Roman Shvydun is a freelance writer. He writes informative articles about marketing, business, productivity, workplace culture, etc. During 10+ years of content creation experience, his articles have helped numerous entrepreneurs to scale up their businesses.
According to DemandSage, Instagram is one of the most popular social media channels available, with over 2.35 Billion monthly active users. With such an extensive use case, especially for those in crucial customer demographics such as millennials and Gen Z, it's not surprising that many businesses try to harness the power of Instagram to facilitate growth.
One way that businesses try to grow on Instagram is through partnering with influencers. These are individuals with a large or highly-engaged audience, and often both. Companies can use influencers to promote their products, pages, and more, and it has many benefits to implementing this marketing tactic.
However, with things like costs and brand perception to consider, many people still question if using Instagram influencers to advertise your business is effective. Here's a deeper dive into the practice and why it can be a good idea for you.
Influencers exist on all social platforms, including Instagram, often serving similar functions and purposes. An influencer would have built a following by posting about a particular niche, lifestyle, or aspect of their life, with users engaging with the content because they find it entertaining, educational, or memorable.
Over time, these influencers have built credibility and trust by being authentic and, for many, a source of inspiration. This reputation makes them perfect for businesses to partner with, as soliciting a promotional post with an influencer can get your product recommended by someone with a huge reach and genuine influence over the followers.
One of the most famous influencers on Instagram is Kim Kardashian. With millions of followers, brands often pay for her to post content featuring their products in the hopes that some of those followers will be inspired to use the same products. You can follow a similar principle when partnering with an Instagram influencer.
Mark Pierce, CEO of Colorado LLC Attorney, says, "Influencers have already done the hard part and built an engaged audience that trusts them. Advertising with influencers allows you to borrow their influence to promote your products."
There are many different types of influencers you can use. They are broken down into:
Regarding the different types of influencers, Stephan Baldwin, Founder of Assisted Living, says, "Don't disregard the potential of nano-influencers. Despite their small audience size, those followers are usually highly engaged and focused on that influencer's niche. Partnering with the right nano-influencer can help you find the best leads."
The states show that advertising with influencers can help your brand grow in audience size and revenue. Civic Science reported that 14% of Gen Z social users and 11% of millennials bought a product after seeing it promoted via influencer marketing. This may sound small, but it offers great potential when you remember that over 2 Billion users are on Instagram.
The benefits of influencer marketing can be huge. As influencers have built up a trusted persona, having your products featured and advertised on their content can make your brand appear more genuine, helping to boost your reputation. Furthermore, partnering with the right influencers that work well within your niche can position you as an essential brand among your target audience.
For example, if you run a sports equipment business, you can position yourself as an industry leader by having your products showcased by influencers within the sport niche.
By using Instagram influencers to build trust, your reputation will soar. Managing your brand's online reputation is critical for business growth, and working with influencers can help with that.
As well as that, influencer marketing can help you reach audiences you may not have been able to reach organically. Gerald Lombardo, Head of Growth at Popl, says, "It can be hard to penetrate a new market or demographic, especially if you want to expand in a new country. Using influencers can help you get a strong foothold."
The best-performing type of influencer content on Instagram is videos. Ironic for an app that started by focusing on image sharing, reels see the most use on Instagram. This means you can pair your Instagram influencer marketing with Instagram Video Ads to capitalize on and maximize your campaign's reach.
Using influencers is one of the best strategies for sponsoring products on Instagram, but you have to use them effectively and in the right way. Here are a few things to do to make sure that your campaigns are the most effective they can be:
You need to do market research on your brand to determine the type of Instagram users you should target. Certain brands and products appeal to specific individuals, so to ensure you work with the right influencers, you need a good grasp of the demographic that best suits your product.
After that, you must research potential influencers to see if their audience suits your brand.
Jesse Hanson, Content Manager at Online Solitaire & World of Card Games, says, "We target a specific audience with our advertising. It can be a waste of effort and resources marketing to the wrong individuals, so fully understanding the type of audience influencers have can be super helpful."
Pro tip: Studying your competitors' Instagram audience can provide valuable insights about your target demographic. Analyzing their followers and post types can help shape your audience profile and identify any overlooked segments.
