Digital Marketing Blog

We love to follow great people on social media.

I follow a lot of people on Instagram, each one of them for a specific reason.

But how to define the term ‘Instagram influencer’.

What is an Instagram influencer?

Is there any predefined criterion to become an influencer? What’s the importance of Instagram influencer marketing?

What are the different types of Instagram influencers? How can you get more followers on Instagram for free? 

Keep reading to get the answers. 

What Is An Instagram Influencer? 

Instagram influencers are regular Instagram users but with a unique ability to influence others, well-established credibility, and a considerably large audience.

From a marketing perspective, an influencer is defined as a person with the power to influence potential buyers of a product or service. 

An Instagram influencer usually has a large number of followers and high engagement rates.

They can persuade others to buy something because of their authenticity and trustworthiness.

Their presence on various social media networks creates an impact on a market. 

An increasing number of companies develop relationships with Instagram influencers to expand their reach on the platform.

Influencer marketing is on the rise because consumers trust influencers more than brands. 

Are you an Instagram influencer?

Do you know how many followers you need to become an influencer on Instagram?

Let’s dig deep to find the answer: 

A decade ago, only celebrities or some dedicated bloggers were considered influencers. At that time, a limited number of brands focused on influencer marketing.

Today, we can connect with hundreds of influencers within a particular industry.

You don’t have to be a Hollywood star to become a social media influencer.  

Sign up on Instagram or any other social media platform and start engaging your audience through valuable content. 

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Why Are Instagram Influencers Important Today? 

As a business owner or marketer, you can use a variety of different marketing techniques to achieve your business goals.

Why choose Instagram influencer marketing when you have other marketing tactics to promote or sell your products? 

Instagram has seen dramatic growth over the last few years.

The platform is continuously adding amazing features to keep its audience engaged while maintaining its user base.

The largest photo-sharing app has over 1 billion active users. 

However, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for businesses to get their presence felt.

Brands struggle to navigate and connect with their active audiences.

That’s where Instagram influencer marketing becomes a critical component of successful marketing strategies. 

Here are some stats that will help you understand the significance of Instagram Influencers in 2020 and beyond: 

• 93% of marketers use influencer marketing.  

• 9 out of 10 marketers think influencer marketing to be an effective marketing strategy. 

• Instagram usage grew 10x over the last five years. 

• The top three industries working with Instagram influencers are luxury brands, sports clothing, and beauty brands.

• 89% indicated that Instagram was the most important social media channel for influencer marketing.

• 82% of consumers say they’re very likely to follow the recommendation of an influencer they follow, and 67% say they had no negative reaction to sponsored influencer content whatsoever. 

• 70% of Teens Trust Influencers More than Traditional Celebrities

• 4 in 10 millennial subscribers believe that their favorite influencer understands them better than their friends. 

And you know 49% of consumers depend on influencer recommendations?

A large number of consumers purchase a product after seeing it on Instagram or YouTube. 

In a fast-paced world, progressive brands can’t miss out on influencer marketing, especially when Instagram is one of the key components of their social media marketing strategy. 

Benefits for Brands 

For brands, influencer marketing is one of the best ways to build awareness and generate revenue quickly.

Forbes points out that influencer marketing is growing faster than digital ads.

Here is what brands can get from influencer marketing on Instagram: 

• The ease of reaching a new targeted audience 

• Improved search ranking 

• Increased conversion 

• Leverage content to deliver value 

• Develop lucrative partnerships 

• Gain traction in social media marketing 

What Are The Different Types of Influencers?

We can divide influencers into several categories based on their number of followers, types of content, industry, and level of influence.

Let’s break the types of influencers into 4 categories:

1. Mega

2. Macro

3. Micro

4. Nano

1. Mega Influencer

Mega influencers are the ones who have a massive number of social media followers.

Although there’s no largely accepted rule that draws boundaries between different types of influencers.

However, mega influencers typically have more than one million followers on at least one social channel. 

The majority of mega influencers are celebrities like film stars, singers, or sportsmen who didn’t earn their fame online.

Nonetheless, some mega influencers have built large followers through their online activities.

For instance, Tony Robbins, a business strategist, is a mega influencer with over 5 million followers on Instagram.

Only big brands usually partner with mega influencers as they cost a lot. 

2. Macro Influencer

Macro influencers are quite similar to mega influencers.

However, they rise to fame through the internet, unlike mega influencers. T

hey can be vloggers, podcasters, or influential bloggers with a heavy following.

The number of followers of a macro influencer would normally be somewhere between 100k and one million.

Marie Forleo, a entrepreneur and podcast host, is a perfect example of a macro influencer. She has over 600k followers on Instagram. 

3. Micro Influencer

With the followership ranging from 1k to 100k, micro-influencers are ordinary people known for their knowledge or expertise in a subject.

They usually work on one topic and leverage their knowledge or skills to become thought leaders. 

They gain a fairly large social media following.

But we can’t determine the level of influence by just looking at the number of followers. It’s the interaction an influencer has with his followers that determines their power to persuade people.

Like macro or mega influencers, micro-influencers can be picky about with whom they work. 

Micro-influencers are far more effective for small businesses than macro or mega influencers. 

