The top Instagrammers are celebrities in their own right with several million followers and growing. As I mentioned in my previous post, whether they are showcasing fashion, food, or a particular lifestyle, Instagrammers are influencing a broad range of consumers especially Millennials (nearly half on Instagram are age 34 and under) and brands have taken notice.
Millennials are strongly influenced by social media especially on Instagram. In just a few years, Instagram has grown to 500 million users with more than 300 million using it every single day. This photo-based medium provides a great opportunity for brands to collaborate with leading influencers.
Here’s How Brands can Best Partner with Instagrammers
Research those influencers whose niche fits your brand
Instagrammers have become successful by amassing videos and photos around their own particular specialty such as fashion, health & wellness, travel, adventure and food. When seeking to collaborate with Instagrammers, research the top ones that best reflect your product or brand.
Determine your marketing spend
The top Instagrammers are receiving $15K + per post and in some cases up to $25K+ per post. If this is too rich for your budget, you may want to research those influencers with a reach of 100,000 – 500,000. This is still a good size audience and the fees will be much more affordable in the $750 up to $3,000 range per post.
Decide on your objectives and strategy
Whether you are introducing a new product or attempting to reach a new audience for your current product, you’ll want to decide upfront what your goals are and the best strategy for your Instagram campaign. This could include partnering with one Instagrammer or several at the same time with a contest or other key draw.
When Madewell decided to launch an Instagram campaign designed to promote the anniversary of their signature tote, they partnered with five fashion influencers. The company also reposted the Instagrammers’ photos, featuring them on their company blog. The results reached over a million targeted consumers.
Personalize your approach when contacting Instagram Influencers
Instagram influencers that are open to advertising opportunities typically include their email address in their bio and often a Kik contact name (a messaging app commonly used by the Instagram community). But keep in mind that these are real people who take pride in their work – when reaching out, don’t send a generic e-mail.
Similar to working with bloggers, you’ll receive a better response if you personalize your approach. This includes noting what you like best about their page and why they would be a perfect fit for your brand promotion. This will help to ensure a more beneficial collaboration.
Negotiate Price
Don’t be shy about negotiating on price. Occasionally, Instagrammers may be willing to negotiate or take a free product/service/experience as part of that fee. Keep in mind that you are paying for more than one service and this includes content creation, usage rights, and access to their audience. Make sure that you have permission to repurpose the picture on your own Instagram page or website. You’ll want to get as much mileage out these posts as possible.
Working with Instagram influencers is a great way to tap into an engage audience (especially Millennials) that perfectly fits your brand niche. Let us know if you need any assistance or if we can answer your questions. You can reach me at Heidi@fulltiltmarketing.net. To learn more about how Instagrammers are influencing large audiences, check out my previous post.
Written by Heidi McIntyre
Managing Partner
Heidi@FullTiltMarketing.net
