Brands evaluate Instagram ambassadors using a checklist of criteria before even making contact. Let’s face it, a brand will always put follower count and engagement first. So what else can an Instagramer do to increase their perceived value? Below we've listed 3 subtle, but highly effective strategies that can help Instagramers attract the interest of brands.
1. Even though you may have the ideal audience for a particular brand, don’t set off any alarm bells by posting too frequently. If an ambassador posts intermittently, the sponsored post will drop quicker on the ambassador’s profile, making it less likely to be viewed by his or her returning followers. In addition, sporadic posts are likely to have less engagement. One post with 10,000 likes is more lucrative to a brand than five posts throughout a single day with 2,000 likes each.
So what do brands like to see? For Instagram and Facebook, we recommend giving the brand 12 hours to one full day before making another post.
2. Do you reply to your follower’s comments? When an ambassador replies to their comments on a sponsored post, the sponsor will typically experience a more substantial lift in traffic to their website. Ambassadors that consistently engage with their followers tend to cultivate trust and maintain a more positive image. When this sort of reliable Instagramer contributes a sponsored post, they are less likely to be called a “sell-out,” and more likely to be viewed as an authentic, authoritative figure in the product category.
The example below features OC Housewife, Gretchen Rossi expressing her love for the Spin for Perfect Skin. Gretchen blocks off several hours per day in preparation to answer questions and offer advice. When ambassadors like Gretchen show a genuine interest in connecting with their followers, brands are likely to see 40% or more increase in traffic to their site.
3. Unlike YouTube and Facebook, promotional links within Instagram’s captions are not directly clickable. A brand could miss up to 30% of its’ potential traffic because some followers are not willing to copy and paste the link, or they might simply forget the promotional link if it’s too long. An easy solution is to offer a “clickable” bio link to a brand for a specific period of time. Every time the ambassador makes another post, the brand should see a spike in traffic as returning followers will be curious about the link. Also, if brands see that an Instagramer is consistently utilizing the bio link as an add space, they can visualize potential collaboration and are more likely to contact the ambassador.
Was this blog helpful? We'd love to hear your feedback so please leave a comment below.
