A Brand’s 3th Step on Instagram: Collaborating with Instagrammers

I tried figuring out what would the 3th step that a brand has to take when starting out on Instagram have to be and I admit it wasn’t easy. Perhaps at this point realizing what the next step is should come naturally to the man behind the brand but I still think that a simple guide would be useful for anyone.

However, this step is more than an item to check on a list, it’s more than just a step that has to be taken before moving past it. I think that this step must be part of the ongoing walk– if I may say so.

The 3th step brings you into the world of Instagram and you get to meet (even if just virtually) people who will help you get a better understanding of this network.

I dedicate the 3th step to getting to know the instagrammers.

You are a brand that wants to use Instagram to attract more fans on your side who afterwards might become your customers. It’s all about the business.

They, instagrammers, are people (some are professional photographers and others simply amateurs who through the app have managed to stand out in the art of smartphone photography) who continually seek to explore the beauty around them trying to give their followers a memorable visual experience.

Now let the questions roll: How do we approach these instagrammers? How do we address them? How do we get them to follow us? How can we collaborate with instagrammers? We are genuinely interested in establishing a bridge between a brand and an instagrammer, right? Right.

You know what would be really good right now? For me to start explaining how to get started in approaching instagrammers, right? The 5 steps you must take 🙂 That’s what you came here for, right? To read an article and then start sending e-mail after e-mail with campaigns that you think would be a good fit. Well…then let me say that there are just two things you need to have in mind when approaching an instagrammer:

1. Common sense in the relationship

2. Attention to the aesthetic of the page/product

That’s it. And I think that this “common sense” should be possessed by every communicator or marketer wanting to approach any type of influencer or content creator, regardless of the type of platform.

First social and then media

The last point in my ”Good practices for brands that adopt Instagram in 2015 ” is Collaborate with instagrammers because I wanted to make people who use Instagram for their brand realize that they can’t make it big on this network if they do not collaborate with them

As any good relationship, the relationship with instagrammers takes time, resources, and especially trust.

If you really want to do something on Instagram by collaborating with instagrammers you have to first start building a relationship. But don’t expect them to jump right in to coming at your event or your product launch or upload a photo with the nice package you’ve sent 2 months ago.

It’s all about the chemistry.

And if you need a team collaboration tool, I strongly recommend Teamweek.

The product is the star

You know that “my child is the prettiest” stuff? Well … that’s how it usually is with marketers. My product is the best, the hottest, the prettiest, the coolest etc. Really? Great. I’m glad to hear that. But maybe not everyone sees it this way and especially not instagrammers. Let’s just say you’re an agency that organizes a concert and you want to invite instagrammers to take photos of the stars coming to your event and perhaps a few behind the scene ones. Everything will happen in the evening at a location already known by everyone. Well … I am classifying instagrammers into 3 categories:

• Instagrammers who are not commercial but seek beauty and are particular about what they upload to their Instagram account- and there’s plenty examples in the People section.
• Instagrammers who are commercial and use Instagram as a communication tool – this is usually where fashion bloggers fall into.
• General instagrammers.

With this in mind, you will certainly want to target for your event instagrammers from the second category. It’s the best choice for you and your brand! Before you get in touch with the instagrammer I advise you to analyze their feed and especially their comments section. What do they usually take photos of? How often do they take photos? What kind of tags do they use? With whom they discuss in the comments?

Examples of brands that have collaborated with instagrammers

Daniel Wellington is a brand that has managed to send products to different instagrammers world wide who are photographing themselves with the clock and get a discount of x%. Easy, right? They also managed to make instagrammers take creative photos and upload them on their Instagram under the tag #dwpickoftheday

Another brand that has managed to get my attention is Ullu Shop, whose slip covers are the best fit for instagrammers who are very careful with their phones.

And you know how I found out about these two brands? Not on Google or Adweek, but straight from instagrammers who were approached by them and have started using them in their photos.

Yes, endorsing on Instagram works!

Conclusion:

1. Start building relationships with instagrammers: follow them, talk to them and interact with them- BUT do it all with common sense.
2. Analyze your product and see if it’s in the target of their followers.
3. Have common sense but be VERY attentive to the aesthetics of your page.
4. Keep reading my blog for additional tips and tricks:)