Dive Brief:
- The latest report from eMarketer, “Influencer Marketing for US Brands,” found marketing and communications professionals worldwide are taking advantage of influencer marketing.
- About two-thirds (67%) of respondents reported using influencers for content promotion and more than half (59%) reported using influencer marketing tactics for product launches and content creation.
- Further, video content is a format that drives use of influencers for brands.
Dive Insight:
According to the report, the advent of influencer talent agencies, such as the recently launched Applause network for Periscope influencers, has made it easier for marketers and ad agencies to tap into influencer talent.
About the rising value of influencer marketing, Greg Manago, co-president of content and entertainment for North America at Mindshare, told eMarketer, "Influencers are such an important part of what brands are doing today. The question [from clients] isn't, 'We want to do something with influencers; what do you think?' It's, 'What’s the influencer strategy for this program?'"
In terms of compensating influencers, the study found almost 68% of respondents pay per post, and almost 12% offer free products.
Research from Augure from last year found 61% of U.S. marketers planned on increasing influencer marketing budgets in 2015, while only 20% of European marketers planned the same.
And though the emerging marketing category is growing in popularity, brand marketers that use the strategy are finding it is hard to measure metrics, especially when working with influencers across social platforms.
