It seems that recently, going live ‘is the new black.’ Countless creators, brands, and even big celebrities are hosting lives as if their lives depend on it (get it?). If you don’t understand the phenomenon or want to start doing it yourself but don’t know where to start, this is the blog post. We’ll tell you exactly why – and how – you should join the hype.

Just like the rest of the internet, Instagram is a fast-paced environment. Thousands – nay, millions – of people and brands are constantly competing for attention.

If you want to stand out, you have to have a solid strategy.

Follow the leader

Instagram frequently changes how they prioritize content, so you should always keep an eye on their algorithm and then go with it. Remember how stories were ‘it’ a couple of years ago? More recently, it’s all become about Reels (/wannabe TikToks), but even more so: the Instagram Live.

Why? An ‘Instagram Live’ lets users stream/broadcast live videos to their followers. The live factor makes it possible to connect with your audience more than any other way. This makes it an engagement powerhouse.

Photos and videos can be edited, but live is live: it’s all authentically you. It makes the audience feel like they can get to know you even better.

On top of that, it can be a two-way interaction as well. You can literally interact with your followers, ask them questions and reply to theirs. All in real-time. It’s the closest thing to actually having a real conversation with them.

Only benefits

If you do commit to IG Live, you get more benefits than you can count.

An Instagram Live is displayed in the Stories, which already makes it very visible. On top of that, your followers will get an alert if you go live (if they allow notifications).

Clearly, Instagram prioritizes this type of content right now.

So if you’re having trouble with organic reach and you’re looking for a way to get noticed, this is your solution. It’s great for visibility, relationship-building, and increasing your engagement rate.

And if you’re thinking, ‘does anybody really watch those?’; according to studies, 82 % of audiences would rather watch a livestream than see a social post. Safe to say: Instagram Live is not only a trend; it’s here to stay.

How to host a good Live

The sooner you try it out, the better. Here are some tips for a well-prepared Live:

• Have a purpose

A Live should offer some added value, something special that makes your followers want to tune in. Generate a bit of an exclusive feeling.

For example, you could host a Q&A, invite another influencer for an interesting talk, reveal some news, announce an exciting giveaway, show some behind-the-scenes, ask for feedback, give a tutorial, or even just talk about your day.

Whatever it is: make it personal! Allow your viewers an extra look inside.

Tip: involve your audience. You can ask them beforehand what they want to see through a Question sticker. Free ideas and some extra engagement 😉

• Map it out beforehand

Every Live video session should be full-circle: it should have a clear beginning, middle, and end. So before you start, make sure you know all the pit stops along the way: map out the outline of your video and write down everything you want to cover.

If necessary, prepare for the questions you don’t necessarily want to answer.

• Promote your Live in advance

You can always host a surprise Live, but if you promote it a bit in advance, chances are even higher that more people will watch. For example, add a CTA to a post or make some dedicated stories about it so your followers know when to tune in.

• Test everything before you start

A good Live session includes great video quality, crisp audio, and fast internet as well. But, of course, you want to make sure that everything is right before you start, so test it all beforehand.

Also, make sure that the lighting is good and you’re visible.

After you press ‘Go Live,’ give your audience a few minutes to join in.

Tip: the waiting part doesn’t necessarily have to be awkward! You can use this time to greet people, which will make them feel special personally. Don’t just spend the whole time staring at your screen, do interact and answer some questions.

• End on a clear note

Like anything: end with a CTA. Your audience has been paying attention – use this to your advantage and end with a clear ‘to do’ for them.

Tip: you can also use the pinned comment feature for this. That way, it will stay visible for the entire time you’re live.

• Download the end result

Always save the video file to your camera roll; it’s great for safe-keeping and evaluating, but if it was a great live, you could do so much more with this piece of content. Make it into short episodes or Reels, post it to your timeline, highlights, etc.

Are you feeling inspired to host a live? Follow us @influo_app on Instagram and invite us. We’d love to join you!

Are you having trouble to grow, build and maintain your brand’s presence on social media? Then, why not learn your lesson from social media’s finest: the influencer. They build an online presence for a living! In this blog post, we’ll explain how you can involve them to give your brand a nice boost.

Let’s make one thing clear off the bat: connecting with influencers and learning from them should be an important part of any brand’s strategy. It’s one of the most powerful ways to advertise your products/services right now because it’s the modern version of word-of-mouth marketing.

The right match

An influencer can truly help you grow your following overnight. Since they’ve already spent a lot of time building their audience, they understand their followers and can help you create content that resonates with them. In addition, their followers trust their opinions.

