Influencer marketing on Instagram is one of the most effective ways to increase your brand awareness, boost brand loyalty, and drive sales. However, you need the right strategy to get the best results. Read on to find out why and how to incorporate Instagram in your marketing strategy, and what you can learn from three inspirational DTC brands.
What is Instagram influencer marketing?
Instagram influencer marketing involves collaborating with influencers and creators to promote a brand's products or services.
Brands do it to reach new and engaged audiences, which helps them acquire new customers and boost sales.
For example, this post of Kendall Jenner promoting apparel brand Tommy Hilfiger reached 19.2M people, driving 1.9M likes and €153k in estimated media value.
That’s the power of influencer marketing.
Why use Instagram for Influencer Marketing?
Instagram is one of the most popular and effective channels for influencer marketing. In fact, 47% of influencer marketers say Instagram is their preferred platform. Why? Let’s take a look at why Insta is a great choice for creator marketing.
Huge reach
Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms in the world, with two billion active users. This means brands can use Instagram to tap into a large pool of users across different demographics around the globe and reach their target audience.
High ROI
Ultimately, marketers want to see a return on their investment. And according to HubSpot, Instagram is the best channel to drive ROI with influencer marketing and has the biggest potential for brands to grow their audience.
Reach high-income audiences
Sure, TikTok is arguably “cooler” these days. But millennials and Gen X hang out on Insta more than TikTok. In fact, over 45% of the platform’s users are aged 25-44. And they have significantly higher disposable incomes than Gen Z does.
How much is Instagram influencer marketing?
Influencer fees can vary widely. Your budget dictates not just who you can collaborate with but also the scale and scope of your campaign. You should consider:
- Influencer fees
- Content production cost
- Any additional expenses such as giveaways or special promotions
Let’s break down the costs you should be thinking about to make the most of your investment.
Influencer fees vary based on various factors, including how many followers they have, how engaged these followers are, their niche, and the content type. Typically, smaller influencers with engaged audiences might charge less, but they can be very effective.
Here is what you can expect Instagram influencer marketing to cost you:
- Micro-Influencers (1,000 - 100,000 followers): Expect to pay these influencers a few hundred to a couple of thousand dollars per post. They might have fewer followers, but their audience engagement can be high.
- Macro-Influencers(100,000 - 1 million followers): These influencers usually charge more, often thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars per post due to their broader reach.
- Mega Influencers and celebrities (1 million+ followers): For these high-profile influencers, the fees can be substantial, often exceeding tens of thousands per post.
Remember, it’s not just about the cost, it’s about the return on investment. A post from an influencer can give your sales a significant boost.
For example, star influencer Pamela Reif recently mentioned sustainable deodorant brand Wild in her stories. This campaign drove €134k in estimated media value for the brand.
For more details about how much influencer collaborations cost, check out our deep-dive article: “How much does influencer marketing really cost?”
If you are on a tight budget, it might be an option to run an influencer seeding campaign. Influencer seeding or gifting involves offering free products, hopefully in return for visibility. If the Instagram influencer likes your product, maybe they’ll share you for free in their story or make a review about your brand.
How to do Instagram influencer marketing
Here are the steps you need to take to set your brand up for success with influencer marketing on Instagram.
Define clear goals and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Start by asking, "What do I want to achieve?" This could range from increasing brand awareness and enhancing brand image to driving sales or growing your follower base. Each goal requires a different approach and influencer type.
Then, based on your objectives, establish measurable KPIs. For brand awareness, focus on reach, impressions, and engagement rates. For sales, track conversion rates, click-through rates, and ROI. Remember, the more specific your goals, the easier it will be to measure success.
Choose the type of Instagram campaign and content
One key decision is the kind of Instagram campaign you want to run, and the content you need. This choice should align with the goals you've set earlier. There are various campaign types to consider:
Sponsored posts: This is where influencers create and share content promoting your brand on their Instagram profiles. These posts need to be tagged as sponsored to meet advertising guidelines.
Influencer Generated Content (IGC): In this setup, you post content on your brand's Instagram account featuring influencers. This can be a great way to directly engage your audience while leveraging the influencer's credibility.
Product reviews: Influencers can review your products on their channels. The key here is authenticity – allowing influencers to give their honest opinions can boost credibility with their audience.
Giveaways and contests: You can provide products to influencers for contests or giveaways. This can be an effective way to engage both the influencer’s audience, and increase brand visibility.
As for the types of content formats, Instagram offers several options:
Standard posts: Single images with captions. These are the bread and butter of Instagram content.
Instagram Stories: These are temporary 24-hour posts that are perfect for more candid, behind-the-scenes content, or time-sensitive promotions.
Reels: This includes long and short-form videos, which are particularly good for dynamic, engaging storytelling.
Each of these formats offers unique advantages and can be mixed and matched to suit your campaign goals.
Find Instagram influencers
To be successful, you need to find the right influencers for your brand. There are many ways to find influencers, including:
- Storyclash AI Influencer search
- Storyclash Influencer Discovery
- Social media research
- Competitor analysis
- Your network
A good way to find Instagram influencers for free is with storyclash.ai. Just describe what kind of Instagram influencer you are looking for, and hit “Do Magic.”
