Influencer marketing, the idea of getting influencers to help market your product or service, has become one of the most effective forms of marketing available today.
Engaging with content creators and building longer-term influencer partnerships can place your business or company in front of new audiences.
As a result, your brand will reach a heightened level of success for years to come
Top 10 Influencer Marketing Statistics (Editor's Choice)
- 93 percent of marketers have used influencer marketing
- 75% of marketers plan to dedicate their budget to influencer marketing
- The average person has 8.4 social media accounts
- 79% of brands who use influencer marketing said Instagram is an important platform for them
- 61% of customers trust influencer recommendations, while a mere 38% trust branded content
- 36% of consumers say that influencers were the top way they discover new products
- In 2022, brands spent $4.14 billion on influencer marketing - that amount is anticipated to grow to $4.62 billion in 2023
- 86% of marketing professionals see content creators as important for branding
- 70% of teenagers using YouTube feel more connected to influencers there than standard celebrities
- 67% of marketers prefer working with influencers on individual campaigns instead of longer projects
Looking for more statistics that prove the effectiveness of influencer marketing? Keep scrolling.
Influencer Marketing Statistics
1. R-e-s-p-e-c-t, find out what it means to influencers
Our market research company surveyed 100+ influencers and creators to learn more about their ideal brand partnerships.
From this influencer and content creator survey, Drive Research discovered what is more important to influencers when choosing a brand to partner with.
84% of influencers reported the brand's product/service being relevant to their followers is the most impactful factor in selecting what companies to promote, while 79% reported the brand respecting them as a content creator was most important.
The Brand’s Guide to Working with Influencers also discusses influencers' feedback surrounding compensation, the best ways to contact creators, areas of opportunity for brands to stand out, and more.
2. The size of the global influencer market has almost increased by ten in the past six years
You read that right. In 2016, brands spent $1.7 billion on influencer marketing. Today, that number is $16.4 billion.
Much of the reason for this comes as a result of the explosion in popularity of platforms like YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and more.
These highly visual programs allow brands and content creators to work together to tell stories through influencer marketing campaigns.
This, in turn, creates an atmosphere where influencer marketing can thrive.
3. 93% of marketers have used influencer marketing
"Everyone is doing it" isn't usually a good reason to engage in a campaign, but when 93 of every 100 marketers use a specific form of advertising, it should make you pause and take notice.
By following influencer marketing statistics, you can hop on trends at just the right time.
4. The budget is booming
59% of brands have their budget dedicated to stand-alone marketing.
Of that number, 3 in 4 plan on dedicating their budget to influencer marketing.
Recommended Reading: Contacting Creators: Best Ways to Reach Influencers [With Templates]
5. Micro-influencers have a highly engaged audience
Another unexpected set of influencer marketing statistics for you: the rise of micro-influencers.
Defined as social media personalities with some semblance of a following, this group tends to have a higher percentage of followers who are engaged and willing to listen.
As such, these micro-influencers are well-positioned to succeed in marketing, and smaller brands may take advantage of these opportunities.
The sheer number of micro-influencers is massive: Over one billion people can now identify as content creators.
That is not to say that all of these people are appropriate influencers, but the expansion of micro-influencers begs an important question for your brand: Who are the most important influencers you can use?
6. An explosion of social networks has led to a rise in cross-platform campaigns
The average person now has 8.4 social media accounts - a near-doubling from 4.8 in 2014.
As a result, brands now have to track more social media platforms or work with influencers across their entire social media footprint. They are typically doing the latter.
7. Instagram is the most important platform
If a brand uses influencer marketing, they're likely going to use Instagram. One survey found that 79% of brands who use influencer marketing said Instagram is an important platform to them.
8. Affiliate marketers tend to concentrate on blogging
28% of affiliate marketers - who use links to give bloggers credit for their purchases - use blogging more than any other network.
23% use another social network, 19% use review sites, and another 15% use coupon sites.
Blogging is a medium that tends to respond well to affiliate marketing, as it creates an easy opportunity to get more white hat backlinks for your website.
9. The content of influencers is expanding dramatically
One thing about quality influencer marketing statistics is that they're always changing – much like actual influencers. Influencers used to be largely confined to certain industries, like lifestyle or vacation. However, that is no longer the case.
These days, there is an increasing segmentation in the type of influencer. This includes tech, skin care, pets, and much more.
10. Influencer content is more trusted than brand content
According to a recent survey, 61% of customers trust influencer recommendations, while a mere 38% trust branded contenteven thoughhat the same brands pay influencers!
This reality creates opportunities for brands willing to use respected influencers, which may allow them to build trust, authority, and credibility with their audiences.
11. One-third of consumers report content creators are the top way they discover new products
Watch out Google, influencers are coming for your throne.
In a recent study of 1,000 consumers, up to 36% of respondents reported that influencers were the top way they discover new products.
