What is Instagram?
Unflagging popularity, billions of photos and no fewer users… we are talking about Instagram – Insta, or simply IG.
Designed with mobile devices in mind, it quickly won the hearts of a wide range of people, including many influencers. It is an ideal advertising platform in almost every field.
The picture tells the truth
Instagram is one of the most popular social platforms, built on images – photos, graphics, infographics, video. The visual content published on it is described with hashtags (words preceded by “#” that act as tags) which assign photos to specific categories. Once described, they can be filtered using the hashtags typed into Instagram’s search bar. This lets users easily find content on the subjects that interest them. It is not, however, the most frequently used IG feature – “blind” scrolling through profiles and the photos posted on them has become far more engaging, and eye-catching content and accounts can count on express popularity.
A profile of possibilities
In the app you can follow both private profiles and professional, official ones – companies, celebrities and influencers. Standard Instagram accounts are used for interaction on a private level, and the surrounding community in this case is made up largely of friends or people the account holder “knows”, for example by sight. Professional IG profiles are used for more official communication. They are a deliberate image creation, whose form is meant to prompt particular behaviours in followers. These depend on the influencer and their potential advertising partnerships.
Influencers on Instagram
An influencer develops well-thought-out creative concepts for their profile. They dose content strategically and analyse the audience reactions it provokes. They draw conclusions and, where necessary, adjust the way they communicate to their own goals or those of the advertiser. Running influencer marketing campaigns on Instagram opens up great opportunities. One of the main reasons advertising messages work is that they accurately reach specific target groups. On a platform such as Instagram this is not very complicated – and certainly simpler than in traditional media. All it takes is choosing the right influencer whose profile matches the brand’s values, who will present the brand and its products to their followers in a thoughtful, attractive way.
The influencer under the magnifying glass
Creators will be creators – they are remarkably diverse. When choosing a brand’s temporary representative – an influencer – you should look above all at the industry and subject area they work in. A thorough analysis of the profile and the content published matters more than a choice made on the basis of, say, the influencer’s superficial visual appeal.
For example, if we sell dietary supplements and are looking for an influencer who is a dietitian, let’s choose one who genuinely supports and recommends supplementation, not one who would do so only for the financial rewards of an advertising partnership. If their clients and followers are well aware of the creator’s views, they will certainly not believe content that contradicts them, wrapped in the label “paid partnership”.
Get to know the creator, dispel your doubts
Choosing an influencer solely on the subject category they represent is not enough for a satisfying partnership. Before entering into one, you should first analyse a range of traits that define the creator.
That is exactly why we try to get to know creators as well as we can before bringing them into our influencer database. We focus on visual traits as well as on specialist knowledge in particular fields. We believe it is possible to find a creator who perfectly captures the brand’s character, and thanks to whom it will win a host of new fans. Through an effectively run influencer marketing campaign, many brands have the chance to stand out in a crowded product market.
A familiar (brand) face
Influencers with a sizeable community on Instagram have already earned the recognition and trust of their followers. A brand starting from scratch is usually not well known and needs time to grow – in that situation it pays to find it a fitting representative and speed up the process of making audiences aware of the value of the products on offer. Partnering with an influencer in the Instagram space brings great benefits and, over time, satisfying profits.
How do you make money on Instagram?
Many influencers work in widely popular subjects – fashion, travel, cosmetics, food, fitness – but there is also a group of creators with a narrower, more niche focus. No subject is unanimously the most financially rewarding. Earnings depend on the way the influencer communicates, the popularity that comes with it and the community’s trust in the creator. At present, to gain a large number of followers in a relatively short time, it is easier to take up a less popular subject. Influencers with a distinctive style will eventually find their online community.
