2019 Instagram Trends for Influencer Marketing

There are 1 billion active Instagram accounts.

That's a huge portion of the population, meaning it gives you a great opportunity to get your products seen. And if you're using influencer marketing, it's even better.

In this article, we'll talk about some of the Instagram trends you can expect in 2019.

These trends can be integrated with your marketing campaigns with influencers, or you can simply use them on your company's Instagram itself.

Read on for some Insta-trends you'll definitely want to try in the new year.

Wait, What are Influencers?

The title of this blog post is "2019 Instagram Trends for Influencer Marketing." So what exactly are influencers, and why are they important for your company or product?

Instagram influencers are individuals with large followings. Often, they are also YouTubers or have become famous through Instagram or Twitter. To become an Instagram influencer, their popularity must have followed them on the platform.

For example, if someone is really popular on YouTube, they may not have a large following on Instagram. Therefore, they wouldn't be someone to target for your product.

Influencers traditionally have a lot of influence (hence their name) on their target audience. Most people who use Instagram are under the age of 35, and many influencers show off items and products geared toward people in that age range.

The idea of influencer marketing is showing someone that people look up to using and liking your product.

Most often, if you use them in your marketing plan, they'll receive some type of compensation for producing high-quality content featuring your items. The amount you'll pay depends on how much influence they have.

For example, an influencer like Kylie Jenner, who has over 10 million Instagram followers, might charge several hundred thousand dollars to market to her audience.

A smaller influencer who has, say, 10,000 followers might charge $50-$75 to feature your product.

The Rise of the Micro-Influencer in 2019

One Instagram trend you may have noticed in 2018 is the rise of the micro-influencer. And they're here to stay as part of 2019 marketing campaigns. For example, someone may only have a following of 15,000 Instagram followers, but they're they different?

Well, recently, many companies have found that micro-influencers have smaller but more dedicated audiences than larger influencers.

Someone may only have a following of 15,000 Instagram followers, but they're incredibly engaged. They leave comments, frequently ask about what the Instagrammer is wearing or what hotel she's staying at.

That influencer is a micro-influencer. Though she is small, she is mighty, for her followers do take her suggestions!

Micro-influencers don't have a huge reach, but what they do have is engagement. If she likes your product, her followers are more likely to buy your product. And, she doesn't cost as much as influencers with bigger followings.

If you choose to go with a larger influencer, you'll get a bigger reach, but it doesn't guarantee sales.

For instance, you might try to go with someone like Zoe Sugg, founder of the Zoella brand. You may already know she has a huge reach on Instagram and has lots of engaged followers.

While that's true, her followers are of several different demographics. So, you may pay dearly to have her advertise your product and not get a lot of return, depending on what it is you're advertising.

Therefore, many companies are seeking out hiring several micro-influencers with the same budget they may have used for a bigger influencer.

Or, they can hire several small influencers and then a bigger one to round it out.

Create Shoppable Posts

Instagram influencers have been dying to have Instagram create shoppable posts, and now they have. And you can use it to your advantage.

Shoppable posts allow your company to directly tag items on a model or in a photo. Then, the user can tap on them and be taken directly to the page where they're for sale.

Previously, influencers had to use workarounds and third-party apps in order to get their followers to click on their items.

This makes things so much easier for your audience, or the audience that is shopping through your influencer of choice.

Previously, you had to be incredibly determined to figure out what the influencer or model was wearing. If you couldn't find it in a few clicks and weren't desperately in love with it, you clicked off.

Now, you can get people to give in to their impulse buys by clicking on the items as they come up on their Instagram feeds.

You can also leverage this for your own business page. 8 out of 10 Instagram users follow a business on Instagram, so if you keep your content engaging, there's no reason why your audience won't follow you.

You can even use a popular influencer as a "model" for your newest campaign to make your product more relatable!

Engagement is King

You've probably heard the term, "content is king." That's absolutely true, but so is engagement. It may even rival content.

For your newest marketing tactics, engage with your audience. Engagement not only helps your company appear more approachable but boosts who sees your company on your feed.

Have influencers link to your company's Instagram directly, or have them do an "Instagram takeover" of your company's Insta where they can answer questions about your product.

In Instagram stories, you can have users ask you any question they wish. This is a great way to actually get a feel for what it is your customers want or need from you.

Answer the questions in the stories, and host regular Q and A sessions. You can also host Q and A sessions with Instagram influencers, as long as people know that they're on your company's Instagram and promoting your product.

You should also engage with users in the comments.

Although some people swear by the adage, "Don't read the comments," sometimes you need to suck it up and do so.

Sure, there will be trolls and people with nasty messages, but just try and ignore them. Instead, interact with people with real concerns or questions about your products.

Create a Target Customer Persona or "Customer Avatar"

Although this isn't necessarily an Instagram trend, it is a great way to jumpstart an influencer marketing campaign.

One great thing about Instagram is that it lets you see your company's analytics on the app. You can see who is engaging with your Instagram or buying from your posts by sex, region, language, age and a variety of other metrics.

Use this as a jumping off point to create your ideal or target customer. What does this person like to do in their spare time? What are their goals? Where do they live? How old are they?

Once you've gotten that down, you can make a list of blogger and influencers who are big on Instagram that tick all of those boxes. Then, you can create an influencer marketing campaign around them to ensure that you're targeting your core audience.

There's no use trying to target women over 50 if it's clear the people buying your product are girls from ages 14-17. Know your market and appeal to it.

A Way to Make Your Photos Stand Out: You Need Sponsored Posts

You're going to need to bite the bullet and do sponsored posts. Whether this means you're sponsoring an Instagram influencer to do a post featuring your product and speaking about it, or you're paying Instagram directly to feature you, this is really one way for you to get noticed.

Instagram has 1 billion users, that's true. But that means it's pretty easy to get lost in the clutter of people's feeds.

Armed with your analytics, you can see exactly who it is you want to appeal to with your advertisement. And thanks to the magic of the Internet, you can appeal to them by paying Instagram a fee to advertise just to your target market.

People scroll through Instagram every day, and if they see something that catches their eye, they might just click on it and see what it is your company is all about.

Influencer Marketing in 2019: Final Thoughts on Upcoming Instagram Trends

Going into the new year, we can only really predict the biggest Instagram trends. But certainly, one thing everyone appreciates is feeling heard and noticed. That's why we recommend strongly that you figure out your target market and interact with them long before you ever put down a penny for influencer marketing.

Interested to know more about Instagram marketing? Visit my post here on why it's essential for your business to grow.