Additionally, 62% of respondents say they are more likely to trust a sponsored post from an influencer over an A-list celebrity.
Luckily for brands, it is also cheaper to establish influencer partnerships with micro-influencers than with celebrities with millions of followers.
12. Influencer marketing works, but honesty is required
One survey found 20% of consumers stop following the influencer in question if that influencer isn't honest about their sponsorship.
That is not to say that the influencer needs to fall over themselves to explain the sponsorship details, but they need to put in an ad disclaimer at the appropriate moments.
Doing otherwise damages both the brand and the influencer. It may also violate government laws on the topic.
13. Marketing spend on influencers is expected to rise
In 2019, brands spent $2.42 billion on influencer marketing.
In 2022, that number had increased to $4.14 billion, which is anticipated to grow to $4.62 billion in 2023.
This further demonstrates the massive and growing power of influencer marketing.
14. Live streaming and influencer marketing are merging
Live streaming is a rapidly growing technique to take viewers on a real-time shopping experience.
In fact, 26% of marketing experts have said live streaming retail is a top priority.
This presents your brand with an opportunity: Can you use an influencer to demonstrate how to shop for something and do so live? Is there a unique, interesting, and engaging way that you can do this?
15. Collaborations are growing
More platforms - including Instagram and Twitter - are beginning to fold in collaborative options, allowing users to tag each other or go live together.
Facebook has had this functionality for years. As a result, it is becoming easier and worth it for brands to engage with two influencers rather than one.
16. The power of one influencer
One survey found that 56% of all brands used the same influencer across multiple campaigns.
This makes sense: If an influencer has credibility and their campaign is successful, using that influencer repeatedly can maximize your success.
17. Payment of influencers varies
Most of the influencer marketing statistics out there have to do with trends and other similarities within the field.
But now, new research is coming out about how these influencers are paid.
According to available information, how influencers are paid varies wildly.
For example, 34.5% are paid in free samples, while an identical amount is paid in cash. In addition, 25% get discounts, and another 5.9% get giveaways.
Recommended Reading: 5 Tips for Conducting Market Research with Content Creators
18. ROI measurement isn't universal
30% of brands who conduct influencer campaigns don't measure their ROI.
This presents an incredible missing opportunity for brands, as they don't ultimately know if their campaigns are successful.
19. ROI measurement is the greatest challenge for brands
Perhaps one of the reasons for the above statistic is the sheer challenge of ROI measurement.
When asked about the biggest challenges with influencer marketing, the top challenge was ROI measurement, with 28% of brands saying it was their greatest issue.
Finding influencers who would fit their product niche was a close second, with 27% of brands saying this was a challenge.
20. As influencer marketing rises, print influencing falls
Most brands no longer put much time, effort, or money into print advertising. Print advertising has fallen every year for the past decade.
During the same period, influencer marketing has risen annually. Clearly, brands are not spending less money on advertising; instead, they are simply re-prioritizing where they spend their money.
Does influencer marketing promote branding? Most marketers think so
Because influencers wield so much power, 86% of marketing professionals see them as important for branding.
Aside from successfully promoting a brand, influencers can also reach brand-new audiences as well.
Due to their significant reach, influencers can speak to a broad range of demographics.
21. Influencer marketing works on Twitter
While Instagram may be the most popular network for influencers, the power of other networks should not be discounted.
Twitter is a trusted source when it comes to influencer recommendations, and offers a quick boost for brands. The fact that a single tweet can move audiences shows this medium's power.
21. Younger audiences have a discerning influencer eye
One survey found that audiences aged 13-24 were more likely to judge an influencer by their social presence - including the level of engagement on their content and their follower count - than older audiences.
Brands that work with these audiences must keep these statistics in mind when picking their influencers.
22. A huge number of influencers are women
There are a ton of influencer marketing statistics that cover different genders within the field.
With that said, up to 84% of influencers posting sponsored content on social media identify as female.
23. Males are more likely to follow influencers on YouTube
Men still make up a significant amount of those that follow influencers on YouTube.
Up to 41% of Gen Y and 53% of Gen Z men watch influencers on the classic platform, while more women watch/follow social media influencers on Instagram.
24. Influencers are the new celebrities
Your “typical” celebrities, that is. Believe it or not, 70% of teenagers using YouTube feel more connected to influencers there than standard celebrities.
Why is this? A key reason could be they find influencers on YouTube more relatable or trustworthy, than their celebrity counterparts.
Funny enougseveral of influencers were seen attending this year’s Golden Globes.
25. How much do the “big” influencers make?
A lot. Some of the most fascinating influencer marketing statistics involve how much (and how often) these influencers are paid.
For example, those with more than 500,000 followers can get paid over $700 for a single Instagram story. For one Instagram video, they can get paid over $3,000. Must be nice!
