Instagram influencers are often the first direction a lot of marketers think of when the subject of influencer marketing comes up in a strategy meeting. That doesn’t mean Instagram influencers are the only - or even always the correct - option. Influencer marketing is, after all, a wide world of potential creative partnerships, where YouTube influencers, TikTok influencers, gaming influencers, food influencers, and a good understanding of how Twitch works can all provide unique value propositions and may point toward the perfect solution for your campaign

But of course, there are good reasons that so many marketers still think ‘Instagram-first’ when it comes to influencer marketing. Here, we’ll break down why that is, assess some of the benefits and potential pitfalls of working with Instagram influencers, and give you a solid, topline look at how and why Instagram influencer marketing works.

Instagram and influencer marketing

Why do so many people still gravitate toward Instagram influencers for their marketing? Facebook’s photo-sharing platform is one of the most mainstream and best-established social media environments, meaning a huge, global audience shared by a vast array of influencer talent.

That mass saturation and eclectic user-base means that Instagram influencer marketing can leverage the reach of everyone from carefully selected, highly targeted, local nano-influencers, right up to world-renowned sportspeople and acting talent. And of course, Instagram’s traditionally photo-led presentation means that it’s quick and easy to consume, by anyone, anywhere. There’s power in convenience.

And of course, for marketers, there’s comforting familiarity in the format as well. Where emerging platforms such as TikTok offer brand new approaches to media, messaging, and community culture that are potentially confounding to the uninitiated (while even the more established, longer-form video offering of YouTube comes with a stack of production, presentation, and messaging considerations), the simpler, ‘Picture and caption’ format associated with Instagram is much closer to the physical make-up of the placement advertising many are more at ease with.

Though when planned and executed correctly, Instagram influencer marketing can and should do much more than provide a simple, social media analogue to the bus-stop posters of old.

Instagram influencer marketing strategy

Instagram influencer marketing strategy can be - and should be - as varied as the needs of the brands using it. While Instagram influencer marketing can be negatively synonymous with swathes of cheap, low-effort, lazy (and ineffective) product placements, a good influencer marketing agency will help you unlock the full creative, connective, and storytelling potential of the platform. Simply looking at audience numbers and expecting that ‘Follower count = meaningful reach’ is often a naïve approach.

As such a potentially powerful creative environment (now also sporting all kinds of video and longer-form options), and filled with genuine artistry as well as highly-followed celebrities, Instagram influencer marketing can deliver content and branded artistic work that really resonates and builds genuine goodwill and awareness.

How much does it cost to hire an Instagram influencer?

Instagram influencer pricing, as with the costs of all influencer marketing, varies wildly, and really comes down to working out the best balance of ROI for the specific needs of your campaign. One of our key mantras of influencer marketing wisdom is that bigger is not always better, and that’s as true on Instagram as it is anywhere.

Of course, you might want to get a sponsored post seen by Ronaldo’s 308 million followers, but securing a bit of influencer marketing from the currently highest-priced Instagram influencer will cost you $1.6 million. And when you’re talking about a footballer with a very large, very general, global audience - as opposed to, say, an internet-native content creator who built a more specific, angled and invested community through very intentionally crafted content - you have to debate whether the engagement and genuine influence you’re getting there warrants such inflated Instagram influencer rates.

Instead, you might want to look at Instagram influencer pricing in smaller but more dedicated communities, interest groups, and creative disciplines, who can reach the right audience for you with more targeted, authentically interesting content. You might want to think less about ‘How many people will see this post?’ and more about ‘How many of the right people are going to be impacted by this post?’.

Or if you’re in it for the long-haul, and interested in building long-term, sustained working relationships and advocacy marketing dynamics with Instagram influencers, you may want to consider looking at a larger number of smaller, up-and-coming Instagram influencers, at a lower cost for working with each. That sort of approach will let you establish yourself in, and earn great loyalty from, their passionate, grass-roots communities, while honing very genuine, mutually supportive relationships as those smaller talents grow in stature and following over time.

There are myriad options for optimising the economy and strategy of your Instagram influencer marketing approach, and a good influencer marketing agency will help you appraise and select exactly the right one for you.