Instagram Influencer Marketing: How To Find and Work With Influencers

Digital marketing is rapidly taking over the marketing industry, with influencer marketing being the most popular form. One of the best online marketing platforms is Instagram.

As per the latest reports, Instagram has the highest number of influencers, and 80.8% of marketers are likely to use the platform for influencer marketing campaigns.

Do you want a piece of this pie and engage your target audience like all these marketers are getting?

You need to follow the correct influencer marketing strategies.

But what does Instagram influencer marketing entail, how much does it cost, and why do you need to choose it?

We will share everything you need to know about Instagram influencers and how you can connect with them and get your Instagram marketing campaign live.

Without further ado, let’s get moving.

What is Instagram Influencer Marketing?

Instagram influencer marketing is a form of social media marketing that involves a partnership between your brand and influencers (social media content creators) on Instagram.

The essence of the collaboration is for the creators to promote and endorse your products or services on Instagram, and you compensate them in return.

Since Instagram is becoming the norm for many marketers, you probably need to ride on the hype to keep up with your competitors.

Who is an Instagram influencer? 

These are Instagram users who have built a following on the platform and can persuade their audience by virtue of their trustworthiness and authenticity.

Marketing Charts – a marketing insight firm, conducted a survey on a sample size of consumers across Australia, Germany, Sweden, the UK, and the US.

What were the results?

21% of viewers made a purchase after clicking an influencer’s post, and 16% did not click on the post but later made a purchase inspired by that post. Also, 26% made a purchase after seeing the post, even though it wasn’t due to the endorsement. 

This just shows how much influence creators have on the purchase decisions made by their followers. 

Let’s also look at some of the influencers operating on Instagram.

Types of Influencers on Instagram

Having a huge following on Instagram does not necessarily translate into more sales. Such influencers offer a wider audience, but that does not mean influencers with fewer followers can’t get the job done.

Some people insinuate that sponsored promotions from nano influencers are more authentic than those from other creators with a huge follower count.

Here are the five types of influencers on Instagram:

• Nano: 1K to 10K followers (Smaller audience but High average engagement rate).
• Micro: From 10K to 50K followers.
• Mid-tier: From 50K to 500K.
• Macro: 500K to 1M.
• Mega: 1M+ (Larger audience but lower average engagement rate).

Why Choose Instagram Influencer Marketing?

We know you probably wonder why we are talking about Instagram only and not any other social media platform. As many as there are several platforms that influencers can utilize, and they serve the same purpose, none matches what Instagram offers.

Here is why we think you should choose Instagram influencer marketing:

#1: Gram offers higher engagement than the rest of social networks 

Do you know that Instagram has more than 500 million daily active users?

Even though it is not as huge as Facebook, YouTube, and WhatsApp, the platform is more engaging than its counterparts.

For instance, a study reports that users on Instagram are likely to comment, like, or share a post 58 times more than users on Facebook.

Cristiano Ronaldo – Binance partnership post on Instagram garnered more than 2 million likes

#2: Instagram influencing offers higher social sales

Many businesses might not know that ambassadorship, collaborations, and product gifting are much more cost-efficient than traditional advertising channels. Instagram influencers can estimate how much value they can add to your business beforehand.

You’ll learn how much it costs to promote your brand through the creators based on the audience size and engagement rates. 

On top of that, the influencers will endorse and promote your products to an already existing audience (their followers). We have already established how much influence Instagram creators have on their followers – the nexus between brand awareness and social sales is undeniable. 

#3: Instagram’s visuals ensure that your brand has a face

If your Instagram influencers can pull off a masterpiece with the promotions, your brand gets to have authenticity and a face. The competition to capture the online market is stiff.

That is why it is important to ensure that you humanize your brand – have people telling your brand’s story instead of just posting pictures of your products.

Instagram has the range for you to do that; we are talking about Instagram stories, posts, reels, and live streams, allowing influencers to engage audiences in real-time.

#4: Instagram influencing enables you to build long-term relationships

What good is an advertisement if it doesn’t help you build a returning customer base?

There is a marketing rule that says customers commit to a purchasing decision after interacting with an ad at least seven times.

Instagram influencers have a unique way of endorsing products without people feeling like it’s being forced down their throats, and this might just be what your brand needs to thrive.

Ultimately, it also allows you to build robust relationships with the targeted audiences. 

How to Build an Instagram Influencer Marketing Strategy

If Instagram is the best platform to establish your influencer marketing campaigns, then you must know how to create a winning strategy.

Let’s talk about the essentials of building an Instagram influencer marketing strategy.

#1: Define Your Goals

“The first step is to ask yourself what your goal is.  Why do you want to work with an influencer? Obviously, making more sales is a big one, but there are other options you might not have thought about.”

“Examples of common goals are building brand awareness and strengthening brand image.  You may also want to increase your social media engagement. Or you could focus on improving conversions like newsletter subscribers, free trial signups, and email list building,” says Shopify’s creative strategist, Michelle Bali.