In the dynamic landscape of influencer marketing, Instagram continues to be a powerhouse platform for connecting brands with their target audiences. The platform has over 2 billion monthly active users, making it the third most popular social media platform in the world. It therefore makes a very logical sense for businesses to promote aggressively on Instagram and utilize its feature to its full potential. 

As we enter 2024, it's crucial for marketers to leverage the latest and most effective features that Instagram has to offer. This article explores key Instagram features and how brands can integrate them to their influencer marketing strategy to get results. 

# 1 Instagram Reels: A Medium of Visual Storytelling

Instagram Reels has emerged as a powerful tool for niche influencer marketing, offering a range of features that enhance engagement, creativity, and brand visibility. Reels allows influencers to create short, engaging videos that capture attention quickly. In the fast-paced world of social media, these bite-sized videos are ideal for holding the viewer's interest and delivering a message effectively.

Since reels are prominently featured on the explore page of the app, the discoverability of influencer content is very high. The content can witness organic growth in terms of engagement and visibility even by the users who may not follow the influencer. Another interesting feature of reels is that it allows creators to add polls, questions and countdown to their content which works for audience engagement. This helps in creating a sense of community amongst the followers and even helps brands gather genuine insights and feedback. 

# 2 Instagram Stories : A Direct Way to Reach Audience 

Instagram stories are a great way to form an immediate connection with the target audience. Instagram Stories provide a more authentic and personal way for brands to showcase their products or services through influencers. The temporary nature of Stories (lasts for 24 hours)  allows for a real and unfiltered portrayal of the brand, contributing to a more genuine brand representation. 

Brands can leverage Instagram Stories to directly engage with their target audience through influencers. Similar to reels, Influencers can conduct polls, Q&A sessions, and other interactive features, fostering two-way communication between the brand and consumers. 

# 3 Instagram Swipe up Feature : A Great Way to Foster User Traffic

The "Swipe Up" feature on Instagram is an excellent way to increase user traffic. It is an excellent way to engage and increase web traffic of a website. However, there are a few prerequisites of using the Swipe feature for an influencer marketing campaign. The business should have a verified Instagram business account with 10,000 followers.

For businesses who majorly rely on social media for marketing, should make the Swipe up feature of Instagram an  part of their influencer marketing strategy. 

Brands can work with social media influencers to create engaging and visually appealing Story content that naturally integrates the Swipe Up call-to-action. For this feature of Instagram to work well, the story or content  should be compelling and relevant to the target audience. It should seamlessly guide viewers to swipe up for more information.

The swipe up feature of instagram helps in capturing audience attention by offering exclusive deals and promotions. Brands can offer limited-time offers that create a sense of urgency, motivating potential customers to take immediate action.

# 4 Instagram Collaboration Feature - An Excellent Way to Promote Transparency 

Instagram's collaboration features play a significant role in facilitating influencer marketing campaigns, streamlining communication between brands and influencers. It is an excellent way to include brand content tags. This feature ensures that audiences are aware when a post is sponsored, promoting transparency and authenticity in influencer marketing.

When influencers tag the brand as a business partner in their posts, it enhances the brand's visibility. This tagged content appears not only on the influencer's profile but also in a dedicated section on the brand's profile, showcasing the collaboration to a broader audience.

Brands can work with influencers to create and promote co-branded hashtags. This collaboration not only unifies the campaign but also encourages user-generated content, increasing overall engagement and reach.

# 5 Carousel Post : A Richer Way to Amplify Brand Content

Ever since the feature was launched back in 2017, carousel posting has taken brand messaging to another level. It is an excellent way to amplify content and for brands and influencers to engage with their audience. Before this instagram feature was introduced, brands could use a single image of a post to showcase their content. However, with carousel features, brands and influencers can use multifaceted dimension to their content. 

Now brands can collaborate with influencers to showcase a range of products within a single Carousel post. This allows influencers to provide a comprehensive view of the product line, highlighting key features and variations.

Content creators can use the Carousel posts to tell a story or narrate the journey of a brand campaign. Each slide can represent a different phase, creating a cohesive and sequential storytelling experience.

# 6 Creator Marketplace : An Earning Opportunity for Creators and Ushering Visibility for Brands

Creator Marketplace (feature available for creator & business account)  on Instagram can be a powerful strategy for brands to increase sales, reach a wider audience, and leverage the influence of content creators. It is a mutually beneficial relationship for brands and the content creators. 

Brands can collaborate with ( social media influencers within a niche) by providing them with promotional materials, product information, and unique affiliate links or promo codes. These assets are then used by content creators  to create content on their Instagram accounts. This content may include reviews, tutorials, unboxings, or other creative ways to showcase the brand. 

When the followers of the content creator make a purchase using the affiliate links or promo codes, social media influencers earn a commission on the sales. The commission structure is predetermined and agreed upon between the brand and the content creator.  Also, the social media influencers must use the paid partnership label in order to use the creator marketplace in an ethical way. 

As Instagram continues to evolve, influencers and brands must stay attuned to the latest features to optimize their influencer marketing strategies. From Reels to creator marketplace, each feature presents unique opportunities for authentic engagement and storytelling. By harnessing these features effectively, influencers can elevate their content, and brands can forge meaningful connections with their audiences in the ever-evolving landscape of social media marketing.

Galleri5 is an award winning influencer marketing company with a proven track record of launching successful influencer marketing campaigns on platforms such as Instagram. We have a hands-on team and a complete creator stack that will help brands develop, execute, manage their influencer campaigns with relative ease. For more information, book a demo today!