Instagram Marketing Strategy for 2020: Will The 'Like Ban' Kill Instagram Influencer Marketing?

Instagram Marketing Strategy for 2020: Brands and Instagram influencers are trying to figure out what’s next in the wake of the social sharing platform’s "like ban" test. 

For many influencers who generate their livelihood from a portion of the 95 million photos and videos uploaded to the site daily, the ban feels like a calamity of epic proportions. 

For brands that are increasingly relying on influencer marketing as a must-have marketing channel and using likes as one of their go-to metrics to measure performance, this seems like a setback.

But here’s the thing: vetting and working with influencers should not be based on a likes-driven popularity contest. Brands should look beyond likes to determine the success of a campaign. 

Also Read: Instagram Marketing for Small Businesses: 4 Tactics that Actually Convert

A change to the way Instagram displays interactions shouldn’t be seen as a catastrophe, but instead as an opportunity to develop new, more durable strategies for engagement and community building.

What is Instagram Marketing Strategy for 2020 'Like Ban'?

Earlier this year, Instagram boss Adam Mosseri announced the platform would test removing the public display of likes. 

The company’s reasoning, according to Mosseri, is to support mental health and to encourage connection rather than scorekeeping.

The ban has been tested in a handful of countries, not including the U.S. The ban allows like counts to be seen on the back end by the creator but doesn’t display specific like counts that are accessible by those perusing the site.

How will the ban impact brands and influencers?

In our experience, where 60% of the 3,000+ influencer marketing campaigns we’ve facilitated to date have been on Instagram, we’ve seen that marketers’ initial reaction to the news has been one of concern. 

Many of them still count on the number of likes, along with comments and shares, as the most reliable measure of success.

While many brands and influencers are understandably either fearful or frustrated regarding the change, others are taking a more pragmatic approach.

The changes to the platform are intended to help people "spend more of their energy connecting with the people that they love and the things that they care about." 

It stands to reason that in order for influencers to continue thriving in this market, they must be attuned to the needs and interests of their target audiences. 

Their goal won’t be getting quick likes anymore; instead, they’ll focus on creating stronger, more authentic and interactive content that drives action.

Instagram Marketing Strategy for 2020 who wants to continue to have an engaging Instagram presence will need to determine which metrics they want to highlight to brands seeking partnership. 

Also Read: Instagram Marketing: The Ultimate Guide with Examples

They can also benefit by homing in more specifically on the audience they want (looking at specific demographics or geographic information or at more intangible characteristics such as voice and responsiveness) than creating content that speaks to them and inspires action.

I predict video will continue to gain precedence on the platform, so I believe that creators who can develop engaging, actionable stories will likely rise above the rest.

What’s the best way to avoid a negative impact from Instagram Marketing Strategy for Like Ban?

In virtually every line of work, user experience has become a key area of focus. The same goes for influencers working on Instagram. 

If they’re connecting in the right way, likes are just a small piece of the overall equation. 

Their main concern should be the experience and engagement they develop through interactions with followers.

In this way, the ban can have a positive effect on brands collaborating with Instagram influencers by encouraging them to create impactful content that hits several different KPIs, instead of basing success on likes alone.

Examples of KPIs that can give a better overall reflection of the effort and effectiveness of the influencer’s communication strategies include:

• Comments and shares.
• Video/Stories views.
• Follower growth on the brand’s channel.
• Mentions and hashtags.
• Brand’s website traffic.
• Conversions and leads.

What positives could the ban bring to influencer marketing?

Instagram recognizes the value influencers create through community-building on behalf of businesses and brands. 

According to the Instagram Business blog, 68% of users access the platform to engage with content from creators.

While the ban may produce a short-term negative effect of additional stress for scrambling influencers and brands trying to accommodate a new reality, the long-run impact should be more positive, holistic relationships between brands, influencers, and their online communities.

Rather than judging an influencer’s entire worth or campaign success on the number of likes they can score via an image, the ban will push brands and influencers to consider experience and interaction as a whole and to create better relationships.

As a potentially positive opportunity for brands and influencers, Instagram has developed a new advertising tool that allows brands to share creator content.

The new Branded Content ad offering puts the focus (and the ad spend) on content that influencers are making and sharing. 

Metrics for this type of ad sales program must be revenue-adjacent to make sense for the brand. 

Many of the other KPIs mentioned are more predictive or closely correlated with the end user’s actual intent to purchase than likes alone.

As another potential positive impact, brands may choose to take strategic steps and not leave all their eggs in the Instagram basket. 

Other platforms are also ripe for development and audience building/engagement, including TikTok (short-form mobile video), Twitch (gamer-focused streaming) and, of course, YouTube.

Likes may be going away, but the Instagram Marketing Strategy for 2020 movement is here to stay. 

As brands look for ongoing opportunities to engage with customers via a multichannel strategy, I believe Instagram will remain a valuable resource for connection and community-building.

When it comes to social media influencer marketing, we’re technically still navigating a new space, and it’s normal and expected that there will be changes, some of the more drastic than others. 

It’s up to brands and influencers to be flexible and adapt as the industry moves forward by proactively employing new strategies and tactics that are mutually beneficial and elevate the collaborative work that they do.