Brands That Are Leveraging Influencers to Get Big Results
by Makenna Johnson •
We always have our eyes peeled for brands that are making a splash in the influencer space, and these seven brands are using Instagram to do just that. Some of these names are well-known and have been around for decades, while others have sprouted up over the past few years and taken off as a result of great influencer marketing.
We’re going to refer a lot in this post to micro-influencers, so let’s do a quick overview of what a micro-influencer is. A micro-influencer is a social media user who has a reach on one channel that is under 100,000 followers. Typically when we refer to micro-influencers, we’re talking about those who have between 10,000 and 60,000 followers on Instagram. Our primary emphasis on micro-influencers is due to the fact that they have a highly-engaged, specific audience that they engage back with. This niche following leads to micro-influencers being more trusted than bigger influencers and celebrities who post branded content all the time.
Related: Why Your Brand Needs to Work with Micro-influencers
In contrast, macro-influencers are people who have amassed over 100,000 followers on a social channel. These are usually sponsored campaigns which sometimes require pretty hefty sponsorship fees. Of course, with that comes some perks like the fact that you can dictate the type of content more directly and get more overall input during the collaboration. Its main downfalls include the price tag and the fact that these influencers can’t guarantee an ROI for brands.
Let’s take a look at some of our top picks for brands that have nailed influencer marketing on Instagram over the past year.
Related: How to Identify if an Influencer is Impactful to Your Brand
Revolve
If you’re looking for a fashion brand to emulate from an influencer marketing perspective, Revolve is one to keep an eye on. While they’re not as involved with micro-influencers (they do engage with some), they are certainly benefitting from macro-influencers in the fashion space. Their #RevolveAroundTheWorld campaign takes influencers on extravagant free vacations wearing all Revolve clothing. Part of the campaign includes an annual Hamptons trip called #RevolveInTheHamptons where they send big influencers to gather and relax – and of course, create content.
#RevolveAroundTheWorld
With their #RevolveAroundTheWorld campaign, Revolve has been targeting bloggers, specifically ones who can represent their brand in a credible, realistic way. These influencers represent the fashion brand’s ideal customer, with both clothing and lifestyle choices that reflect and reinforce the Revolve brand. They are shown having fun around the globe on vacations paid for by Revolve, in locations such as Thailand, Malibu, Palm Springs, Croatia and Mexico.
Here are a few influencer examples from the campaign that highlight the reach behind this strategy:
Julie Sariñana, whose account @sincerelyjules has over 4.7 million followers.
Natasha Oakley, whose account @tashoakley has over 1.9 million followers.
Anne Di, whose account @beautybitten has over 68,200 followers.
Chiara Ferragni, whose account @chiaraferragni has over 11.7 million followers.
Marianna Hewitt, whose account @marianna_hewitt has over 781,000 followers.
#RevolveInTheHamptons
To reinforce their “Around the World” strategy, Revolve also holds an annual retreat to the Hamptons, where they gather influencers during an all-out promotion that dominates their social media throughout the summer.
Here are a few highlighted influencers from the 2017 Hamptons trip, which also includes clothing labels that Revolve partners with:
Lovers and Friends, an LA-based clothing label whose account @loversfriendsla has over 369,000 followers:
NBD, a label whose account @itsnbd has over 107,000 followers.
Lauren Bushnell, whose account @laurenbushnell has over 1.2 million followers.
Chriselle Lim, whose account @chrisellelim has over 1 million followers.
Jasmine Sanders, whose account @golden_barbie has over 2.8 million followers.
Bioclarity
The brand Bioclarity is newer to the skincare scene, which means breaking into a huge market that is very, very crowded. To stand out from the clutter, they are branding themselves as the natural, plant-based alternative to Proactiv — and they have been working with micro-influencers and big influencers to establish social proof. Since Bioclarity markets themselves as an eco-friendly, vegan brand, they are targeting social influencers who focus on healthy, natural lifestyles.
Here are just a few of the hundreds of influencers who are spreading the word for Bioclarity:
Hailey Marie, whose account @dreaming_outloud has over 208,000 followers.
Ashley Iaconetti, whose account @ashley_iaconetti has over 664,000 followers.
Tiffany Acevedo, whose account @nourishedbykale has over 183,000 followers.
Spencer Goulding, who account @spencergoulding has over 165,000 followers.
Mikala Rain, whose account @mikalathomass has over 158,000 followers.
