Why Companies Use Instagram Influencers to Sell More Products
Social media has changed the way companies advertise and interact with their customers, because their target audience is plugged into a virtual world on the Internet. One popular social media outlet companies are using to advertise is Instagram. It has amassed more than 500 million users since its launch in 2010 and showcases a diverse array of consumer products such as food, fashion, and fitness. Instagram is an opportunity for businesses to spread brand awareness, connect with target audiences and influence new spending habits.
Why use Instagram for marketing?
Instagram is particularly popular among millennials who are a target audience for companies wanting to use social media to connect and spread their brand. In fact, 41 percent of Instagram’s monthly active users are between the ages of 16 and 24. Instagram is visually driven more than any other social media outlet, because content is shared through captured photographs and short videos rather than long winded posts. It is just starting to be used as a marketing platform meaning it is not overly saturated with brands. With Instagram, companies can easily connect and engage audiences by using key influencers who are already interacting with target customers in an authentic and genuine way.
What are Instagram influencers?
An Instagram influencer is someone who has amassed a large following in the social media platform. It is not just the following that makes them an influencer, but the ability to create a response or action from their connections. These qualities are valuable to brands looking to grow and expand their existence. An Influencer does not have to be a celebrity, but is someone who has spent several years sharing original content, building relationships and establishing trust with followers. A collaboration forms when a brand wants to target the Instagrammers’ audience. The influencer will create, publish, and promote pictures or videos with targeted hashtags that are sponsored by the brand. Because of the level of existing trust, the influencer is able to drive their audience into making purchasing decisions and add credibility to the products they promote.
How do you find the perfect influencer?
One of the simplest ways to find an influencer is to search Instagram hashtags and words that are related to your brand. You will want an influencer who best match your marketing goals whether boosting sales, reaching a new engagement rate, promoting an event, or increasing content creation. The most influential Instagram stars already have an established voice in your related niche and whose followers are individuals that fall in your target audience. The more engagement an influencer’s content receives; the better results your campaign will have. Influencers with original content tend to have a more genuine and authentic relationship with their audience and user generated content will give more credibility to your brand. The best way to get an influencer to share or promote your content is to build a relationship with them. Popular Instagram users get multiple requests to showcase brands, so you need to comment on their posts, share their updates, read their blogs and interact with them.
Does influencer marketing work?
In a recent study, TapInfluence found that social media influence marketing is 11 times more effective than banner ads. Businesses can no longer rely on typical Internet ads to reach customers, because there are more than 198 million people worldwide using ad blockers. Consumers are strongly influenced by what they view on social media. Instagrammers share more than 95 million photos every day bombarding viewers with brands and experiences they will want to try. In a survey by Linqia, 94 percent of businesses who use influencer marketing believes it works. Responders said top benefits of influencer marketing is creating authentic content, driving engagement around their brand, and sending traffic to their websites.
Whether a startup or a conglomerate, an Instagram influencer campaign can help boost sales and spread awareness of a new product. Top fashion brand Chanel partnered with influencers to raise awareness for their new perfume. Chanel gave influencers an inside look at how they create perfumes and each shared interesting images and branded hashtags from their tour. Within one month, the campaign generated a million likes and exposed the upcoming product to more than nine million social media users. A Swedish watchmaker Daniel Wellington collaborated with influencers to post photos of the watches with a discount code in the comments. The campaign helped Daniel Wellington evolve from a $150,000 startup to a brand worth more than $220 million in less than five years.
Social media is used by today’s customers to reach the brands they are interested in and Instagram is becoming one of the best places to advertise to the millennial generation. The platform is not over saturated with marketing content or advertisements. Key influencers give brands greater awareness, stronger consumer engagement, and a more positive online reputation. Not taking advantage of built-in social media audiences will hurt companies trying to stay competitive in their market.