In other words: they can send an extremely targeted group of potential customers your way.

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This is why you should start by finding the exact right influencer for your brand (check out our step-by-step guide!) and trusting their expertise. Because while you may know your product or service best, they know their followers best. They know what works with their audience, so they’ll know how to get the results you want.

Next, you can…

• Invite them to contribute to your account

One of the ways you can guide people to your account is by letting an influencer contribute to it. For example: let them do a take-over, which means they’d create content for your account for an entire day (or whatever time you agree). They’ll promote the take-over on their channel as well, which will send followers your way.  

It’s a great mutually beneficial strategy to drive traffic to and from one another.

• Sponsored content

Another way is to ask for access to their platform by means of sponsored content.

After agreeing on remuneration and guidelines, you could give them a product to try out or let them use your services. In return, they’ll post about it on their socials and add a tag/link/hashtag to send their followers your way.

• Create a referral program

A referral program is a great way to measure ROI from a campaign directly. The most effective strategy is giving influencers their unique promo code or sharing a promotional link. That way, when they share this with their followers, you can tell exactly where every visitor is coming from.

It’s not only great to measure immediate results, but you can also review the influencer’s actual influence.

• Run a contest or giveaway

Organizing a contest or a giveaway, whether on your socials or theirs, is one of the best ways to create some immediate positive buzz. It will make people curious about you and lead them to your profile or website. Everybody loves free stuff, right?

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• Host a live

Another great way to garner attention these days is to host live in cooperation with an influencer. Let them interview you, or vice versa. Then, come together to create some engaging content for both your followers.

Conclusion

A well-thought-out influencer strategy can grow your following, amplify brand awareness, garner sales, and even turn your company into a household name.

To achieve the best of the best, you will need the perfect combination of the right influencer, platform, and strategy. Luckily, Influo can help you with this.

Our hub is filled with how-to guides and other educational content. On top of that, you can always request to talk to someone one on one. So whether you’re starting from scratch or looking for some extra guidance: we’ve got a solution for you.

Right now, video content is king. In the foreseeable future, it will only continue – nay, expand – its reign. Choosing to incorporate it in your influencer marketing strategy is thus a smart choice. But soon after, the next choice presents itself: what is the best platform for your brand to upload to?

In this blogpost, we clarify the difference between IGTV and YouTube, two of the biggest players at the moment.

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When you say ‘video’, one of the first words that comes to mind is YouTube. The world as we know it just wouldn’t be the same without the video platform. But with IGTV’s long-form videos on the rise, YouTube now faces some fierce competition. Instagram, with its 500 million active daily users, is a centralized content marketing machine that shows no sign of stopping. Logically, content creators are wondering which platform is best for them to post on.

After reading this blogpost, you’ll be able to make an informed decision!

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Recently, multiple creators have been claiming that they’ve been ‘shadowbanned’. It seems like the term gets thrown around pretty easily, yet there is still so much mystery surrounding the phenomenon. Are these creators right: is shadowbanning truly a thing? If so, what does it imply? And more importantly: how can you avoid it?

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Recently Artevelde University released results of their extended research on the topic of “How do Belgian youngsters experience branding and influencer marketing via social media?”

The research brought interesting insights relevant to brands and creators involved in influencer marketing.

Covering different topics highlights the main differences between the french-speaking and dutch-speaking parts of the country, differences between various social media platforms. It gives a detailed overview of how young audiences interact with branded content.

Here are a couple of interesting facts we want to highlight.

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In recent years, sustainability has become a full-on lifestyle, and rightfully so. With climate change affecting our planet and thus our lives, the general need to make more conscious choices has intensified worldwide. Logically, this has had a huge impact on brands and the way they go about their business. And in the influencer marketing industry, it has even brought forth a whole new niche: the sustainability influencer.

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Writing a good Instagram caption can be challenging. It’s impossible to get those creative juices flowing every single time, especially if you’re an influencer who has to post regularly. Because a good caption not only has to catch the eye, it also needs to keep your audience engaged. And let’s be honest: sometimes you just want to post a nice picture without having to rack your brain for twenty minutes.

Good thing you can avoid all writers’ block with our foolproof tips. Keep on reading!

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The world of influencer marketing can be a wonderful one; if you know how to navigate it. Influencers these days are in-demand people who have excelled at what you need: reaching their audience and connecting with it. Of course, you can be a part of their success story as well, but they are busy, so knowing how to approach them is a huge benefit. Allow us to help.

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