than Instagram being highly visual, it is also extremely popular for marketing due to the variety of media types that you will find. This way, you can choose the channel that fits in best with your brand or product, as well as with your budget and target audience type.
Posts are the original media format from Instagram, and usually the most expensive for influencer marketing. Posts will remain on an account’s profile indefinitely and are likely to be viewed by the highest number of users. Posts allow location tags, multi-photo, or video posts in the form of a carousel, and product tags from your brand’s own catalog. To understand how to tag products from a catalog, you should check out this post about how to use Instagram Shopping.
Stories are a great, cheaper alternative. These will be available to users for 24 hours before being removed from an influencer’s profile, unless added to highlights. They also allow for location, account, and product tags, as well as the swipe up feature directing users to your business page or specific product.
IG Live is much more recent to Instagram. It is of course – live! So, users engage well with influencer content here, because they feel that it is the most genuine format. Influencers can do Q&A’s, live unboxings, and give honest first impressions to products.
IGTV is the area where influencers are able to upload longer video content than can be uploaded to posts. This is particularly beneficial for content where products would require a more in-depth explanation, or for full tutorials. For example, a fitness influencer may want to post a full yoga video on IGTV using a new mat from a partnered brand.
Reels is the most recent addition to Instagram. This is the platform’s direct competition with TikTok, offering short videos, which can be highly edited by adding music and effects. This has been in high demand within the influencer marketing industry, with influencers being able to post content such as quick step-by-step guides for a recipe, a before and after make-up look, or a short trailer style video using a product.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, whatever the type of content or media channel you go for, influencer marketing is undeniably worth your investment in 2021. With the industry growing at an exponential rate, you’ll want to get your brand involved sooner rather than later. Don’t forget, Heespy can give you a hand to make the process a whole lot easier!
