How Instagram is shaking up influencer marketing

Last month, social media giantInstagram announced it would be trialling the removal of ‘likes’ on postsacross several countries in a bid to remove social pressure from its users.

With recent backlash from thegovernment on how social media platforms can contribute to low self-esteem andfeelings of inadequacy in young people, Instagram’s new trial will hide theamount of likes posts receive to other users.

This is certainly a step in theright direction to ensure sharing on Instagram becomes less of a competitionand more about embracing storytelling without the pressure.

But while this is a positiveinitiative for us, what does it mean for influencer marketing?

As it stands, influencer marketingis a tool that brands are jumping on to raise awareness and increase sales, andrightly so. But those brands seeking out the most influential figures onInstagram are focusing too much on the vanity metrics — how many likes theyreceive.

Of course, it makes sense thatbrands want to engage with those influencers with the highest number of likes,but they need to understand that influencer status goes beyond this. It’s alsoimportant to remember that likes have been a source of fake engagement, withbots readily available to purchase to boost engagement.

Instagram likes are just a range ofnon-specific measurements that can’t and don’t measure success of specificcampaigns. And while brands currently rely on these metrics to determineachievements, this won’t be an option for much longer if Instagram decides topermanently disable likes.

According to Amy Luca, chiefexecutive of TheAmplify, brands should rethink their influencer partnership andcompensation models, meaning looking at different metrics that more accuratelydrive the business, from purchase intent, brand awareness and brand affinity.This means that influencer campaigns could be properly compared with othermarketing activity.

In addition to encouraging brandsto look at different metrics, the removal of likes would also mean brands needto focus more on quality content that would inspire its followers to engage ina more meaningful way — for example, with comments on Instagram posts.

It would also encourage brands tothink about the type of content they are posting. Instagram is no longer justabout the images on a feed, but more about short, snappy ‘stories’ or videocontent.

So while the removal of Instagramlikes may come as a shock, I believe this is a good move for the socialplatform. Along with improving our mental health and reducing anxiety, it meansthat brands will be focusing more on better, high-quality content that we’llwant to engage with, as opposed to posting images for the sake of likes.