You’ll find a bunch of suggestions that fit what you’re looking for:
To apply filters and contact influencers directly, try using the full Influencer Discovery suite from Storyclash.
Influencer briefing and contract signing
Before you jump into the collaboration, there are a couple of boring yet important administrative steps.
First, before working with an Instagram influencer you need an influencer contract.
An influencer contract is a legally binding document that covers all aspects of the collaboration, including payment terms, content ownership, deliverables, deadlines, and any legal requirements. This can help ensure that all necessary details are covered so there are no surprises later. Use our handy free influencer contract template to speed up the process.
You’ll also need a clear and detailed influencer marketing brief that outlines your campaign goals, target audience, content expectations, and any specific requirements or guidelines. This ensures that both you and the influencer are on the same page regarding what's expected.
Track, measure, and optimize your Instagram influencer campaign
It’s important to monitor the performance of your campaign against your KPIs. Track metrics such as reach, likes, shares, website traffic, and conversions. Storyclash makes it easy to track Instagram stories (up to one year later) and create reports on your Instagram campaigns.
Then, you can use the data gathered to refine your strategy. Identify which collaborations and messaging resonate with your target audience and help you achieve your goals, and adjust your approach accordingly.
Continuous learning and adaptation are key to long-term success in influencer marketing.
To learn more about how to run powerful Influencer marketing campaigns, check out our complete guide to influencer marketing strategy guide and grab the free checklist.
Do’s and don’ts of influencer campaigns
Here are some things to bear in mind to ensure your Instagram influencer marketing campaigns are successful.
Do …
- Be selective and only work with influencers who are a great fit for your brand
- Content comes first! Check the influencer's posts & stories to see if it's authentic, don't rely too much on numbers
- Collaborate with influencers who genuinely love your products
- Ensure sponsored posts are labeled correctly
- Share the influencer’s content and use it for your other channels
- Be authentic and let your influencer share relatable content
Don’t …
- Get carried away by the number of followers
- Give overly strict briefings
- Forget to track and measure the results
3 examples of amazing Instagram Influencer Marketing
Now let’s take a look at these three top DTC & Lifestyle brands (who are all Storyclash customers, by the way) and how they approach influencer marketing.
Gina Tricot
Swedish fashion retailer Gina Tricot uses influencer marketing to increase brand awareness, drive traffic, and boost sales. They focus on growing a network of influencers and strengthening relationships by reaching out to new influencers daily.
Gina Tricot understands the importance of monitoring influencer content and analyzing results. They use Storyclash to track key content KPIs, such as reach and media value, for all Instagram content types, including stories. They then integrate the most engaging influencer content into their own channels, a practice known as influencer-generated content (IGC).
Key Takeaways:
- Track Instagram stories and all other content to get a complete picture of performance
- Analyze KPIs of influencer content to identify top-performing posts and stories
- Re-use high-performing influencer content on your own channels to maximize its impact
everdrop
Sustainable cleaning products startup everdrop collaborates with various influencers to raise brand awareness. They specifically seek out influencers who are genuinely enthusiastic about their eco-friendly products to ensure authentic partnerships.
Everdrop's influencer marketing team tracks brand mentions to find influencers, brands, and media talking about them. They use discount codes and swipe-up links to track sales from individual influencers and set relevant KPIs to compare campaign performance.
The team also searches for influencers using keywords like "sustainability" and "cleaning" to find brand-fit partners. After each campaign, they create comprehensive reports to share results with the team.
Key Takeaways:
- Track brand mentions to identify potential influencer partners and monitor campaign performance
- Use discount codes and swipe-up links to attribute sales to individual influencers
- Set relevant KPIs and compare them to previous campaigns to measure success and optimize future efforts
- Find brand-fit influencers by searching for relevant keywords related to your products or values
- Share campaign results with easy-to-understand reports to keep your team informed and aligned
Yepoda
Skincare brand Yepoda has achieved impressive growth through an influencer-first marketing approach. They exclusively partner with influencers who perfectly fit their brand, ensuring optimal results and the highest ROI.
Yepoda conducts deep analyses of each influencer's Instagram activities, including the number of stories posted within a specific timeframe and the usage of swipe-up links. They also compare influencer KPIs, such as average interaction rate, fan growth, and post frequency across various platforms. The team stays updated on industry trends and uses influencer content to find inspiration and identify brand-fit partners.
Key Takeaways:
- Analyze influencer content over an extended period to gain a full understanding of their performance and fit
- Compare KPIs and content to thoroughly vet influencers
- Search influencer content to stay inspired, identify trends, and find brand-fit influencers
Join the most successful DTC influencer brands
Wild, Gina Tricot, everdrop, Yepoda, and many more leading brands trust Storyclash.If you are serious about leveraging influencer marketing to drive real business results, you’ll get better results by using a professional tool. Storyclash can help you:
● Find the right influencers based on the content they share (not just those with the most followers)
● Track Instagram stories
● Manage all your influencer marketing campaigns
To learn more, read about finding the right influencers, our list of the 36+ best influencer marketing platforms or talk to an influencer marketing expert from Storyclash.