It’s time to produce your first paid Instagram marketing campaign for your fledgeling small business, and where to actually invest your marketing budget seems exceptionally confusing. Luckily, you aren’t the first person to face this predicament, whether to throw your weight behind influencers in your industry or to begin a traditional ad campaign using Instagram and Facebook’s shared advertising platform.
In this article, we discuss why small businesses like yours turn to influencers or paid Instagram advertisements for their social media marketing, and help you decide which option suits the growing needs of your business and your specific industry.
Why Influencers Are Valuable For Instagram Marketing
Evergreen content – Unless specifically outlined, influencers generally don’t delete their sponsored posts, which means their content promoting your business remains permanently on Instagram. However, unless previously agreed upon, you do run the risk of influencers deleting old content without your knowledge, or any warning.
A trusted source of advice – The reason influencer marketing has proved hugely successful has been from the ability of businesses to leverage from the trust influencers have with their community. This trust can take years for businesses to earn on their own, and utilising influencers saves time and resources needed to achieve this.
No additional costs – Once you make payment to the influencer, there are no surprise fees or expenses the business will incur. This simple transaction is easy for small businesses to manage their digital marketing budgets, and gauge whether more campaigns like these are possible in the future.
Why Paid Advertising Is Valuable For Instagram Marketing
You control the content – This style of marketing puts you in the driver seat, as you control the specific content (images, videos, etc.) created for your campaign. You aren’t leaving the specifics to someone else, in a situation when you can’t as quickly provide feedback. You can effortlessly rework content that isn’t suitable or add more if the demand requires.
You control the direction 100% - Addressing the fine details is the cornerstone of successful Instagram marketing; from the right time to post, to the specifics of the copy, and the location tag and hashtags to target. With each post and story you use in your Instagram campaigns, you control the particulars of these details, which allows you to change them as you receive results, and target content based on instant data.
Measurable Success – While there are ways of measuring the success of an influencer campaign, none is more accurate than the metrics you receive from Instagram advertisements. This level of reporting is valuable to your success, as you can use the results to change the direction of your ad instantly, and determine exactly what area of your campaign was a success, and what wasn’t.
So, what is best for you?
Every small business has differing digital marketing expectations, and no two campaigns are alike. Where Instagram advertisements excel, the ease of using influencers appeals to small businesses finding their feet online. What’s best for your business is to find a style of Instagram marketing that suits your overall marketing direction, your growth plans, budget restrictions, and the goals you aim to achieve.
To start finding the best form of Instagram marketing specifically for your business, contact us at Social Status to discuss the options best for you, and begin growing your business online today!
