Instagram Sponsors: How to Grow Your Brand and Become an Asset
Sponsored posts are the leading source of revenue for Instagram influencers, but they are not easy to acquire. If you’re a small blogger or just starting out on social media, it will take consistent growth to reach a point where companies are willing to pay you to show off their products. There are cases, however, when even individuals with high follower counts still don’t get sponsorship offers. If a lot of followers was all it took to be a viable candidate, then there would be far more successful influencers than there are today.
When a company is looking for influencers, they care about more than just how many people hit the follow button. They want to see a thriving brand with an active community. Engagement translates to potential leads and leads to equal conversions for a business. They aren’t interested in how many likes a sponsored photo will get so much as they want to know how many people who see a post are likely to buy what’s being advertised. If you want to transform your brand and become irresistible to your dream sponsors, here’s how to get started.
Change Your Idea of Success
Many aspiring influencers fear they’ll never stand out because of the thousands of accounts already generating hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in revenue. Realistically, every person won’t reach a million followers or even half a million. But that doesn’t mean they can’t become successful. Micro-influencers are becoming more popular in the marketing industry. Unlike massive accounts that often have little authentic engagement, micro-influencers are small accounts with big communities.
A micro-influencer still feels like a person, not a persona. Their brand is more about how they act and what they do versus who they are. Followers connect more easily with smaller accounts, and they often trust their opinion for a product over a larger account’s paid promotional content. On average, micro-influencers get the most audience engagement, so if you want to grow your brand, focus on connecting more rather than increasing your follower count.
Make Sure Your Brand Is Distinct
Sponsors want to work with those whose image reflects their own values. Your page should have a distinct aesthetic that reaches out and draws people in. Brands on Instagram need to create an experience by cultivating specific content to elicit certain emotions or desires from their audience. Whatever your niche is, make sure that you focus on that to home in on your unique style. People should be able to see a post and know it’s from you. Influencers who are inconsistent or frequently go off-hand are less likely to be sponsored.
Get a Blog Going
When you offer greater value to an audience, you become more valuable in the eyes of potential sponsors. A blog is a way to not only deepen your content but showcase who you are. Building a brand online is difficult, but it can be done quickly with the right tools and consistency. You may want to consider hiring an SEO freelancer who can help you reach your goals. They are experts at helping both businesses and personal brands grow. Rather than focusing solely on traffic, they’ll help you convert viewers into followers and turn followers into loyal fans.
Tag Brands in Posts
Once your account is connected to a professional site, it’s time to start getting attention. One easy way to do this is to take high-quality images of products you already love and start tagging their respective brands. This shows would-be sponsors the quality they can expect from working with you. The goal is to showcase content in a way that feels real and encourages your audience to learn more and make a purchase. Stick with small brands in the beginning, and avoid doing this every day. Two or three branded posts per month is a good starting point while you’re in the process of establishing yourself as a high-level brand.
