Influencer marketing was hot in 2016, and data shows it’s only going to get hotter in 2017. If you’re not using it in your marketing strategy, what’s stopping you? Take a look at these statistics to see if they change your mind about working with influencers.
1. Facebook and Instagram are two times more important than other social channels.
Marketers say these channels are more important than any others when it comes to their influencer marketing programs. (The State of Influencer Marketing 2017)
2. Blogs and Facebook are dominating channels.
37% of marketers say blogs are the most effective platform for influencer marketer. Facebook followed, coming in at 25%. (Tomoson)
3. Most marketers say ongoing ambassadorships is the most effective form of influencer marketing.
70.6% of those surveyed agree that ongoing ambassadorships are the most effective. Product reviews are close second coming in at 66.7%, followed by brand mentions at 53.9%. (Tap Influence)
4. Influencers say most brands want to reach their audience through sponsored content.
81.7% of influencers say most brands want to reach their audience with sponsored content, while only 52.5% ask for the ambassadorship approach. (Tap Influence)
5. Most require influencers to disclose, but only half know what the current guidelines are.
While 88% of respondents say they require the influencers to disclose sponsored content, only 55% say they are familiar with current FTC guidelines. (The State of Influencer Marketing 2017)
6. Determining influencer marketing ROI is a challenge.
86% of marketers used influencer marketing in 2016. 78% say determining ROI is their top challenge for 2017. (The State of Influencer Marketing 2017)
7. And yet – there’s proof of strong ROI.
On average, for every dollar invested in influencer marketing, businesses generate $6.50 in revenue. 70% of businesses make $2 or more, and 13% make $20 or more. Only the bottom 18% fail to generate revenue. (Tomoson)
8. Others say finding relevant influencers is a big challenge.
67.6% of marketers surveyed say they find connecting with relevant influencers to be a major challenge. 59.8% say their biggest challenge comes in finding ways to engage their communities while satisfying executive expectations. (TapInfluence)
9. There’s still some concern over the effectiveness of influencer marketing.
55.9% of those surveyed say the biggest challenge they face within their organization is there is still concern because it is a new/unproven channel. 53.9% report there is no budget assigned, while 41.2% say the lack of control over messaging is the biggest issue. (Tap Influence)
10. Marketers are investing more money in influencers.
Nearly half (48%) of respondents say they’re planning on boosting their influencer marketing budget for 2017. Only 4% are making plans to decrease investments. (eMarketer)
11. Automation hasn’t quite caught on yet.
11% of respondents use a self-service software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform to automate influencer outreach, management, and reporting. (The State of Influencer Marketing 2017)
12. The majority of marketers do not pay the influencers they work with.
69% of marketers say they don’t pay influencers they work with. (Augure)
13. Most communications professionals consider Twitter as the key channel.
68% of communications professionals consider Twitter as the key channel as the key channel for influencer engagement campaigns. (Augure)
14. Twitter users are more likely to buy when exposed to promotional content from influencers.
When Twitter users see promotional content from an influencer, they report they have a 5.2x increase in purchase intent. (Twitter and Annalect, 2016)
15. Social media monitoring tools are popular for finding influencers.
39% of professionals say they use social media monitoring tools to find influencers. (MyNewsDesk)
16. Most influencers say they are more likely to buy from their sponsors.
77% of influencers say they’re more likely to buy products and services from their sponsors, becoming brand evangelists that way. (Wersm)
17. Engagement equals success.
81% of respondents consider their influencer marketing campaigns successful based on engagement. Reach comes in second at 61%. (The State of Influencer Marketing 2017)
18. YouTube stars are more popular than mainstream celebs.
At least where U.S. teenagers are concerned. The top five most popular “celebrities” are all powerful YouTube influencers. Their level of emotional attachment is seven times greater than to traditional celebrities like Seth Rogan or Jennifer Lawrence. Teens also see those YouTube stars as 17x more engaging and 11x more extraordinary than traditional celebrities. (Variety)
