How To Utilize The Power Of An Instagram Influencer

By now, we all know the power of an Instagram influencer and their ability to impact the masses. With the presence of social media, they have also gained the power to impact the buyer’s decision. These influencers build their following by sharing the things they are passionate about with the world through social media.

One of the most popular social media platforms is Instagram. With over 800 million monthly active users, Instagram has turned into something more than just a social platform. On average, Instagram influencers earn around $2,000 per post or $700 per story. In return, businesses get instant exposure to their followers. The number of followers can vary, but most influencer campaigns begin around 20,000 followers and often have numbers in the hundreds of thousands or even millions. 

When it comes to Instagram influencer marketing, businesses are spending large amounts of money. Fortunately, you don’t have to spend billions right away to benefit from the power of an Instagram influencer. 

Working with Instagram Influencers

Instagram influencers can greatly expose your business to the world. They’re not just tools for your online success. They’re individuals who can bring in a whole new audience to your business. Word-of-mouth marketing has long been believed to be one of the most effective forms of marketing, but certainly one of the more difficult to manage. Instagram influencers give you a lot of the same benefits of word-of-mouth marketing but on a much larger scale and one that is easier to control. 

They can also offer you a new perspective, especially when promoting your brand. It’s important to have a close working relationship with your influencers and develop that connection with them. There’s no need to dictate them and plan out everything on your own. Influencer marketing is a partnership that will benefit your brand in the long run. That is how you will be able to utilize their power and influence in promoting your brand. 

Before working with an Instagram influencer, here are some tips to consider to ensure that you will be able to maximize their influence and power to benefit your brand.

1. Choose your influencer carefully

Although it’s important to choose an influencer for your brand carefully, you will need to have a specific criteria in doing so. Set up a standard checklist for you to follow in choosing an influencer. The items on your checklist should be aligned with your goals.

Don’t just choose an influencer for obvious reasons such as popularity and number of followers. Having lots of followers doesn’t always result in high engagement and conversations. One example of is this Miami-based influencer with 2 million followers who failed to hit an extremely low sales target. It’s important to find someone who can create a genuine connection and engagement with their followers.

Influencers also need brands. That’s why it’s okay to ask them for past data and stats on how they were able to help brands increase awareness, engagements, or sales. Check the quality of their followers, their tone of voice, types of content posted, other platforms, and even their previous brand collaborations. Make sure that no statement, message, or any content they put out before would go out against your brand or product.

2. Identify and align your brand and goals

Know what you want to achieve. Do a lot of research and try to understand the role of an influencer in representing a brand. Explore your options and make sure that your chosen influencer is the perfect fit for your brand. 

An influencer will not be dedicated solely to promoting your products and services on their Instagram account. Having the influencer post excessively about your brand will do more harm than good. Keep in mind that their followers began following their account for certain reasons, so the account needs to maintain that momentum while carefully weaving in promotions. You have to make every post and mention count. 

It’s important to set clear goals so that you can measure the success of the campaign. Are you looking to gain followers for your own account? Trying to hit a specific sales goal? Collect emails through a free trial? Whatever the goal or goals may be, make sure your influencer understands them and has a clear plan of action to help you meet them. 

Prioritize your goals and think about the product that your chosen influencer could best embody and tell a story about. You can consider factors such as the influencer’s personal brand, writing style, image style, and the brands they have previously worked with.

3. Be clear on expectations and responsibilities

Many brands make the mistake of being too casual with influencer relationships and end up being disappointed in the results. As previously mentioned, setting clear goals is essential. Once you have your goals in place, you need to properly lay out your partnership with the influencer.

Will you be paying the influencer a flat rate per post or story or will their payment be dependent on sales or some other metric? Are they going to earn from affiliate sales or be paid in products? Should their services be contracted on an as-needed basis or is this a long term contract? All of these factors are important to consider. 

You will also need to communicate your expectations clearly. For example, avoid vague requests such as “Mention our product in 1 post.” A better way to make your expectations clear would be:

“1 Instagram post with photo featuring you and the product. Caption must contain #ad and be at least 250 characters. Caption should include a personal anecdote that ties back to the product and contain the hashtag #OurProduct. Post must be posted between DATE and DATE and remain live on the Instagram account.” 

By providing a more detailed request, you ensure that both sides of the partnership understand what is expected and avoid unpleasant disappointments. 

4. Work closely with the influencer in creating content

While influencers could certainly copy and paste content you created for them directly onto their Instagram account, you’ll lose the sense of authenticity. Remember, you are working with this particular influencer because of their unique voice and ability to persuade their followers. You want to capitalize on their personal connection with their followers. 

Start by giving the influencer talking points and ensure you stress the “must mentions.” Once they have the basics, encourage them to create a more authentic story that will engage their followers. Get to know and understand the influencer’s way of connecting with his or her followers. Try to find opportunities that would allow you to inject your brand without making it sound forced.

Giving the influencer total freedom on how to promote your brand can be problematic, but if you choose your influencers carefully and create expectations, you can allow quite a bit of creative freedom that can end up working very much in your brand’s favor. 

Is Instagram Influencer Marketing For You?

Are you thinking of getting an Instagram influencer for your business? It’s a good strategy that most businesses can take advantage of when done right. If you’re unsure on how to begin, Fitness Media can tell you more about Instagram influencers. Team up with us today and allow us to find the perfect influencer for your brand.