THE 2018 INFLUENCER MARKETING REPORT
The Rise of Micro-Influencers & How Consumer Trust Drives Sales
Table of ContentsIntroduction & Key TakeawaysHow Consumers Define InfluencersConsumer Trust in Influencer RecommendationsDo Consumers Notice Influencer's Ads?Top Social Platforms to Reach ConsumersProducts & Events Come Out on Top for Influencer MarketingThe Bottom LineMethodology Details
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6
9
12
15
21
24
26
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IntroductionInfluencer marketing isn’t a new concept.
Brands have been using influential people to promote products and services for a long time. But there are two big ways the game has changed.
First, these campaigns are driven via social media (adiós, TV).
Secondly, today’s consumers aren’t entirely celebrity-influenced.
They favor the opinions of the mommy bloggers, beauty bloggers, tech-obsessed, and mechanical engineers of the world. People you probably wouldn’t recognize on the street, but have thousands following them on YouTube.
That’s just the beginning of consumer expectations for your influencer marketing campaigns, driven by our 2018 survey of 1500 Americans.
4
Key Takeaways
• Only 19.2% of Consumers Define “Influencers” on Social Media as Celebrities
• 30.5% of Consumers Value Influencer's Trustworthiness over Number of
Social Media Followers
• Nearly 40% of Consumers Can’t Tell if a Social Media Post is Sponsored
• Nearly 70% of consumers are most likely to hear about new products,
services, or events from people they follow on Facebook
• 22% of consumers reported they were most likely to purchase products
(Beauty Products, Clothing, Electronics, etc.) from influencers
5The 2018 Influencer Marketing & Consumer Behavior Forecast/study
How Consumers Define Influencers
6The 2018 Influencer Marketing & Consumer Behavior Forecast/study
How Consumers Define InfluencersThe day of the celebrity-endorsed product is far from over, but it’s slowly becoming overshadowed by the rise of micro marketers—individuals with a smaller but more engaged and trusting follower base.
Fewer than 20% of our survey participants defined influencers as celebrities, while the the remaining ~80% defined an influencer as one of the following:
• A person with a lot of followers on a social channel
• Anyone who promotes a product on their social channel
600
400
19.22%
34.75% 32.78%
13.24%
500
300
200
100
A celebrity who promotes a product on their social channel
A person with a lot of followers on a social channel
Anyones who promotes a product on their social channel
No response0
Which one of these statements best describes an 'influencer' on social media?
7The 2018 Influencer Marketing & Consumer Behavior Forecast/study
When we break this down by age, we find that 13-17 year olds tend to define influencers as people with lots of followers—not just anyone who promotes a product.
Other responses include:
• “Friends who promote”• “Personal friend endorsement”• “People I know saying it's a good item”
To put it bluntly: Trust means everything in influencer marketing.
This is particularly true for Gen Z-ers, who will soon make up 40% of all consumers—but less important to older generations, who still lean towards the celebrity definition.
But how far does that trust go?
120
80
13 13
81
9084
94
8073
41 41
52 5551
28
9298
93
82 78 75
49
208
100
60
40
20
A celebrity who promotes a product on their social channel
A person with a lot of followers on a social channel
Anyones who promotes a product on their social channel
No response0
Age
13 to 17
18 to 24
25 to 34
35 to 44
45 to 54
55 to 64
65 and over
Which one of these statements best describes an 'influencer' on social media?
8The 2018 Influencer Marketing & Consumer Behavior Forecast/study
Consumer Trust in Influencer Recommendation
9The 2018 Influencer Marketing & Consumer Behavior Forecast/study
Consumer Trust in Influencer Recommendation
1100
700
900
500
I never trust a paid recommendation
No, it has the same amount of weight
Maybe, it depends on how much I already trust the influencer
Other
300
100
31.7%22.9%
44.2%
1.2%
When you know someone is being paid to promote a product, are you less likely to trust their recommendation?
10The 2018 Influencer Marketing & Consumer Behavior Forecast/study
To 44% of our respondents, this was impossible to answer without further information—mainly, it depends on how much they already trust the influencer.
This further illustrates the idea that a consumer’s relationship with an influencer matters.
However, this data varies slightly when we look into age ranges. Gen X and Baby Boomers (45-65+) are the most likely to state they “never trust a paid recommendation”, a far cry from Gen Z-ers.
