Why Influencer Marketing Works? Newspoint Report

source: Analytics and Influencer Monitoring, Newspoint, December 2017

Four in ten people now have a social media account. Any internet user with a social media profile or blog can be an influencer, shaping what their audience thinks and likes. Since, as Newspoint’s cited studies show, over 70% of consumers consider influencer content to be their primary product information source, it’s no wonder the advertising industry has embraced them.

Influencer marketing, as the report highlights, is the fastest-growing method of customer acquisition today, far outpacing SEO, email marketing, and paid advertising.

- The internet today is largely made up of user-generated content, which is crucial for brands. Sixty-five percent of internet users consider the opinions of other users very important in their purchase decisions - comments Robert Stalmach, CEO of Newspoint, in the report. - This shift changes how brands communicate with their audiences. Users are less receptive to brand information and more inclined to follow suggestions from people they trust.

Why does influencer marketing work? According to the "Analytics and Influencer Monitoring" report, influencers create three times as much engaging content as non-influencers, and each piece of their content is four times more likely to impact the purchase decisions of their followers. The benefits companies can gain from working with opinion leaders include:

• Influencers reach a precisely targeted audience, lowering the cost of reaching potential customers,
• Influencers appear more authentic and credible than intrusive advertising,
• Influencer content is resistant to AdBlock programs,
• Influencer content has the potential to spread virally,
• Influencers may offer fresh, unique perspectives on a product.

However, working with influencers doesn’t automatically guarantee success. This approach also requires a well-thought-out strategy.

- Choosing the right creators for a campaign is challenging, especially with the awareness that their statistics are often inflated (e.g., through comment and visit exchanges, bots auto-liking other Instagram profiles, or “traffic exchange systems”). Not to mention the entire category of “fake-celebrities” who are entirely artificial - explains Kamil Mirowski, Creative Marketing Consultant at 1000ideas and MrSocial.pl, in the Newspoint report. - That’s why it’s so important to verify creators for authenticity (no brand wants to be associated with fraudsters) and for reach and engagement within the target group (let’s face it – we want to reach as many potential clients as possible, not random people).

Despite these caveats and risks, brands are increasingly turning to influencers, and this trend is expected to grow rapidly. Analysts predict that by 2020, influencer marketing will be worth $10 billion.

The complete "Analytics and Influencer Monitoring" report can be downloaded on the Newspoint website.