The Lion's Den

Do Influencers Use Instagram Ads?

Influencer Marketing
Do Influencers Use Instagram Ads?

Influencer marketing is a powerful way for businesses to get their brand name and products in front of new audiences. However, you may be wondering how influencers run campaigns or if influencers use Instagram ads. 

How Do Instagram Influencers Run Campaigns?

When an influencer partners with a company, they run campaigns by creating and posting content that promotes the brand’s products or services to their followers. This is an effective marketing strategy that promotes a brand to highly targeted audiences who will be interested in what the brand has to offer. The process that influencers use to run campaigns typically involves:

  • Forming a partnership: The influencer connects with a brand they want to work with that offers products they believe their audience will love. Forming a partnership will involve setting up the details of a paid partnership program, including the number of posts the influencer will make, the pay rate, and the type of content they will create. 
  • Learn about the brand: The influencer should take the time to learn about the brand and the products or services they offer. It’s the best practice for influencers to use the product or service themselves and learn about the brand’s mission to effectively present it to their audience. 
  • Create and post promotional content: Influencers will then create and post promotional content that aligns with the company’s goals. Influencer promotions that are the most successful will allow influencers to have some creativity with the type of content they make for the promotion. 
  • Provide influencer-specific links: Generally, influencers are given their own link for branded promotions. Influencer-specific links help companies track success from promotional posts. Influencers may also be given a discount code they can provide to their audience to drive more link clicks and sales volume. 

By following all these steps, influencers can create promotional campaigns and implement them as part of their regular content. If an influencer works with a brand for a long time, they may also update posting strategies to optimize promotions for success. 

How Do You Collaborate with Influencers on Instagram Marketing?

The best way to find and collaborate with Instagram influencers for marketing promotions is to use an influencer marketing platform. Influencer marketing platforms can act as an Instagram influencer marketplace where you can find and connect with influencers who best fit your needs. 

Lionize’s influencer marketing platform can help you connect with the right influencers. Our artificial intelligence software helps guide you through a process where you can provide details about your company and marketing objectives. Lionize then finds you a detailed list of influencers in your niche who will be the right fit. 

How Much Do Influencers Make for Ads?

The amount influencers make for ads depends on their social media platform and the number of followers they have. Typical influencer rates for a promoted post on popular social media platforms are:

  • Instagram: $10 per 1,000 followers 
  • YouTube: $20 per 1,000 subscribers
  • Facebook: $25 per 1,000 followers
  • TikTok: $25 per 1,000 followers
  • Twitter: $2 per 1,000 followers

These numbers can vary depending on the content creator and how much engagement their posts get. Content creators with high engagement rates can charge more for a promotional post. 

Are Branded Content Ads on Instagram Effective?

Branded content ads on Instagram are effective. Many companies have seen success promoting their brand through influencer marketing. The average return on investment (ROI) for influencer ads on Instagram is $5.78 for every $1 spent, making it an effective way for a brand to promote its products or services.

Some brands have also seen success using Instagram ads. Instagram ads work differently than influencer marketing because you pay Instagram directly to promote your content rather than having an influencer advertise for you. However, most marketers tend to see better performance from influencer marketing.  

Instagram Ads vs. Influencer Marketing

This section will compare Instagram ads and influencer marketing to show how they differ in their ability to reach targeted audiences while promoting a brand’s content. 

Instagram Ads

Instagram ads involve paying for promoted content in people’s social feeds or stories on the platform. Instagram ads allow you to target specific demographics and interests to determine who will see your branded content. However, Instagram ads lack control, since the Instagram algorithm will ultimately determine who sees your advertisement. 

The average CPM (cost per 1,000 impressions) on Instagram ads is $10.39 in 2022, which makes it a cost-effective way to get impressions for branded promotions. While Instagram ads give you a lot of impressions, they aren’t always quality impressions. Many people who see promoted posts in their feed or stories simply skip past them without looking at the content. This makes Instagram ads lack the targeted and natural feel of influencer marketing. 

Influencer Marketing

On the other hand, influencer marketing involves collaborating with influencers to create promotional branded content that they post for their followers to see. Influencer marketing stands out from Instagram ads in many ways. Influencer marketing allows you to: 

  • Pick the exact audience you want to see your advertisement.
  • Have influencers act as a trusted source to recommend products to their followers.
  • Gain valuable feedback from influencers.
  • Bring in a fresh perspective for your marketing campaign.
  • Make ads feel more natural.

While Instagram ads are good for getting impressions, they typically yield worse results than influencer marketing. This is because influencer marketing creates a more valuable and memorable consumer experience. The natural and personal feel of influencer marketing leads to higher ROIs, click-through rates, and conversions than Instagram ads. 

Do Influencers Use Instagram Ads?

At times, influencers will use Instagram ads to promote their personal brand or grow their audience. Instagram ads can be a cost-effective way for influencers to get additional impressions on their posts. However, followers gained through Instagram ads tend to be less engaged than those who find an influencer’s account and posts organically. 

Influencers can also collaborate with other content creators on Instagram to promote their brand or products they are selling. Influencers may pay other content creators to promote their brand, or they may agree on a mutually beneficial collaboration to promote each other’s accounts. This can be an effective way for influencers to get attention from new audiences in a way that feels more natural than Instagram ads. 

Is Influencer Marketing Effective?

Influencer marketing is effective. In fact, 89% of marketers claim that it works just as well, if not better than other marketing approaches. Influencer marketing effectiveness statistics also show that 80% of consumers have bought a product or service after seeing it recommended by an influencer. This shows that social media influencers promoting brands provide a powerful strategy for influencing consumer behavior. 

How Lionize Can Simplify Your Influencer Marketing Campaign

Lionize is an influencer marketing platform that helps streamline the process of setting up and managing your influencer marketing campaigns. Our software will help you make smart decisions by connecting you with the right influencers, automating the influencer management process, tracking data, and providing actionable insights that help you optimize influencer campaigns. Book a Discovery Call with us today to learn more about how Lionize can help you.