MVMT
MVMT is a watch brand you’ve probably seen pop up on Instagram due to their use of strategic influencer marketing. Their Instagram account boasts just under 1 million followers and their high-quality, lifestyle-oriented posts each receive thousands of likes. Thanks to influencer marketing, MVMT has risen to the top of a saturated watch market in an incredibly competitive digital space.
Here is just a peek at some of the influencers MVMT is using to gain visibility on Instagram.
Morgan Oliver-Allen, whose account @moliverallen has over 91,300 followers.
Spencer Nuzzi, whose account @ihatespencernuzzi has over 64,900 followers.
Sergio Ines, whose account @whatmyboyfriendwore has over 231,000 followers.
Jacob Riglin, whose account @jacob has over 680,000 followers.
Shawn Booth, whose account @shawn_booth18 has over 940,000 followers.
Related: 5 Tips for Marketing On Instagram
Bootay Bag
Bootay Bag is another brand that has used Instagram influencers to generate a buzz. The company offers a monthly subscription that delivers two pairs of underwear to your door every month. Not only do the influencers who partner with Bootay Bag help attract new customers, but Instagram is a great outlet for showcasing Bootay Bag’s products on beautiful people. On top of this, Instagram has proved to be a great tool to promote the brand’s social causes. In the past, Bootay Bag has asked users to share the hashtag #undermatters, making a $1 donation for each hashtagged photo to benefit charities such as the Melanoma Foundation and Susan G. Komen.
The brand’s Instagram presence has been focused heavily on user-generated content, where they have recruited primarily micro-influencers who are not paid to endorse the brand (and many with fewer than 5,000 followers). Here are just a few of them:
Tana Helene, whose account @tanahelene has over 5,600 followers.
Shaylene Marie, whose account @shaylenecameron has over 237 followers.
Emily Burgess, whose account @eaburgess has around 3,000 followers.
Haley Michelle Geiger, whose account @misshaleymichelle has over 34,000 followers.
Julia Willetts, whose account @juliawilletts has around 6,400 followers.
FabFitFun
FabFitFun is another subscription-based brand that has blown up quickly thanks to influencers on Instagram. To promote their higher-end health and beauty boxes, the brand has not only sought smaller influencers like bloggers, but has also cashed in on macro-influencers like “The Bachelor” contestants Amanda Stanton and Becca Tilly. The reality stars have been paid to promote FabFitFun on their Instagram channels as well as to create content in the form of unboxing videos showcased in paid social ads. FabFitFun is definitely spending big dollars for influencers with millions of followers. Their company even has employees whose sole focus is finding influencers to represent their brand!
Let’s take a look at some of the influencers who have gotten behind FabFitFun:
“The Bachelor” star Vanessa Grimaldi, whose account @vanessagrimaldi30 has over 925,000 followers.
Television personality and entrepreneur Khloé Kardashian, whose account @khloekardashian has over 73 million followers.
Singer-songwriter Lindsay Ell, whose account @lindsayell has over 199,000 followers.
Actress and dancer Peta Murgatroyd, whose account @petamurgatroyd has over 814,000 followers.
“The Bachelor” actress JoJo Fletcher, whose account @joelle_fletcher has over 2.2 million followers.
Vital Proteins
A brand that is newer on the foodie scene but making a big impact thanks to influencers is Vital Proteins. The company makes collagen-centric supplements and powders to add to your lattes, smoothies or water. These products are meant to enhance your everyday life, with claims of improving skin, joints, bones, digestion, sleep and so forth. The brand has used Instagram to bank in on photos shared by health-conscious foodies.
Here are a few of the influencers that have featured Vital Proteins over the past year, generating a buzz that has lead the brand to be carried in major retailers around the nation:
Werner, a healthy living marketer whose account @wernou has over 100,000 followers.
Emily Schromm, a personal trainer and nutritionist whose account @emilyschromm has over 272,000 followers.
Melissa, who shares easy and healthy recipes on her account @melissas_healthykitchen with over 87,8900 followers.
Food editor Liz Moody, whose account @mindbodygreen has over 555,000 followers.
Healthy living enthusiast Kendra Cardoza, whose account @paleopaparazzi has over 70,400 followers.
What Are You Waiting For?
While these are just seven examples of brands that are doing influencer marketing right on Instagram, it’s obvious that influencers can be your biggest brand ambassadors. Whether it’s micro-influencers who spread the word with little or no compensation or macro-influencers who have celebrity levels of clout, you have a whole squad of brand cheerleaders right at your fingertips who can spread the word about your brand in a realistic way to followers who trust their opinions.
