Influencer Marketing has been growing in popularity over the past few years and stands as one of the critical marketing methods on Instagram. Influencer marketing was estimated to be more than a 13 billion dollar industry in 2021 across all platforms, estimated to grow beyond 16 billion dollars in 2022. Let’s consider platforms like TikTok, Facebook, and Youtube. Instagram is the fastest growing social media platform for influencer marketing, with about 68% of marketing specialists turning to the platform for their influencer marketing campaigns. 

There is no doubt whatsoever that every brand and social media agency needs to make the most of this specific marketing aspect to execute successful campaigns. Before getting into the intricacies of Instagram influencer marketing, it is interesting to find out how and why this marketing tactic has become such a viral and integral part of social media marketing. 

Let’s get started.

The Death of Television Ads

As poetic as it may sound, the statement stands as correct. Now it’s essential to understand that we are only speaking about popularity in this case. Television ads still have a massive pull when it comes to pushing sales for brands. However, according to a reputed social media marketing agency called Zenith, 2022 stands to be the year during which social media ads overtake television ads. The fact stands to be astonishing and evident to us at the same time. 

Advertisers will spend over 170 billion dollars on social media advertising in 2022 alone. This number is expected to rise to over 225 billion dollars by 2024, making social media account for over 26 percent of all advertising spending. Studies show that B2C marketing is worth over 15 billion dollars, with B2B influencers catching up fast. 

In this era of influencer marketing, Instagram is the platform of choice. Bloglovin surveyed by speaking to over 2500 micro-influencers who preferred Instagram over all social media platforms. At this point, over 23 percent of global social media users follow influencers, with Instagram accounting for over 60% of platform engagement. We can conclude by saying that Instagram is the best place for influencer marketing. Instagram has also altered its UI so influencers have more avenues to create unique content. 

What Accounts for the Popularity of Influencer Marketing?

Influencer marketing takes a step back from the generic concept of celebrity endorsement of brands. Most influencers are normal people who have built up a following owing to their reviews and endorsement of products that they actually follow. 

TV ads were all about the glitz and glamor. The bigger the celebrity, the bigger the product sales. To be absolutely honest, that trend has still not faded. However, Instagram made way for regular people to showcase the actual benefits of a service or product. Viewers preferred to follow these influencers more than celebrities they were sure did not even use the product. The raging popularity accounted for brands making these influencers their representatives in no time. 

In fact, considering the rapid pace at which some influencers have gained popularity over the years, they are considered nothing short of celebrities at this point. The trend that is taking over currently is the rise of micro-influencers. These influencers have a following anywhere between 2k to 10k. Instagrammers prefer the authenticity of the opinion of these influencers even more than big-shot influencers with millions of followers. 

Another primary reason for the popularity of influencer marketing on Instagram is the dominance of Gen Z on the platform. A survey conducted by Global Index showcases that more 16 to 24-year-olds have visited Instagram than Facebook since 2019. 

Considering the target audience, influencer marketing works wonders as the new generation depends on authenticity and customer reviews over high-flying commercial ads. 

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How to Set Up an Effective Influencer Marketing Campaign on Instagram?

Understanding these pointers will allow you to set up and execute an effective influencer marketing campaign. It must be stated that results vary based on the industry you’re dealing with. For instance, the impact of influencers is maximum when it comes to cosmetics, makeup, or skincare products. Understanding the core industry is also important to execute an effective campaign. 

Let’s begin with understanding the cost of influencer campaigns.

Understanding Costs When Executing Influencer Marketing Campaigns. 

Influencer marketing campaigns need not be expensive at the same time, the basic cost of your campaign will depend on whom you’re hiring for your brand. When it comes to super influencers like Kylie Jenner, Kim Kardashian, or even an A-list celebrity like Dwayne Johnson, your costs can skyrocket, However, that is not what we are looking for. Our primary goal is to understand the cost for micro to mid-tier influencers. 

How to Evaluate Basic Cost?

The general rule of thumb is to evaluate an influencer’s follower count and rate of engagement. Hootsuite points out that the unspoken industry standard is hundred dollars for every ten thousand followers. This cost is not absolute as the deliverables which involve posts, stories, and reels matter as well. 

Prepare to negotiate on deliverables. Also, take overhead costs, logistics, and production costs into account. Chalking out all of these aspects in detail will allow you to reach a reliable number. 

Our advice is to always ask for a package deal when it comes to a campaign. This allows you to get to a number that you’re comfortable with. 

What About B2B Influencer rate considerations?

B2B influencers charge based on the time and effort that goes into executing the deliverables rather than the quantity of content. These influencers generally offer a package deal that takes a bundle of services into account. Rates can vary depending on the number of days that are involved in their engagement. 

Never Forget Budgeting for Promotions

It is necessary to target the right audiences through streamlined ads. Allocating a budget for ads gives you an understanding of how extensive your influencer campaign can be. Also, it allows you the opportunity to hire multiple influencers if the budget works. Ads are a huge part of influencer marketing and can make or break your campaign. Having the right PPC person or agency becomes paramount in this situation, 

How to Find the Right Influencers for your Campaign?

Pairing the right influencer with the right industry is paramount for your influencer marketing campaign to be successful. This is where defining your campaign comes into the picture. As a brand, you have set targets for your campaign and match the right influencers to help achieve your end goal. 