19. TV Viewership is consistently on the decline.
Though the numbers vary by age bracket, there’s a decrease across the board. Teens (12-17) have seen a 14.5% decrease year over year. 18-24 year olds have a 9.5% decline. Those age 25-34 and 35-49 saw 6.7% and 3% respectively. (Nielsen)
20. The majority of women turn to social media before buying something.
86% of women seek advice from their social networks before making a purchase. (aList)
21. Customers earned through word-of-mouth stick around longer.
Regardless of industry vertical, customers your business gets through word of mouth have a 37% higher retention rate. (McKinsey)
22. Influencer marketing is growing faster than other channels.
22% of businesses surveyed said influencer marketing was their fastest-growing customer acquisition channel – growing faster than organic search, paid search, and email marketing. Only 5% of businesses said affiliate marketing was their fastest customer acquisition channel, making it last on the list.(Tomoson)
23. Content promotion is the most common influencer use case.
67% of influencer campaigns are used to promote content. The second most common use is for product launch. It is tied with content creation at 59%. (Launch Metrics)
24. SEO is now becoming part of the influencer strategy.
23% of professionals consider influencer engagement as a strategic move for SEO purposes. (Launch Metrics)
25. Influencer marketing is one of the most cost-effective channels.
Influencer marketing, along with email marketing ranked for first place when it came to the most cost-effective customer acquisition channel, with 22% of businesses reporting those channels were the best for them. Organic search came in as a close second, at 19%. (Tomoson)
26. Businesses get better customers from influencer marketing.
Just over half of marketers (51%) believe they get better customers through influencer marketing. Marketers likely attribute this to the fact that social media users tend to spend more money, and are more likely to share their purchases with friends and family. (Tomoson)
27. Nearly half of customers are using ad blockers.
47% of online consumers areusing ad blockers. If you want to reach consumers, the best way you can do this is to connect with them on channels they’re already on, with content they want to consume. (Digital News Report)
28. More customers trust online word of mouth recommendations than they do banner ads.
92% of consumers trust online word of mouth recommendations, but only 33% of them trust banner ads. (Nielsen)
29. Influencer marketing searches have grown exponentially since early 2015.
Over time, we’ve seen a growth of more than 5,000%. (Google Trends)
30. More than half the companies in the beauty and fashion niche use influencers to amplify their campaigns.
57% of companies in beauty and fashion use influencers in their marketing mix. Organic growth for brands on YouTube has become harder without amplification and advertising. (ION)
31. YouTube reaches more people in certain demographics than any TV network.
Just on mobile alone – not including tablets, YouTube reaches more people in the 18-49 age bracket than any TV network, either broadcast or cable. (YouTube)
32. Influencers sharing your content can increase conversion rates dramatically.
If you have influencers sharing your content, you could see a conversion rate increase three to 10 times what you would have seen without it. (Wersm)
33. Influencer engagement is effective in lead generation.
Three-quarters of professionals consider influencer engagement effective in lead generation. (Launch Metrics)
34. Almost half of people say they’ve bought something after seeing an influencer use it.
40% of people say they’ve purchased an item after seeing an influencer use it on YouTube, Vine, Twitter, or Instagram. (Twitter and Annalect, 2016)
35. The vast majority of people don’t trust the advertising industry.
96% of people believe that the advertising industry does not act with integrity—69% of these people attribute their mistrust to the advertisers’ desire to sell more effectively. (IPSOS, 2015)
36. Nearly ¾ of Millennials feel obligated to make sure people they know buy smart.
73% of Millennials see it as their responsibility to guide friends, peers, and family toward smart purchase decisions. (Fleishman-Hillard PR & Hearst Magazine)
37. Influencers would rather work with brands through a platform.
While many brands work directly with influencers, 70% of influencers say the most effective way to work with brands is through an influencer marketing platform. (Tap Influence)
Ready to Get Started with Influencer Marketing?
If these statistics have convinced you to give it a try, take a look at Influencer Marketing 101. In it, I cover everything from finding and connecting influencers, to engaging with them so you’re not just blindly pitching random people to participate in a campaign for you. Yes, there are certainly challenges associated with influencer marketing, but the rewards are definitely worth the risk.
Eric Sachs
SEO virtuoso, CEO @Sachs Marketing Group. Focused on being of service to business owners - helping to better position them in the eyes of their audiences.