16Dec2019
Influencer marketing is one of the most effective types of digital marketing. It becomes even more efficient when you use it on such social media platforms as Instagram or Facebook rather than simply getting in touch with blog authors. Without further ado, here is everything about influencer marketing on Instagram you should know about.
Benefits of Influencer Marketing on Instagram
The potential of influencer marketing on Instagram is endless. There are so many opportunities and things that you can benefit from that it is mind-blowing. Here are some advantages to consider:
- The Functionality of the Platform: Even though Instagram is a primarily visual platform, it allows you to post almost any kind of content. From images to videos to GIFs – this social media website is suitable for nearly everything. You also have the option of Stories and IGTV as well as the ability to write relatively long captions. There is also a feature that allows you to link products on photos directly.
- The Cost of Advertising: Advertising on social media is much cheaper than traditional advertising. In fact, if you use influencer marketing as the main strategy for your business, you might not need to spend all that much at all while the return will be enormous.
- The Exposure and Audience Availability: Social media platforms are all perfect for getting exposure and building your following base with the help of an audience that is already actively looking for the content you are willing to provide it with. The reason for this is that people look for posts tagged with certain hashtags, so if you use hashtags in your posts, you will be able to get to these users easily. The influencers you work with will direct their followers to your business account and your audience will grow that way.
Basics of Influencer Marketing on Instagram
The logic of influencer marketing is simple: you, as a business owner, pay influencers to advertise and promote your products. You will need to find big or small influencers in your niche or industry who will advertise your products and get paid for it.
Of course, influencer marketing will require you to follow some rules outlined by the influencer you will be working with, but you can still have a say in it too. Think about the target audience, the hashtags you want them to use, the type of content, and so on.
For example, if you know that a certain product of yours will be more suitable for foreign audiences, you might want to ask the influencer to translate the post with the help of an online translation service like The Word Point. However, you need to keep in mind that you will first have to discuss such details with them.
Once you are ready, start looking for influencers to promote your products or services. As a brand or business owner, it is your responsibility to find the influencers rather than them looking for you.
Mistakes to Avoid While Using Influencer Marketing
Just like with any type of marketing, there are some mistakes you will want to avoid while using influencer marketing on Instagram. Some of them are quite obvious while others are not that much, but all of them are important. Here are some things to keep in mind:
- Audience Misinterpretation: If you don’t know your audience, you will never be able to sell anything. Many marketers who are only beginners in influencer marketing often misinterpret their audience and end up selling the wrong products or creating the wrong content. If your target audience isn’t interested in what you have to offer, then it is not your target audience. You must understand the market in order to be able to succeed with influencer marketing on Instagram, and there is no other route you can take for this.
- Hashtag Misusage: Hashtags are great, and that’s the whole point. If you use the wrong hashtags, your content simply won’t get discovered by the right people. If you don’t use any hashtags at all, you are risking staying in the shadows forever. Do your research properly and know what you are doing and how you are promoting it. And always remember that hashtags are the most important part of your influencer marketing campaign.
- No Clear Agenda: What do you want your audience to do? What is your aim? If you don’t have clear goals for your influencer marketing, then your actions won’t lead to anything. Instead, you need to have a set of values, a mission for your brand, and a message that you will be sending out to your audience. You have to include a clear call to action in your posts to motivate your followers to do what you want them to do (e.g. follow your account, buy your product, participate in your giveaway, etc.)
- Secretive Nature: Influencer marketing is about being as public as possible (as much as Instagram allows you to be), so being secretive is a complete opposite of what you want to be doing. Some influencer marketers believe that they need to hide the fact that they partnered with another brand which is one of the worst mistakes you could ever make. Showing that you collaborated with another brand will help you increase your authority and reliability, widen your audience, get more exposure, and so much more. Be bolder and put yourself out there.
- Content Inconsistency: Posting inconsistently is another mistake many beginners make. You need to make sure that there is a general style present in your content and that you are using a tone that defines your brand voice. You want to create a certain brand image and doing so with your content is the easiest path to take. In addition to that, you will need to make a schedule for yourself with when you post and what kind of content you post. For example, you could be posting Stories daily, IGTV monthly, and regular images three times a week.
Influencer marketing can be a very effective technique when done right. In fact, you can make it an integral part of your digital marketing strategy and benefit from its many advantages. Follow the tips in this article and you will be able to create an efficient influencer marketing campaign.
Text: Frank Hamilton
Photo: Pexels