Age
13 to 17
18 to 24
25 to 34
35 to 44
45 to 54
55 to 64
65 and over
120
140
80
20
57
73
9182 82
93
18
100
60
40
20
Maybe, it depends on how much I already trust the influencer
No, it has the same amount of weight
Yes, I never trust a paid recommendation
No response0
28
116 116 115
104
87
129
12
5058 57
51
67 65
When you know someone is being paid to promote a product, are you less likely to trust their recommendation?
11The 2018 Influencer Marketing & Consumer Behavior Forecast/study
Do Consumer Notice Influencer's Ads?
12The 2018 Influencer Marketing & Consumer Behavior Forecast/study
Do Consumers Notice Influencer's Ads?It’s not a shock that consumers value transparency. However, there were two standout points from the following chart.
700
500
300
They generally post good or cool
content
They have an acceptable # of
followers
It seems like they actually use the product/service
They are able to answer questions
from followers
They are being transparent about
being paid by a brand to post
They have expert knowledge in a particular area
Other Nothing. I don't think they are
trustworthy at all
100
0
288
115
479 434
273
446
33
473
What makes a recommendation from someone you don't know personally but follow on social media trustworthy?
(Multi-Select)
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It’s not just about the number of followers an influencer has, or whether they disclose that their post is sponsored by a company. Consumers sway towards:
• Influencers who actually seem to use the product they’re recommending (30.5%)
• Influencers who are actually experts in a particular area (28.4%)
To illustrate this point, one survey participant wrote: “They give honest feedback about a product right before our eyes.”
Beyond this, several respondents chose to “trust but verify,” paying attention to recommendations, but doing their own research and browsing reviews before making a purchase.
Either way, consumers will have a more positive view of an influencer’s paid promotion if they have deep expertise or experience in a particular area.
14The 2018 Influencer Marketing & Consumer Behavior Forecast/study
Top Social Platforms to Reach Consumers
15The 2018 Influencer Marketing & Consumer Behavior Forecast/study
Top Social Platforms to Reach ConsumersThere are definitely some savvy consumers out there who can spot a sponsored post in the three seconds it takes to scroll past it. You can spot them in the responses below.
How do you determine if a post by someone you follow is being sponsored (paid for) by a brand?
• “I just assume”• “Common sense”• “I figure almost all are paid for”
However, 40% of consumers can’t tell at all when an influencer’s post is sponsored by a brand.
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There are two reasons this might be happening:
1. Influencers aren’t disclosing paid promotions2. There isn’t a widely known standard for disclosing paid
posts on social media
Both of these could be true. There are definitely various methods out there—whether it uses specific hashtags such as #spon or #ad or it tags a brand specifically—but there are bound to be outliers.
900
500
700
300
The post seems out of place in my
news feed
The post tags a brand specifically
The post uses specific hashtags
Other I do not see posts that appear to be
sponsored and/or I am unable to tell
100
0
446
591
326
22
602
How do you determine if a post from someone you follow is being sponsored (paid for) by a brand?
(Multi-Select)
Considering most consumers aren’t distrustful of paid promotions by influencers they trust, the lack of ability to differentiate may not be a bad thing.
The stat that’s keeping us up at night (and should keep you up, too) is that 28.4% of consumers feel that a paid promotion seems out of place in their news feed. That’s a sign of either poor targeting, creative, or both, which are detrimental to your influencer marketing strategy.
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Facebook is the best place to reach consumers over 25, Instagram is the best place to reach Gen Z
Nearly 70% of consumers are most likely to hear about new products, services, or events from people they follow on Facebook.
800
1200
600
400
200
0
Instagr
am
YouTu
be
Pinteres
t
Face
book
Snap
chat
Podcasts
Other
11.3% 9.5%
3.8%
67.7%
1.8% 1.1%
4.8%
Where are you most likely to hear about new products, services, or events from people you follow?
1000
18The 2018 Influencer Marketing & Consumer Behavior Forecast/study
We must account for the wide split between Facebook users in this survey when compared to, say, podcasts. (See methodology for more information about the social networks respondents use).
Coming in second and third place, we have two very popular spots for macro and micro influencers: Instagram and YouTube.