Sprout's Competitive Analysis Report allows you to track your competitors' Instagram performance, engagement, audience growth, and compare it with yours. This enables you to identify key competitors and scrutinize their audience composition.
When working with influencers, there are clear rules that both of you need to follow. The main thing is that when an influencer posts content featuring your product that they're being paid or compensated for, they must disclose that it's an ad clearly. Usually, an influencer will showcase this by adding '#ad' to the content.
Although this is the influencer's responsibility, your business can get flack if they fail to follow these rules. That's why it's a good idea to draft up some guidelines and include this disclosure requirement in your contract so that they're more encouraged to do it.
Pro tip: Launching an influencer campaign may draw your attention to vanity metrics like likes and comments. However, the true measure of a campaign's success lies in its return on investment. One effective method is using UTM parameters to track website visitors and engagement from each influencer. By assigning unique UTM-coded links to each influencer, you can accurately assess the campaign's impact on your revenue.
The three R's principle can make choosing the right influencer easier for your business. The three R's represent Relevance, Reach, and Resonance. You want to make sure that your business is relevant to the influencer. For example, a home design influencer won't be relevant to a Crypto business and could alienate the audience.
The reach needs to align with your goals. This isn't just about trying to get an influencer with the most followers; those followers need to be engaged and suit your product. Resonance is all about ensuring that your product offers a solution many followers experience. For example, a male grooming business will resonate well with an influencer with a predominantly male audience.
Tim White, Founder of Milepro, says, "The three R's govern most businesses' approach to influencer marketing. The more that aligns with your business, the more effective the campaign will be.
Pro tip: Leverage an Influencer & Creator Database Solution – Without the appropriate resources, identifying the perfect collaboration can seem like a daunting task; but remember, you don't have to shoulder all the burden. By utilizing a dedicated platform such as Mavrck's influencer marketing solution, you can effortlessly find and establish connections with creators and influencers for your upcoming campaign.
Instagram influencer marketing can give your business a massive boost when done correctly. Influencers can get more eyes on your product and use their unique relationship with their audience to get them to trust your brand, making you more credible.
Not every influencer marketing campaign will work, and you will need to put the effort in to see results, but they can become an effective way to advertise on the platform. If you’d like to get into the weeds with an expert consultant on how to make your influencer marketing plan effective, or to tackle any advertising question, the team at Marin is ready to help you get started.
Roman Shvydun is a guest contributor to the Marin Software blog.
Despite some claims that Meta (Meta) is a dying platform, it continues to hold its position as the third most visited website globally, just behind Google and YouTube. This fact alone highlights the immense potential and reach that Meta still offers. Additionally, Meta Ads remain a formidable part of the digital advertising ecosphere, utilized by millions of businesses worldwide to effectively tap into this extensive user base and drive sales.
For e-commerce stores, in particular, Meta advertising plays a crucial role in securing the majority of their revenue. Therefore, it becomes imperative for businesses to invest time and effort in mastering Meta Ads to unlock their full potential and maximize e-commerce profits.
Since e-commerce relies almost entirely on online channels to drive sales, Meta Ads become the lifeblood of the brand’s revenue. Here are some powerful features that position Meta Ads in this light as one of the best marketing channels:
Meta allows you to place your ads in a variety of spaces, including Instagram, Facebook, the Meta Audience Network, and Messenger. However, to drive traffic to your store and maximize results, you’ll need to use the right strategies. Here are 12 suggestions.
These techniques cover the most sensitive aspects of a successful ad, including copywriting, targeting, design, and rewarding users through giveaways or referral programs.
With no enticing offer, you can’t expect to have a successful ad. Your offer needs to be so good that the potential customers feel like they’ve found the best bargain and it would be dumb not to take it. So how can you achieve that? Follow these points for a good offer:
Now, since we’re talking about targeting different audiences, let’s see how you can accomplish this detailed targeting, which characterizes the best Meta campaign types.
After you’ve run your first Meta campaign, you’ll have gathered enough data to target new audiences by using the lookalike audiences feature. Meta allows you to compile a list of potential buyers based on the current profiles of existing interested customers.
