Marketing with Instagram Influencers in the Philippines
Instagram has become a popular platform for influencer marketing. In the Philippines, influencers are a big deal on Instagram, and many brands are cashing in on their popularity.
According to Statista, there are approximately 60 million Instagram users in the Philippines, and influencer marketing has been shown to be effective in reaching this audience.
In fact, 64% of users in the Philippines aged 18 to 34 said they make purchasing decisions based on Instagram content, and 78% of users in southeast Asia follow accounts related to their interests.
The Philippines has one of the highest engagement rates of any country on Instagram and is known for having many of the biggest Instagram influencers in the world.
Why Instagram influencer marketing?
Using Instagram influencers in your marketing strategy is a surefire way to generate more buzz around your brand.
According to the 2023 Instagram Marketing Trends Survey from Later, 78% of marketers said Instagram is their most important platform, and 67% said Instagram influencer marketing is the most effective way to engage.
Influencer marketing is more effective than traditional forms of marketing because influencers are trusted by their followers. Their followers see their recommendations as coming from a friend rather than a brand.
Instagram is the most popular platform for influencer marketing for two main reasons:
- Instagram is a visual-first platform. This is especially helpful when marketing products that are best displayed visually.
- Instagram has many built-in tools that are helpful for marketers. These include shoppable posts, Instagram stories, and Instagram Reels.
How to use Instagram influencers in your marketing
To get the most out of influencer marketing on Instagram, you need to know how to find and work with influencers in the Philippines.
📢 Identify your target audience
Before you can find influencers who can help promote your brand, you need to know who your target audience is.
Ask yourself the following questions:
- What is their age, gender, location, and income level?
- What are their interests, hobbies, and values?
- What problems do they have that my brand can solve?
Understanding your target audience will help you find the right influencers to partner with.
💡 Find Filipino influencers
Once you know who your target audience is, you can start looking for influencers who have the same audience.
There are many ways to find influencers on Instagram.
- Use influencer marketing platforms like Upfluence and AspireIQ to search for influencers based on your criteria.
- Do hashtag searches on Instagram to find influencers in your niche.
- Use influencer search engines like Influence.co and Heepsy to search for influencers by location, category, and audience size.
📊 Analyze their metrics
Once you have a list of potential influencers, you need to analyze their metrics to see if they are a good fit for your brand.
Here are some metrics to consider:
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Follower count: This is the number of people who follow the influencer. However, it’s important to note that not all followers are created equal. Some influencers may have a large following but low engagement, while others may have a smaller following but high engagement.
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Engagement rate: This is the percentage of followers who engage with the influencer’s content. You can calculate it by dividing the total number of likes and comments by the number of followers and then multiplying by 100.
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Audience demographics: Check if the influencer’s audience matches your target audience in terms of age, gender, location, and interests.
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Content quality: Look at the quality of the influencer’s content, including the visuals, captions, and overall aesthetic. Is it aligned with your brand image?
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Authenticity: Check if the influencer has a history of being authentic and genuine with their followers. You can do this by looking at their comments and engagement rate.
📢 Reach out to influencers
Once you have narrowed down your list of potential influencers, it’s time to reach out to them and propose a partnership. You can contact them via direct message on Instagram or through their email if it’s listed in their bio.
When reaching out to influencers, be sure to:
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Personalize your message. Don’t use a generic message that you send to everyone. Show that you have done your research on the influencer and explain why you think they would be a good fit for your brand.
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Be clear about what you want. Explain what you are looking for in a partnership, whether it’s a sponsored post, Instagram story, or Instagram Reel.
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Offer compensation. Influencers put a lot of time and effort into creating content for brands, so be sure to offer fair compensation for their work. This can be in the form of cash, free products, or a combination of both.
💡 Create a brief
Once an influencer agrees to work with you, it’s important to create a brief that outlines the details of the partnership.
Here are some things to include in the brief:
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Objectives: Explain the goals of the partnership, such as increasing brand awareness, driving traffic to your website, or boosting sales.
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Deliverables: Outline what you expect from the influencer, such as the number of posts, stories, or Reels they will create.
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Content guidelines: Provide guidelines for the content, including the messaging, visuals, and hashtags to use.
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Timeline: Specify the timeline for the partnership, including when the content will be published.
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Compensation: Outline how the influencer will be compensated for their work.
📊 Measure the results
After the influencer publishes the content, it’s important to measure the results of the partnership to see if it was successful.
Here are some metrics to track:
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Engagement: Track the number of likes, comments, and shares the post received.
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Website traffic: Use UTM parameters to track how much traffic the post drove to your website.
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Sales: Track how many sales the post generated. You can use promo codes or affiliate links to help you track sales.
📢 Send payment
Once the partnership is over, be sure to send payment to the influencer promptly. This will help you build a good relationship with them and increase your chances of working with them again in the future.
Example of a successful Instagram influencer marketing campaign in the Philippines
One brand that has successfully used Instagram influencers in the Philippines is Happy Skin, a local cosmetics brand.
Happy Skin partnered with Filipino actress and influencer Anne Curtis for their #LoveYourSkin campaign.
Curtis published two posts on her Instagram account that received a total of 451K likes and 3K comments.
The campaign helped Happy Skin achieve a 124% increase in web traffic and a 30% increase in sales during the campaign period.
How much do Filipino influencers charge?
The cost of partnering with an Instagram influencer in the Philippines depends on a variety of factors, including:
- The influencer’s audience size and engagement rate.
- The type of content you want them to create (e.g., a post, story, or Reel).
- The industry you’re in.
- The influencer’s experience and reputation.
Here’s a rough estimate of how much you can expect to pay Filipino influencers based on their audience size:
- Nano influencers (1K to 10K followers): $20 to $150 per post
- Micro influencers (10K to 100K followers): $150 to $1,000 per post
- Mid-tier influencers (100K to 500K followers): $1,000 to $5,000 per post
- Macro influencers (500K to 1M followers): $5,000 to $10,000 per post
- Mega influencers (1M+ followers): $10,000+ per post
❗How to pay Filipino Instagram influencers
The most popular way to pay influencers in the Philippines is with cash. You can send payment via bank transfer, PayPal, or Payoneer.
If you are paying with cash, you can meet them in person or send someone to deliver the cash for you.
However, if you are sending payment via bank transfer or online payment platform like PayPal or Payoneer, you don’t have to meet them in person.
It’s important to have everything in writing, so be sure to create a contract that outlines the details of the partnership, including the payment terms.
❗Legal considerations
It’s important to follow the guidelines set forth by the Philippine government and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) when marketing with influencers.
The FTC requires that influencers disclose when they have been paid to promote a product or service.
In the Philippines, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) requires the same.
Here are some ways influencers can disclose sponsored content:
- Use hashtags like #ad or #sponsored in the caption.
- Add a disclaimer at the beginning of the caption.
- Use the “Paid partnership” tag that Instagram provides.
Failure to disclose sponsored content can lead to legal consequences for both the influencer and the brand.
Conclusion
Instagram influencer marketing is a popular method for brands to reach their target audience in the Philippines. The country is home to many Instagram influencers, and many brands have successfully used them in their marketing.
To use Instagram influencers in your marketing, start by identifying your target audience and finding influencers who have the same audience. Analyze their metrics to see if they are a good fit for your brand, reach out to them and propose a partnership, create a brief that outlines the details, measure the results, and send payment promptly.
Be sure to follow the guidelines set forth by the Philippine government and the FTC to avoid legal consequences.