In the midst of a global transition from traditional forms of marketing into digital avenues, things are evolving daily.
Unless you are a digital marketing professional it can be difficult to keep up with everything on top of running your business and managing your brand.
While we’ve all been busy focusing on understanding Google’s powerful algorithm, creating SEO strategies to rank higher, and running pay-per-click advertisements on search engines and social media platforms, a new era of digital marketing has arrived.
While it is true that some forms of Influencer Marketing have been practiced for years, the modern use of this promotional strategy has taken on a new significance.
Many Internet users are determined to find new ways to block online ads due to the overwhelming number and increasingly targeted strategies and tactics. Due to this trend, an avenue for brands to indirectly connect with their audience is evolving.
Social networking is one of the most popular online activities with over 2 billion users globally.
Within this network, influencers – opinion leaders, inspirational persons, experts, models – may have accumulated thousands or even in some cases millions of followers.
Many brands see an opportunity to market their products to potential customers via a source that is admired, and more importantly, trusted.
The influencer uses their media outlet to promote a brand or product to their mass following.
Here are 10 surprising facts about Influencer Marketing that you will wish you knew sooner!
1) Google trends show the growth of Influencer Marketing over traditional marketing strategies.
Over the course of the past 5 years, Google Trends has shown that print advertising has been steadily decreasing while Influencer marketing has been increasing, where in 2017, interest in Influencer Marketing skyrocketed above print and video
2) Instagram is a successful platform for Influencer Marketers to be effective and engage their audience.
59% of influencers believe that Instagram is the most effective in engaging their audience, this is in part due to new features being built into the app. As Instagram houses 600 million users and has launched features such as live video, it is understandable that this has become the desired platform for an Influencer Marketing campaign.
3) 51% of marketers believe they acquire better customers through Influencer Marketing.
Micro influencers are those with a following in the 10,000 to 100,000 range. Studies have shown this is the sweet spot for user engagement. As one increases beyond this point, their rate of likes actually decreases. When considering ROI in a marketing campaign, using these micro-influencers has been proven to be more successful than using influencers on a celebrity level.
4) Tomoson states that Influencer marketing has surpassed organic search, paid search, and email marketing as an online customer-acquisition channel.
5) 60% of fashion and beauty brands have an Influencer marketing strategy in place, 21% plan to invest in it over next 12 months.
These platforms have allowed brands to put their product in front of targeted audiences with a trustworthy endorsement. Features such as Buyable Pins on Pinterest and Instagram Shopping have allowed customers to click and buy products without leaving the page. This has increased the success of Influencer Marketing campaigns.
6) 84% of marketers said they would launch at least one influencer campaign within the next 12 months.
Of those in the 2015 study who already had, 81% said Influencer engagement was effective.
7) 88% of customers trust online reviews by strangers as much as they would recommendations from friends.
According to the BrightLocal Consumer Review Survey 2014. This is increasing every year, where it was at 79% in 2013. However, there is a further 30% that say they must believe the online review to be authentic, where authenticity is as equally important as quantity.
8) 40% OF PEOPLE ON TWITTER HAVE MADE A PURCHASE AS A DIRECT RESULT OF A TWEET FROM AN INFLUENCER.
Whoa! Given that there are on average 330 million users on Twitter, 40% is a lot of people to have been effectively influenced by this form of marketing.
9) 70% of teenage YouTube subscribers say they relate to YouTubers more than to traditional celebrities.
Times are changing! Creators on YouTube have strong ties with their fans, resulting in a more engaged audience. Videos created by the top 25 YouTube stars gained 3 times as many views, 2 times as many actions, and 12 times as many comments, when compared to traditional celebrity videos.
10) 47% of online customers use ad blockers.
People are finding more strategies to block digital advertisements, and the number of people doing so is expected to continue growing. With this in mind, it’s obvious that other avenues for connecting with audiences online is needed. This is where Influencer Marketing is stepping in.
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