All you have to do is either upload a copy of a list of users found on your database, which can be email subscribers or simply interested leads, or you can build a custom audience from people who have used your app or visited your website. For the latter, you’ll need to have activated the Meta Pixel.
Retargeting is a smart way to convince your interested audience that your product will add value to their life. All those people who visited your website and selected products but didn’t finish their purchases can be targeted with Meta Ads. Chances are that they are highly interested buyers, so they’re worth pursuing.
The issue we are discussing is known as cart abandonment, and statistics show that a dreadful $18 billion is flushed down the toilet for e-commerce brands because of abandoned carts. By using Meta Ads, you can retarget these users with new discounts and better offers to convince them to finalize their purchases and maybe select more products.
Referral programs are highly beneficial because they automate the marketing process for your brand, making it completely hands-off. Once you set up a referral program and the industry influencers start talking about your brand, the potential for your products to go viral is high.
Also, you’ll get UGC (User-Generated Content), which you can import into your marketing tools to post highly engaging organic posts as well as build converting paid campaigns. There are several benefits of having a referral program for your e-commerce business:
We spoke about lookalike audiences, which Meta finds and targets from an existing list of potential buyers that you upload. Now, what if you could directly target people on that uploaded list with your ads? Then, you’ll be using Custom Audiences.
Since you’re selling products on your e-commerce store, you can build a custom audience with those who viewed your products. Once you’ve implemented event tracking or the Meta Pixel on your website, you can retarget product viewers with dynamic ads (now Meta Advantage+ catalog ads) to reintroduce them to the products they saw or new similar ones.
Videos are much more engaging than text or image-based ads. They powerfully capture the audience’s attention and increase conversions since they appeal to multiple senses at once. In a Meta ad with video content, you combine several elements, including:
Produce a few videos with your products and use them in your ads. You’ll notice a measurable increase in sales and product views.
There are tons of articles on this topic, but if you’ve tried running ads by yourself without copywriting expertise, you’ve probably learned its importance the hard way. Compelling copy requires research and the use of proven tactics. But, in short, great ad copy should include:
If your copy holds these traits, it’s highly likely to attract buyers.
Meta Ads can be used to drive more sales, but this doesn’t mean all of your ads should be used to showcase your products directly. Instead, you can build authority and establish yourself as an expert in the niche by publishing well-written articles, such as product reviews, and then driving your readers to your products from there.
This strategy works because you’re educating your users first and selling to them after. Once they see you as an expert, there won’t be any resistance between your products and their desire to buy. Blogging is a fantastic way to appear trustworthy and build credibility around your brand.
You can tell whether an e-comm store is professional or not just by looking at its website design and social media posts. For your visual assets to be captivating, have your designer collaborate with the copywriter on your team to produce visuals that include:
Steer away from stock photos and instead use real-life pictures to make your ads more authentic and trustworthy. Also, don’t forget to brand your visuals for a professional look.
Customer testimonials are fantastic to build trust and convince customers about the value of your product. When you share other people’s experiences through testimonials in their own words, you’re stimulating a word-of-mouth conversation that is highly convincing.
Social media tools make it easy for you to monitor your brand and find what customers are saying about you online. Find your most loyal customers and use their testimonials in the form of quotes, videos, or user-generated content to create better Meta ads.
For e-commerce stores, it’s essential to have a product catalog. By building a product catalog, you put all of your products into a single catalog, which makes it easier to advertise these products on Instagram and Facebook.
Once you’ve uploaded your products with your descriptions, titles, and respective images, you can run Meta Advantage+ catalog ads (previously known as dynamic ads). The Meta Advantage+ catalog ads feature gathers data from your audience and shows them personalized ads based on the products they view on your website or app.
People won’t ever get tired of winning free stuff. Giveaways are one way of leveraging this desire to increase the performance of your Meta ads and get more sales. There are a dozen reasons why you shouldn’t skip using giveaways for your e-commerce store:
Adopt email account management software to help you monitor new giveaway sign-ups, nurture relationships with your subscribers, and oversee other email activity with ease.
Creating exceptional ads is a matter of experimentation. However, by employing these battle-tested tactics, you can increase your conversions. Supercharge your ad copy, use compelling and high-quality visuals, and win the audience’s trust through testimonials and promotion of your blog content before driving them to your store.
