The Rise of Influencer Marketing

In 2022, influencer marketing is by no means a new concept. The term ‘influencer’ first came to the fore through people such as Zoella and PewDiePie, who rose to fame over 10 years ago through YouTube and kickstarted the influencer revolution. Roll on 2010, and the creation of Instagram proved a game changer for the influencer movement. No longer just the platform for aesthetic food pictures and holiday snaps, Instagram became the platform for influencers, with hobbies being turned into lucrative careers. Influencer marketing is now one of the most popular marketing channels, and estimated to be worth up to billion in 2022. But why is influencer marketing so popular?

Increased reach and visibility

Owning to their very title as an ‘influencer’, these savvy Instagrammers have the power to influence the general public in multiple ways, and can cast their opinions and brand partnerships far and wide. The reach and engagement an influencer can have can be truly incredible, depending on the amount of followers they have. See below for the widely accepted Instagram tiers:

• Nano influencers have between 1,000 and 10,000 followers.

  1. Micro influencers have between 10,000 and 50,000 followers.

  2. Mid-tier influencers have between 50,000 and 500,000 followers.

  3. Premium/Macro influencers have between 500,000 and 1,000,000 followers.

  4. Celeb/Mega influencers have over 1,000,000 followers. (Rhythm Influence)

When an influencer posts content about a particular brand, this not only goes out to all their followers, but if one of their fans then shares it to their feed, the reach could double. As one of the fastest growing ways to build brand awareness, it really pays for brands to match with the right influencer for maximum impact. In this way, it's a fantastic way to generate leads and acquire new customers, and is no longer an option, but a necessity to truly get your brand and product out there.

Consumers trust influencers more than ads

User-generated content, or UGC, can be a huge asset to brands, as quite simply, people trust people more than they trust adverts. According to the Nielsen Consumer Trust Index, 92% of consumers trust organic, user-generated content more than they trust traditional advertising. Consumers might no longer take notice of an advert on TV, but they will take notice which brand of jeans their favourite celebrity is wearing, or the new lipgloss they are promoting. Even though ads must be disclosed upfront, usually via ‘#ad’ on Instagram, influencers are still viewed as more authentic than traditional ads, as people can engage with them more than they would a 30 second video. According to the Digital Marketing Institute, 49% of consumers depend on influencer recommendations before they purchase a product, showing the trust they put in the influencer. Instagram is proving to be the digital version of word of mouth recommendations, and consumers are relying on these recommendations to have faith that they are purchasing a high quality product from a well-reputed brand.

What does the future hold for influencer marketing?

At the very start of the movement, it may have been easy to think that influencer marketing would be another flash in the pan and wouldn’t be a patch on the more traditional forms of marketing. However, the influencer movement is showing no signs of stopping, with growing reliance on it from both consumers and brands alike. Brands that get influencer marketing right will realise long-term benefits through association with influencers that will bolster the brand’s credibility and reputation, as well as drive sales. (Talking Influence) It will be interesting to see which new realms influencer marketing will branch out into in the future, and the further evolution of one of the most successful channels of marketing.