For example, I would consider myself to be a micro influencer right now as I have over 2.4k followers. 

4. Nano Influencer

Nano influencers have recently gained recognition in the marketing industry thanks to the social media explosion.

These people have a small number of followers but they’re experts in a highly specialized field. In most cases, nano influencers have more than 1k followers on at least one social media platform.

But those limited number of followers would be willing to engage and listen to the nano influencer. 

Companies that produce or sell niche products should consider building relationships with relevant nano influencers.

A brand can work with hundreds of nano influencers to have a serious impact on its bottom line. 

Advocates fall into a special category of influencers.

They are people who promote or defend a brand through positive conversations. 

Who Are The Most Popular Instagram Influencers?

• Sommer Ray is a top fitness influencer on Instagram. She has over 25 million followers. 

• Annette White is a top travel influencer on Instagram - more than 100k people follow her. 

• Alex Chung is a leading fashion and style influencer with over 3.1 million followers on Instagram. 

• Benjamin Lowy is a popular photography influencer with 224k followers on Instagram. 

• Marie Kondo is a top design influencer with 3.8 million followers on Instagram. 

Who has the most followers on Instagram?

Portuguese footballer Christiano Ronaldo clearly leads the chart. The football star has over 241 million followers. 

With over 204 followers, Ariana Grande is the most-followed female on Instagram. 

Should You Be An Instagram Influencer? 

Who doesn’t want to be influential, rich, or successful?

Being an influencer on Instagram can bring in many benefits. 

There are so many people who have built a healthy following on Instagram and then used it to grow their businesses. 

If you want to start or grow your business, you must consider establishing your identity on Instagram.

All you have to do is create great content and share it with your audience. 

You can read plenty of Instagram success stories to get inspiration. But make sure to follow the right way to become an Instagram influencer. 

👉 ✅ Want To Be An Influencer? Learn How To Become A Social Media Influencer Here  ✅ 👈

How To Get More Instagram Followers For Free 

It can be tricky for brands and individuals to figure out exactly how to get more Instagram followers without spending on paid advertising. 

Does buying Instagram followers work?

While you can spend some money to get some followers, it’s essential to have genuine followers, people who truly care about what you do or sell.

You can use a bot or cheap service to generate followers, but it would be hardly helpful.

Therefore, focus on building relationships rather than using outdated tactics to grow your following. 

⭐ Related Post: How To Get More Followers On Instagram

Here are some quick tips for getting Instagram followers for free: 

1. Have A Clear Plan 

Why do you want to get more followers on Instagram?

What do you really want to accomplish with your overall Instagram marketing efforts?

Answer these questions to devise a clear plan.

If you’re not a celebrity, you need to have a well-thought-out plan to succeed on Instagram. 

2. Focus On A profitable Instagram Niche

It’s critical to narrow your focus and concentrate on a single niche on Instagram.

Identify your talent and utilize them to get the best results.

So many people fail to grow their Instagram account because they don’t focus on one niche.

If you’re a wildlife photographer, there’s no point in creating content around politics or the economy. 

3. Define Your Target Audience

Who would be interested in your content?

Where do your target audiences live?

When and how do they use Instagram?

Answer these questions to further refine your strategy.

This is the only way you can create the right content.

Defining your target audience will also help you stay focused on the needs of your target audience. 

4. Develop A Consistent Brand Story

Consistency and quality is the name of the game.

Be sure to use photo editing tools to create consistent content that truly represents your brand.

Your Instagram posts must be easily recognizable. 

Whatever you want to share with your audience, be consistent in your look and personality.

Since Instagram users love to see great visual content, creating high-quality photos or videos would be of immense importance.

👉 ✅ Want Better Looking Photos? Discover Our 7 Favorite Photo-Editing Apps ✅ 👈 

5. Use Relevant Hashtags

You have to expand your reach to grow your followers on Instagram.

Small tactics like using relevant hashtags can make a big difference.

Want the best hashtag strategy? 

When you include relevant hashtags, it becomes easier for your audience to find your content.

When done right, your hashtagged content may appear in Instagram feeds of people who haven’t yet followed you.

Up to 30 hashtags can be used in a post. But you should focus on quality rather than quantity. 

6. Create Exciting Content 

If you want to build your list of Instagram followers organically, creating great content is the only way you can achieve this goal.

It’s not just Instagram, you need compelling content to succeed across social media.

When you offer great content, your followers would be happy to share it with their friends, which ultimately results in an Instagram algorithm boost.

7. Pay Attention To Small Things

Your captions, bio, and targeted keywords are some of the small elements of your Instagram presence, but they can make a big difference.

So, don’t overlook them.

For example, captions are small pieces of texts but they can help you get more reach and engagement. 

Let’s Wrap Up 

We have seen major disruption in consumer marketing in the last few years.

With the growing hatred for ads on the internet, brands need to explore more exciting ways to reach consumers.

While celebrity endorsements have been around for a century, brands need influencers more than ever before. 

The unprecedented growth of social media enables a large number of influencers to find platforms where they can influence and interact with the fan base.

If you’re a brand, take advantage of Instagram influencer marketing by connecting with the right audience at the right time.

If you want to be an influencer, develop a sound strategy and stick to it.