Roman Shvydun is a guest contributor to Marin Software.
Undoubtedly, social media has become an integral part of our lives. With that in mind, businesses are constantly seeking ways to leverage social media as an innovative way to amplify their brand and connect with their target audience.
One powerful and often overlooked tool in this realm is employee advocacy on LinkedIn. This platform combines the power of professional networking with the authenticity and reach of personal connections.
Did you know that companies with active employee advocacy programs experience a 30% increase in employee engagement and a 39% increase in brand awareness? This statistic highlights the tremendous potential within your team when it comes to amplifying your brand's message in the digital landscape.
In this article, we will explore the ins and outs of employee advocacy on LinkedIn, uncovering its benefits, the strategies for effective implementation, and how it can transform your brand's digital presence.
When you empower your team to become brand advocates, you unlock many benefits that can amplify your brand and propel it to new heights. Let's dive into the exciting world of employee advocacy and explore the remarkable advantages it offers.
Imagine your brand's message reaching your immediate audience and their extended networks. That's the magic of employee advocacy on LinkedIn. When your employees share content, insights, and experiences related to your brand, they tap into their connections, exposing your brand to a broader and more diverse audience.
Each like, comment, and share has the potential to cascade through networks, increasing your brand's visibility and exponentially expanding your reach.
In an era where consumers crave authenticity, employee advocacy on LinkedIn has become a powerful tool for humanizing your brand. Employees sharing personal experiences, expertise, and success stories lend credibility and authenticity to your brand's messaging. Their personal touch builds trust and fosters meaningful connections with the audience.
Jim Pendergast, Senior Vice President at altLINE Sobanco, adds, "It's no secret that people trust recommendations and insights from their peers more than traditional advertising. This makes employee advocacy an invaluable asset in cultivating trust and loyalty."
LinkedIn is a breeding ground for thought leaders and industry influencers. By encouraging your employees to share their knowledge, insights, and opinions, you position your brand as a leader in your field.
Morgan Taylor, Co-Founder of Jolly SEO, explains further, "When employees contribute to industry discussions, publish thought-provoking articles, or engage in meaningful conversations, they establish themselves as experts and ambassadors of your brand. This elevates your brand's reputation, attracts top talent, and opens doors for collaboration and partnership opportunities."
Employee advocacy on LinkedIn is not just about boosting your brand; it also profoundly impacts your team. When employees actively participate in promoting your brand, they feel a more profound sense of belonging and pride in their work.
Their engagement levels rise as they become more invested in the organization's success. Employees receive recognition and validation through sharing their achievements and contributions, fostering a thriving work culture and a positive feedback loop that fuels motivation and productivity.
Jerry Han, CMO at PrizeRebel, says, "Your employees are your brand's best recruiters. When they share their positive experiences, highlight company culture, and showcase the impact of their work, they become potent magnets for top talent."
Potential candidates get a genuine glimpse into your organization's values, work environment, and growth opportunities, making your brand an attractive choice for aspiring professionals. A strong employer brand cultivated through employee advocacy sets you apart in a competitive talent market and helps you attract and retain the best and brightest.
Now that we've established the incredible power of employee advocacy on LinkedIn, the next step is knowing how to implement it.
Implementing an employee advocacy program begins with cultivating a culture where employees feel inspired, motivated, and empowered to champion your brand. Start by aligning your organization and employees' values, creating a strong sense of purpose and connection.
Encourage open communication, provide training and resources, and recognize and reward employee contributions. When employees genuinely believe in and feel proud of their organization, they become natural advocates who willingly share your brand's message.
Defining clear objectives for your employee advocacy program is crucial to drive success. Consider what you aim to achieve, whether it's increased brand visibility, enhanced thought leadership, or improved employee engagement.
Anthony Martin, Founder and CEO of Choice Mutual, adds, "Align these objectives with your overall marketing and business goals, ensuring that every advocacy effort contributes to your larger strategy. You can measure the program's effectiveness and make data-driven adjustments by having well-defined objectives."
Equipping your employees with the necessary knowledge and skills is essential for a successful employee advocacy program. Offer comprehensive training on LinkedIn best practices, including optimizing profiles, creating engaging content, and effectively leveraging the platform's features.
