If you’re struggling to spot Instagram influencers for your influencer marketing campaigns, then it’s time to change your approach. This is because most influencers have had it with the term ‘influencers’.
Creator or Influencer?
According to The 2019 Influencer Survey, 71% of Instagram influencers don’t actually call themselves influencers. Only 29% of Instagram celebrities give themselves the title of ‘influencer’.
Small Business owners with a limited budget often collaborate with micro Instagram influencers. And it goes with saying that the success of any influencer marketing campaign largely depends on finding the right Instagram influencers.
If you know what Instagram influencers call themselves, it will be easier for you to spot them. So, the next time, you should look beyond the ‘influencer’ title.
What do Instagram Influencers Call Themselves?
The survey states that the maximum number (34%) of influencers (with more than 25,000 followers) refer themselves as a ‘creator’. And 17% of Instagram influencers call themselves a ‘content creator’, while 11% of influencers label themselves as a ‘brand ambassador’.
Only 29% of influencers add the title influencers in their Instagram bios.
The finding of the survey implies that you should first search for Instagram creators if you want to reach a large pool of influencers. Then, you can look for the title ‘influencer’ to find influencers for your influencer marketing campaign.
Why Are There More Creators Than Influencers?
Modern Marketing Guru, Seth Godin, once said, “Content Marketing is the Only Marketing Left.” His words ring absolutely true.
Now, when more and more companies are putting ‘content’ in the center of their marketing strategies, Instagram influencers cannot attract brands if they don’t create quality content consistently.
Dave Leusink, the co-founder of Influencer Agency, says, “The creators that we represent are selected for the quality of their creativity. Someone from a reality show can quickly get 100,000 followers and call themselves an influencer, but the quality of their content often falls short of what we’re looking for.”
“The best paying brands only want to be presented with high-quality content. Creating relevant and engaging content costs blood, sweat and tears, and is a far cry from the content of short-lived reality stars who only post selfies. It’s not surprising that major influencers prefer to call themselves (content) creators,” He adds.
How to Find Instagram Influencers
Instagram is one of the most popular influencer marketing platforms. To leverage the true power of Instagram influencer marketing, you will have to find the right Instagram influencers for your campaigns.
Here are some proven ways:
- Use tools like NInjaOutreach, Upfluence, HYPR, etc.
- Search influencer directory like Izea
- Scan general hashtags relevant to your industry
- Search Google for relevant keyword(s) along with “site:instagram.com”
When you are making a list of Instagram influencers, you should always include those who have engagement on their posts and create quality, unique content consistently.
The Survey
The survey included 1,700 influencers on Instagram with 25,000 followers or more. All influencers who participated in the survey were 18 years or older. The influencer survey was conducted in September 2019. If you want to access the full survey, you can click here.
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