Dive Brief:
- In its 2015 influencer marketing report, RhythmOne found its influencer programs had an influencer engagement rate of 1.5%. Influencer engagement rate is a metric devised by RhythmOne that is found by dividing total engagements by total exposure.
- In terms of best platform for social amplification, the study found Instagram topped the list with a social action rate of 2.09%. Social action rate is found by dividing social media engagements by social media exposure.
- The alcoholic beverages category received the greatest earned media value with $21.03 in earned media for every dollar spent, followed by travel and tourism at $18.98, and CPG food at $12.03.
Dive Insight:
"Looking back at 2015 we saw a continued growth in the number of advertisers wanting to implement an influencer marketing program,” Chuck Moran, vp of marketing for RhythmOne, told Marketing Dive. RhythmOne's research spanned 14 advertiser categories, employing about 750 influencers.
The category accounting for the most influencer programs was CPG food at 36.36%.
About that result Moran said, “What was surprising was the continued domination of the industry category – CPG and audience target – moms. We feel very strongly that influencer marketing is right for nearly all industry categories – and the outstanding results we saw in 2015 for Travel/CVB advertisers, retailers, and health and beauty marketers is proof that it delivers the results and ROI marketers need."
RhythmOne’s research also found that mobile was preferred over desktop for engagement across all social media platforms, a not surprising result to the firm since mobile is the go-to way for accessing social media, according to comScore.
The results also provide a glimpse of how the influencer trend is only growing. Despite issues around metrics, influencer marketing has been a boon for brands looking to engage with wider, but niche audiences across social networks.
"We think 2016 is the year we will see many more industries categories harness the power of influencers," Moran said.