26. The popularity of influencer marketing is ever-growing (literally)
According to Google Trends, the search for “influencer marketing” will continue to grow at a shockingly fast rate–5,000% every month.
This should be a sign to professionals everywhere that embracing influencer marketing strategies can only help a business succeed.
27. Many marketing pros would rather work with influencers on singular campaigns versus long-term projects
This is based on simplicity. Long-term agreements between marketers and influencers may be tougher to track than singular campaigns.
That’s why 67% of marketers prefer working with them on campaigns instead of longer projects.
28. Beware of the bots
With roughly 10% of bot Instagram accounts lurking on the platform, marketers wanting to work with influencers need to be sure their targets are real influencers.
In some instances, a user may appear as an influencer because of their content, but a majority of their huge following are bots. Marketers, beware!
29. A majority of female consumers trust influencers for shopping tips
Up to 86% of women entrust social media with the best advice on what to buy–across industries.
30. A large number of shoppers take influencer recommendations seriously
Meaning, they actually buy the product/service recommendations!
Roughly 80% of consumers will buy an item backed by an influencer.
A quick scroll through Instagram or YouTube will reveal how many different products are backed by influencers, along with a slew of discount codes.
31. Twitch gets left on the backburner
It’s a little surprising. In 2022, Twitch ended up with roughly 7.6 million creators streaming monthly.
Even with such heavy use, almost all influencer marketing professionals stray away from utilizing it somehow, except for a small 5%.
32. Social media ads are losing their impact
Remember the good ol’ days before Instagram was crammed with ads?
It was found that influencer whitelisting does significantly better than basic social media ads–beating them out by 20-50%.
This simply refers to a brand partnering with an influencer and promoting their product/service from the profile of the influencer.
33. Employees + influencing = match made in heaven?
Of the “surprising” influencer marketing statistics and trends to emerge, it looks like marketers could be taking center stage soon.
They already possess a wealth of knowledge on relevant topics and can be seen as guides to successful influencing.
34. TikTok continues its takeover
TikTok is quickly catching up to Instagram in terms of popularity–no shocker there.
Recent findings from July 2022 show that TikTok had 1 billion users while Instagram had 2 billion users actively on the platform.
35. Budget increases are becoming the norm
We mentioned how businesses are budgeting more for influencer marketing, but just how much?
Here’s an idea: budgets for influencer marketing outreach are expected to grow to 12.7%.
36. Platforms will continue to change with influencer trends
Aside from having a huge impact on audiences, influencers also impact the key features on social media channels.
Meaning, these channels will continue to have new features related to influencer goals–Instagram Shops being a great example.
37. Is social media the next big search engine?
Recent influencer marketing statistics indicate that popular social media platforms are becoming the next popular search engine.
So popular, that 40% of Gen Zers will use channels like TikTok or Instagram to get answers.
Younger audiences trust their favorite influencers to relay accurate, relevant information about products/services.
38. Most Instagram influencers are either Gen Z or Millenials
Instagram is seen as a social channel for younger audiences because it is!
And the same goes for its influencers–roughly 75% of influencers on the platform are 18 to 34 years old.
Users are more likely to follow those in their age range on the platform and appreciate the relatability.
39. Let’s beat the algorithm in 2023
If you follow other influencer marketing statistics or general info, you may have heard about the dreaded 2022 Instagram algorithm.
An ever-changing entity, the algorithm can sift through who sees what photos–and has a great talent for burying other shots along the way.
But marketers are aware, which is why algorithmic challenges are noted by 49% of the community.
40. Not everyone trusts influencers
We’ve talked about influencers and consumer trust.
But a significant number of people aren’t willing to give influencers that courtesy. In fact, 48% of online customers aren’t buying what they’re being sold–figuratively.
Overly-branded influencer content can turn off potential consumers, which is why transparency is key in this field.
41. Podcasts, podcasts, podcasts
The last of our surprising influencer marketing statistics: they're turning into podcasters.
If you follow influencers already, you probably know that many of them also start podcasts.
With podcast usage numbers only rising in 2023, it’s likely influencers will continue to hop on this popular trend.
Contact Us to Conduct Market Research with Influencers
These influencer marketing statistics may be widely disparate, but they create at least one common thread: Influencers are the future of marketing.
If you are looking to survey content creators, bloggers, and influencers to leverage your own custom insights, contact Drive Research today.
We are a full-service market research company that partners with social media platforms and brands to recruit social media influencers for surveys, focus groups, mobile missions, and more.
Contact our team today to learn more.
- Message us on our website
- Email us at [email protected]
- Call us at 888-725-DATA
- Text us at 315-303-2040
Lark Allen
As a Content Marketing Specialist, Lark has a strong background and passion for creative, professional, and journalistic writing. She is also a self-proclaimed music freak and 90s enthusiast.
Learn more about Lark, here.