Regardless to say that your influencer should somehow be associated with the same industry. The second most important aspect is judging the creativity and quality of the content of the influencer in question. Social media content is all about quality. Even when it comes to the biggest influencers, the quality of the content and how it is portrayed have a major impact on the success of your campaign. 

Having a clear understanding of these two aspects will help you narrow down your search. Now it comes down to the options of finding the right influencers. 

Searching for Brand-Related Hashtags

It might just be that your ideal influencer is already a fan of your brand. Things become very easy in situations like this. Integral aspects like brand specifics and brand voice need not be illustrated further in such situations. 

The easiest way to find such influencers is to simply conduct a search of the relevant brand hashtags, and Instagram will do the rest for you. For upcoming and new brands, collaborating with micro-influencers can be a great way to execute a successful brand campaign. 

For example, with the surge in popularity of curly-girl products (haircare products dedicated to curly hair), most brands rely on micro-influencers to educate their prime clientele. Considering the fact that most of these influencers use the products themselves, they are better able to illustrate the authenticity, benefits, and USPs of the products. 

Expanding Search for Hashtags

What if you’re in the process of establishing a brand? Or just not a brand yet? Expanding your search for industry-related keywords can help you connect with the right influencers. 

For instance, if you run a service-based business that is looking to promote an offer for small business owners, then your primary target will be entrepreneurial influencers and coaches. In this situation, searching for the hashtag #businessmentor or #bussiness coach has the potential to yield the right results. 

Using Appropriate Tools

Resorting to technology is always an option to be considered. Tools like Ninja Outreach, Influence.co, etc. can help you find relevant B2C influencers, whereas, Buzzsumo and Onalytica can pinpoint the right B2B influencers.

This is where a social media agency comes in real handy. As a part of social media services, we offer influencer outreach right here at ATop Digital. 

How To Execute a Successful Influencer Campaign?

Follow these steps to effectively execute an influencer marketing campaign. 

• Define Your Goals 

Most influencer marketing campaigns are targeted to reach out to newer audiences. This is generally looked upon as the primary goal of an influencer marketing Instagram campaign. Contrary to popular belief, most influencer campaigns are not targeted toward pushing sales. At the same time, we are not saying that influencer marketing campaigns cannot be targeted toward driving sales. It is important to figure out how your influencer marketing campaign fits into your entire social media plan.

• Who Are You Targeting?

Communication is the cornerstone of an effective Instagram influencer marketing campaign. Ask yourself three questions. 

• Who are you reaching out to?
• How do you want to communicate with them?
• Do they know about your brand or not?

Answering these three questions will determine the voice of your campaign and also allow you to formulate the right method of communication with your target audience. 

1. Follow the Rules 

Before executing your influencer campaign, you must comply with the rules laid down by the Federal Trade Commission in the USA. 

Disclosure agreements are necessary when executing such campaigns because the FTC takes disclosure very seriously. Influencers are obligated to identify sponsored posts. Certain influencers are not in the habit of doing so or portraying it really subtly. 

These rules vary from country to country; however,  in accordance with the guidelines of the FTC, here are a few ground rules you should be following when executing Instagram influencer marketing campaigns in the USA. 

• Vides must portray verbal and written disclosure of the partnership. This piece of information must be included within the video and not just in the description. 
• Using inbuilt tools is necessary. For instance, any branded content on Instagram must use the ‘Branded Content’ tag to identify the relationship between the brand and the collaborator. 
• Using #ads and #sponsored are effective ways to proclaim disclosure. It is however important to make them properly visible and not lost in a string of longtail hashtags. 

• Always Consider the Three Rs

Influence is all about three primary aspects,

• Relevance
• Reach
• Resonance

Relevance

This applies to influencers who share content relevant to your industry. As discussed above, these influencers showcase content that is relevant to your product or service. 

Reach 

Reach is the number of audiences you can reach out to using the influencer. It is important to understand that small numbers can be very effective; however, understanding the impact of the audience and their relevance becomes very important. 

Resonance

This is the amount of engagement that the influencer can bring. In this case, as well, a huge number is not always what is required. Engaging with your niche audience is what you should be looking for.

• Always Make A List to Tally Details

Weighing out all the possibilities is necessary before taking any kind of concrete action. It’s important to consider the Rs, your goals, and your entire social media campaign before choosing the right influencer for your brand. 

• Reach out Personally

A private message is always better than reaching out to a corporation. It is important to be appreciative and also refer to them as ‘content creators rather than influencers. Make them a part of your campaign by explaining your vision and also hearing out their suggestions. The more your steer away from making it sound like a business proposition, the more lucrative it will be for you. 

• Keep a Tab on Results

Analytics help you determine the success of your campaign. It also helps you understand and learn more about your future campaigns. Using the right tools to measure analytics to measure the effectiveness of your influencer marketing campaign is as important as the campaign itself.

Conclusion 

Having the complete knowledge of influencer marketing will help you execute budgeted and effective campaigns. In most situations, it gets difficult for small businesses to take on every single responsibility. Hiring a social media agency like ours can ease your stress and actually allow you to concentrate on your business. Visit our website today to learn more about our social media marketing services. 

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