The Ultimate Guide to Influencer Marketing

If you’re not investing something in the influencers in your niche, you’re missing out on what could be your most effective digital marketing strategy. Need proof? 

1. Nearly 9 in 10 consumers will buy products from a brand they follow on social media
2. Nearly 9 in 10 Gen Zers and Millennials initially learn about products they are interested in purchasing on social networks
3. More than 9 in 10 consumers consider peer reviews and user feedback the most credible purchase info
4. Almost 1/2 of teens trust influencers more than their friends
5. 3/4 of B2B buyers and nearly 9 in 10 C-suite and VP-level executives use social media to make purchasing decisions

Plus

6. Businesses earn $5.20 for every $1 spent on influencer marketing
7. Influencer marketing produces a 1,100% greater ROI than banner ads
8. About 85% of companies plan on collaborating with a social media star in the next year 
9. Nearly 20% of marketers expect to spend more than 1/2 of their budget on influencer marketing
10. More than 7 in 10 brands plan to increase their influencer marketing budgets

Of course, when an influencer is caught promoting a product or service they don’t use or that doesn’t live up to its promises, the influencer and brand’s reputations (and trust) are damaged. When an influencer tags their post with #ad or #sponsored, it suggests they’re only promoting the brand because they’ve been paid. And to make matters worse: more than a billion dollars is spent annually on influencers with fake followings, and nearly four in 10 influencers artificially inflate their follower counts.

So what does this mean?

It means influencer marketing can make or break your business. And you better make sure you do it right.