Gen Z wants to be one, and Boomers don’t understand them. Whether you love them or hate them, Instagram influencers are an important part of the marketing ecosystem on Instagram. Here’s the scoop on Instagram influencer marketing, and why you may want to consider hiring or becoming an influencer for your brand:
What is an Instagram influencer?
An Instagram influencer is a person with a large number of highly engaged followers who can accurately and adequately promote your brand by painting it in a positive light to their audience. People become influencers by producing interesting content, using hashtags, promoting their Instagram online, content marketing and more.
There’s no magic number to how many followers you need to have to be a good influencer. Some people have 500 or less followers but they are highly engaged, while an influencer with 330k followers could have low engagement due to a large amount of bots. The key to being a good influencer is to have both a wide audience and high engagement.
How does Instagram influencer marketing work?
An influencer, or popular Instagram personality, is typically offered a product for free or inexpensive in exchange for a post on their social media. Some influencers are paid to promote products and being an influencer becomes a source of income.
Benefits of influencer marketing on Instagram
Below are some of the major benefits of influencer marketing on Instagram:
Cost effective
Partnerships with influencers can be an inexpensive (or sometimes free) way to get your products out in front of the world. While top talent in the influencer space means working with an agency and booking influencers at a cost, there are more than 1 billion Instagram users, many who have engaged audiences and are prepared to barter for free products. It’s a good idea to look to your existing audience and customer base for potential influencers.
Expansive audience reach
When you perform Instagram influencer marketing, you get in front of more people who might not otherwise see your products or services. The point of an influencer is to allow you to access and engage with their audience. This means opening yourself to new potential clients. That’s why it’s important to make sure the influencer you choose has a follower base that lines up with yours.
Thought leadership and authority
Partnering with the right influencer can make you look like a thought leader or authority on subject matter or pop culture. This unique attribute becomes a part of your brand that sets you apart from the competition.
If you’re thinking of collaborating with another brand as an influencer, or would like to promote your products through an Instagram influencer it’s best to start by increasing your following and engaging your audience on the topic. Your followers are likely to be your best promoters, so start talking to them and see if there’s synergy. For more information like this, put your name on my mailing list and stay tuned for announcements about my upcoming Instagram marketing education series.