Provide brand voice, tone, and messaging guidelines to ensure consistent representation across all employee advocates. Encourage continuous learning and provide ongoing support to help employees grow and refine their advocacy skills.
Encourage employees to participate in content creation and collaboration actively. Foster a culture of knowledge sharing and creativity, where employees can contribute their unique perspectives and expertise.
Empower them to create and share content that resonates with their professional network, positioning them as industry thought leaders and amplifying your brand's reach. Facilitate collaboration through content calendars, brainstorming sessions, and platforms that allow employees to contribute and provide feedback.
Highlighting and celebrating employee success stories boosts morale and enhances your brand's authenticity and credibility. Share stories of employees making a positive impact on LinkedIn, both within and outside the organization.
These personal narratives humanize your brand and create meaningful connections with your target audience. Encourage employees to share their experiences, insights, and achievements, demonstrating the real-world impact of your organization's work.
Andrew Pierce, Founder of Real Estate Holding Company, explains, "To gauge the effectiveness of your employee advocacy program, establish key performance indicators (KPIs) aligned with your objectives. Monitor metrics such as engagement, reach, and content performance to track the impact of employee advocacy efforts."
Leverage analytics tools and feedback mechanisms to gather insights and make data-driven adjustments. Regularly evaluate the program's progress, iterate on strategies, and recognize and share successes to motivate and sustain employee participation.
While the concept of employee advocacy on LinkedIn may seem promising, it is essential to recognize that this strategy does come with its fair share of challenges and potential risks. By understanding and addressing these obstacles head-on, you can ensure a smoother and more successful implementation of your employee advocacy program.
This section will explore the key challenges you may encounter and provide valuable insights on overcoming them while mitigating associated risks.
One of the primary challenges in employee advocacy is maintaining alignment between the brand's messaging and the content shared by employees. Ensuring your team consistently communicates your brand's values, mission, and key messages can be complex.
Linda Shaffer, Chief People Operations Officer at Checkr, offers a solution, "To overcome this challenge, establish clear guidelines and provide training sessions that educate employees about the brand's voice, tone, and core messaging. Encourage open communication, allowing employees to ask questions and seek clarification, which fosters a deeper understanding of the brand's vision."
Regularly communicate updates and changes in messaging to ensure everyone is on the same page. You can align their advocacy efforts with your brand's identity by empowering employees with the necessary knowledge and tools.
In the digital landscape, authenticity and credibility are paramount. While advocating for your brand, employees should remain genuine and transparent to build trust with their networks. However, balancing personal expression and brand guidelines can be a delicate dance.
To overcome this challenge, emphasize the importance of authenticity and encourage employees to infuse their perspectives and experiences into their advocacy efforts. Provide them with a framework that allows flexibility while adhering to brand guidelines.
Empower employees to share their unique insights, stories, and expertise within the context of the brand's messaging. By striking this balance, you can ensure that employee advocacy remains genuine and credible, resonating with your target audience.
As employees become vocal advocates of your brand, it is crucial to have measures in place to mitigate potential risks and safeguard your brand's reputation. Mistakes or inappropriate behavior by employees can have a detrimental impact on your brand's image.
To mitigate these risks, establish a clear code of conduct and social media policy that outlines acceptable behavior, content guidelines, and disclosure requirements. Educate employees on the importance of responsible advocacy, emphasizing the need to respect confidentiality, avoid controversial topics, and exercise discretion when representing the brand.
Regularly monitor employee advocacy efforts, providing feedback and guidance to ensure compliance. By proactively managing risks, you can protect your brand's reputation while empowering employees to advocate effectively.
Effective employee advocacy on LinkedIn goes beyond simply sharing company updates. It empowers individuals within your organization to build genuine connections, leverage their networks, and establish themselves as trusted industry experts. So, embrace the power of employee advocacy on LinkedIn, empower your team, and amplify your brand's message in a way that resonates with your target audience.
Let your employees be the driving force that propels your brand to new heights of visibility, credibility, and success. With the right strategies and a commitment to authenticity, your organization can truly make its mark in the digital realm.