When we cross reference ages, we find that Facebook is the best place to reach consumers over 25 and Instagram is the best place to reach the Gen Z set (13-24 year olds).
KEY
Facebook Instagram YouTube Pinterest Snapchat Podcasts Other
200
250
150
100
50
013 to 17
9
3114
3
18 to 24
98
66
31
10 10
25 to 34
154
4333
6 3 4
35 to 44
178
24 2512 6 5
45 to 54
209
622
101
5
55 to 64
221
213 12
1
65 and over
194
611
10 4 4
Where are you most likely to hear about new products, services, or events from people you follow?
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Genders reveal differences as well.
Men are more likely than women to learn about new products, services, or events via YouTube or Snapchat compared to women. Women are more swayed by Pinterest. See the chart below for breakdowns across channels. creative to drive those sales.
Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube are well suited for an influencermarketing strategy, as they rely heavily on networks of a user’s friends,powerful targeting options, and compelling creative to drive those sales.
YouTube
Snapchat
Podcasts
Other
FEMALE
11%105
8%76
5%44
69%642
1%9
1%10
4%39
11%178
9.5%149
3.5%60
68%1063
2%28
1%18
5%75
% of TOTAL
11%73
11%73
2%16
65%421
3%19
1%8
6%36
MALE
20The 2018 Influencer Marketing & Consumer Behavior Forecast/study
Products & Events Come Out on Top for Influencer Marketing
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Products & Events Come Out on Top for Influencer Marketing22% of consumers reported they were most likely to purchase products (Beauty Products, Clothing, Electronics, etc.) from influencers.
Which of the following have you purchased as a result of seeing a social media post from someone you don't know personally?
(Multi-Select)
Event(Concert, Show, Music Festival, etc.)
Travel(Destination, Hotel, Attraction, etc.)
Product(Beauty Products, Clothing, Electronics, etc.)
Service(Dining, Photography, Hairdressing, etc.)
None of the above
FEMALE
15%191
11%140
25%326
12%156
38%497
16.5%355
12%259
21.5%491
11%272
39%868
% of TOTAL
18%164
13%119
18%165
12%116
40%371
MALE
22The 2018 Influencer Marketing & Consumer Behavior Forecast/study
Women accounted for the largest segment of product purchasers when compared with men (25% vs 18% respectively), while events such as shows and music festivals came in second (16%) across all ages.
Gen Z & Gen Y are more likely than any other age groups to purchase event tickets as a result of seeing a social media post by someone they don’t know personally, whereas ages 45-65+, reported they were the most likely to make travel/destination/attraction purchases.
23The 2018 Influencer Marketing & Consumer Behavior Forecast/study
The Bottom Line
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The Bottom LineWe hate to say it, but consumers will most likely trust an influencer’s ad more than they'll trust a newly introduced brand’s direct ad. That’s why you have to carefully select influencers who will continue to foster that trust to reach your target audience.
Micro influencers are nearly at the peak of their popularity, and brands that don’t create a strategy around social media influencer campaigns will miss out.
The movement towards micro influencers pose a cheaper investment for brands, but don’t be fooled. Hunting influencer marketers in a particular niche is far more difficult than it sounds. On top of this, brands must build and maintain relationships with said influencers.
The good news is that when influencer marketing works, it really works. A recent study showed that 82% of consumers have a higher likelihood of acting upon recommendations from micro-influencers than average influencers.
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Methodology DetailsThis survey was commissioned by CPC Strategy and conducted by Survata, an independent research firm in San Francisco. Survata interviewed 1571 online respondents between April 23, 2018 and April 24, 2018. Respondents were reached across the Survata publisher network, where they take a survey to unlock premium content, like articles and ebooks. Respondents received no cash compensation for their participation. More information on Survata’s methodology can be found at survata.com/methodology.
Participant Ages
Count of Age
13 to 17
18 to 24
25 to 34
35 to 44
45 to 54
55 to 64
65 and over
60
223
247
256
268
268
249
Row Labels
Grand Total 1571
Participant Genders
Count of Gender
Female
Male
925
646
Row Labels
Grand Total 1571
Participant Social Networks
800
1200
1400
1600
1000
600
400
200
0
Tumblr
Twitte
r
Instagr
am
Snap
chat
Face
bookOth
er
162
347
573409
14531571
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