Influencer marketing is trending on Instagram, and brands will continue to use this strategy to grow their follower base in 2023. If you want to hop on the trend and leverage an influencer partnership for your brand, an Instagram takeover is one of the most effortless and affordable ways to do so. It's a win for your partner creator, too, because they get to tap your audience base.
While Instagram takeovers are straightforward, they require some strategic planning to be successful. If you're unsure about how to get started, here's everything you need to know about this marketing strategy and how to plan one with your chosen influencer.
What Is an Instagram Takeover, and How Do Brands Benefit From Them?
An Instagram takeover is a marketing strategy where an influencer takes over a brand's Instagram account for a day. While brands usually tap influencers and celebrities, you can also let team members and customers do the job. If you're intentional and plan your Instagram takeovers well, it's almost impossible to experience drawbacks with this marketing strategy.
What's great is that it's a win-win for the brand and whoever's doing the takeover. They can benefit from each other in various ways, including the following:
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Reach New and Larger Audiences
When an influencer takes over your Instagram account, it's an opportunity to tap into their audience and expose your brand to new potential customers. Before the takeover, your partner influencer should tell their followers about what's happening so they can tune in.
Many of them will likely follow and engage with you as a result. It's an effective way to gain high-quality followers. Likewise, your partner influencer can gain new fans from your audience.
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Cultivates Credibility and Trust
Established influencers have already earned the trust of their followers. So when they do an Instagram takeover with you, your brand will become credible in the eyes of their audience too. When an influencer agrees to partner with you, they're vouching for your brand and telling their followers that you're trustworthy.
Instagram takeovers can also increase your brand's social proof. When people see others supporting and using a product, they're more likely to use it themselves, even more so if it's an influencer or celebrity promoting it.
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Builds Hype and Drives Engagement
If you have a product launch or any other important event coming up, an Instagram takeover is one of the best ways to drum up support for it. An influencer or celebrity can build hype and excitement in a way that brands can't.
Thanks to influencers' loyal and active fan bases, Instagram takeovers can also help boost engagement on your posts. Their followers will likely show their support by liking, commenting, and sharing the takeover posts. The increase in interaction will also boost your reach and sales. The Instagram algorithm likes promoting posts with high engagement.
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Humanizes Your Brand
Through Instagram takeovers, your audience can associate your business with an actual person, showing your brand's 'human' side. It's much easier to connect with your followers and earn their trust this way.
Having an employee do the Instagram takeover is a great way to humanize your brand and make it seem more authentic. They can give your followers a glimpse of the company culture and what goes on behind the scenes.
How to Run a Successful Instagram Takeover
Take the time to iron out the details of your Instagram takeover. You can make the most of it by following these steps:
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Identify Your Instagram Takeover Goals
The entire planning process hinges on your Instagram takeover goals. Once you know what you want to achieve, everything else will fall into place. So ask yourself what kind of results you want to see. Do you want to increase brand awareness, grow your following, drive engagement, or get more customer leads?
It's also vital to set KPIs so you can track your Instagram takeover's performance. It can be the number of new followers you gain, the level of engagement on your posts, or the number of clicks to your website.
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Select an Instagram Takeover Host
Picking your Instagram takeover host is one of the most crucial parts of the planning process. It should be someone who shares your brand's goals and values. That way, the partnership will seem authentic and not awkward or forced. Here are the types of hosts you can get for your Instagram takeover:
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Influencers
Influencers typically have a massive following who trust and support them. When you partner with an influencer, you're exposing your brand to a loyal audience who can also become your followers.
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Employees
An employee Instagram takeover can show your audience the human side of your business and make you more relatable. It's also a chance for you to showcase your team members and give them the recognition they deserve.
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Customers
Letting a customer take over your Instagram account is an effective way to increase your social proof and get more leads. It also shows that you value your customers and can help build a stronger sense of community.
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Choose an Instagram Takeover Format and Create an Outline
There are various ways to do an Instagram takeover. Choose the format that aligns with your goals and makes your host feel comfortable.
A post takeover means your host will post content to your feed related to your products or services. If you choose a Story takeover, your host will upload a series of Stories on your account, whether behind-the-scenes or a sneak peek of a new product. You can also opt for a Live takeover, where your host will interact with your followers in real time.
Once you've chosen a format, it's time to craft guidelines for your host. Be clear about how long the takeover is, what content they should post, and whether you want to approve them before posting.
The Bottom Line
If done correctly, Instagram takeovers hold plenty of benefits for your brand, audience, and takeover host. It's a great way to mix things up, create buzz around your products or services, and reach your marketing goals.
