Influencer marketing is a widely used advertising format across all social media channels. If you can gain followers and have a wide audience, regardless of what social media you are using, that platform will have value to businesses. Businesses have looked to all different platforms, from Pinterest to Snapchat, for their social media marketing. While newcomers like TikTok have rapidly become favorites for influencer marketers, one platform still ranks above all the others in terms of marketer use and success. That platform is Instagram.

According to data from Shopify, a whopping 97% of marketers consider Instagram the most important influencer marketing channel. The vast majority of marketers understand that Instagram is the place to be to drive growth through social media with influencers. While other platforms are increasing in popularity with marketers, Instagram remains the industry leader, and by a fair margin.

The question some would ask is, why? Instagram is a wildly popular social media network, but Facebook still has the crown for most monthly users by a lot. Instagram doesn’t have the same cultural cachet with the youth as TikTok does. So why is Instagram still widely considered the best platform for influencer marketing?

Multi-Media

One unique advantage that Instagram offers that other platforms such as TikTok or Pinterest can’t match is its multi-media nature. Instagram started primarily as a way to share photos, but it has also rapidly grown as a video platform. With the addition of Reels, which are short videos up to 60 seconds, Instagram extends its ability to be a multi-media hub for influencers to appeal to their base in a variety of ways.

For advertisers, the advantage of having different marketing means on one platform is clear. Advertisers have more latitude to pick the specific medium they want to appeal to consumers with. Video and picture content can provide different messages and are both valuable. Instagram allows for short and long video content, so businesses can collaborate with the influencers they connect with to find the ideal medium for their marketing.

Different Options for Advertisers

While we’ve discussed how advertisers have a broader selection between mediums with Instagram, they also have other options that define how they want to market. Namely, those options are between a dedicated post that remains on the influencer’s feed indefinitely and Instagram Stories, which are displayed on the top of a user’s feed and only last for 24 hours. Each type of post has unique advantages that shouldn’t be overlooked.

An Instagram post will last for a long time, and any time someone visits that influencer’s page, they will see it. That is important to businesses, especially if they want to be associated with the influencer for the long term. However, typically a dedicated post is more expensive than an Instagram story. According to Mediakix, 50% of users on Instagram post stories daily, making it a wildly popular part of the experience. Brands having more options is a key part of Instagram’s appeal, and being able to pick between dedicated posts and the more affordable but shorter-lasting stories is a large asset.

Massive User Base Covering Major Demographics

If you want to have significant reach on your influencer marketing posts, you need to be working with a platform that has a large user base. While most social media platforms have a significant amount of daily users, few can boast of the large numbers Instagram has and the solid distribution of demographic use. According to data from Statista, Instagram has over 1.3 billion monthly active users, more than any other pure social media website except Facebook.

Instagram’s user demographics are promising for businesses as well. Although their primary base is in the most desirable demographic, they have a great distribution of users across age groups. According to Statista, 62% of Instagram’s worldwide users are between 18-34. This young adult age group is, for most businesses, the most sought-after age group. Still, over 30% of the user group is over the age of 35, meaning older adults are consistent users of the app as well. Having a broad age range to market to is a key appeal to the Instagram influencer marketer.

Established Influencer Ecosystem

Since Instagram has been popular for over a decade, the influencer marketing ecosystem is more widely established. Most micro-influencers and macro-influencers have experience working with brands in the past. Many have agents and other go-betweens who can connect with businesses to discuss payment, marketing goals, and more. It is not the wild west that some influencer marketing can be on other platforms. It is a standard and expected part of the Instagram experience.

If you’re looking to become a part of the Instagram influencer ecosystem, connecting with the right influencer marketing agency can make a substantial positive difference. The ideal partner for businesses looking to scale their influencer marketing is Influence Hunter.

Influence Hunter utilizes different platforms and strategies to help brands develop a comprehensive and successful influencer strategy. With connections to thousands of Instagram influencers ranging from nano-influencers to social media celebrities, Influence Hunter is a team of experienced industry experts.

If you want to find out what a dynamic social media strategy can do for your brand, get in touch with us today.