At Primetag, besides producing and publishing our own research, we’re also avid readers of all types of guides and studies that can cast some light into this fast growing new marketing discipline.
There’s plenty of free content about Influencer Marketing on the web – and that’s good news. This industry suffers from a lack of standard procedures, benchmarks and a coherent framework. Marketers struggle to work with Influencers in a professional, measurable and scalable way.
To make your life easier – and save you a lot of time – here’s a selection of some of the most insightful publicly available Influencer Marketing Guides, Reports and Studies.
The State of Influencer Marketing 2019 – An Analysis of the Social Media Ecosystem
Social Influence Reports 2018 by Primetag (Portugal and Spain)
Libro Blanco de Marketing de Influencers
What Consumers Think About Influencer Marketing
The Marketer’s Guide to Influencer Marketing ROI
Later x Fohr State of Instagram Influencer Marketing 2020
The Economic Cost of Bad Actors on The Internet: Fake Influencer Marketing in 2019
2019 Influencer Marketing Report: A Marketer’s Perspective
2019 Influencer Marketing Report (Global Survey Consumers and Marketers)
Influencer Marketing Benchmark Report: 2019
2018 Influencer Point-of-view Report
The State of Influencer Marketing 2019 – An Analysis of the Social Media Ecosystem
AspireIQ – Influencer Marketing Platform
English. November 2019. About 20 ~ 30 min to read
This report aims to explain how the influencer community behaves and the main reasons driving marketers to use Influencer Marketing. It also focuses on benchmarks, like the average pricing on Instagram compared to other platforms or the average campaign budget and ROI. AspireIQ refers the advantages of repurposing Influencer content for other marketing channels. An up-to-date 360 degree view on the industry.
As Influencers’ rates rise, authentic and strategic relationships between brands and the creators they partner with will become increasingly important. Influencers are more likely to work for less with brands that they feel aligned with.
Highlights from the report:
- Why do brands use Influencers?
- What defines an influential account?
- Average engagement rate across all platforms for influential accounts
- TikTok: Is it the next big social platform?
- How does the size of an influencer’s audience impact follower engagement?
- How does engagement vary by industry?
- How much do brands pay for Instagram posts?
- Average campaign ROI What’s the best influencer marketing strategy?
Social Influence Reports 2018 by Primetag (Portugal and Spain)
Primetag – Influencer Marketing Platform
Portuguese / Spanish, February 2019 / March 2019 . About 10 ~ 15 min to read (each)
Primetag has produced the Social Influence Reports as a response to the lack of real data on Influencer Marketing. The reports provide an insight into Instagram, the social network most used by Influencers, its most popular contents and accounts.
The Spanish report was built by analysing 6.221 Spanish influencer profiles and 1.3 million posts. The Portuguese report is based on the data from 1.682 Portuguese influencer profiles, more than 354 thousand posts and 2.710 million interactions. These insights into social media have become a key asset in assisting brands and agencies with their influencer marketing endeavours in the Iberian Peninsula.
A general and sectoral analysis of the accounts and content preferred by the audience.
On one hand, it contributes to the application of criteria when choosing of Influencers. On the other, it provides a global vision of the (…) digital landscape and identify its protagonists.
Highlights from the report:
- Top accounts with the highest number of followers
- Top accounts with the highest engagement rate
- Top contents with the most interactions and views
- Top 100 accounts with the highest number of interactions
- Rankings by industry
- Brands’ accounts most mentioned by Influencers
Estudo Creators & Marcas
Youpix – Influencer Marketing Consultant, Brunch – Influencer Marketing Agency
Portuguese. May 2019. About 10 min to read.
Creators & Marcas study was produced upon surveys made to Brazilian Influencers and portrays what they think, their behavior and relationship with the brands.
The study brings several insights about the second largest influencer community in the world, after the US. For example, less than 24% of Influencers live exclusively from content production, most have Instagram as their main platform, with about 66% of branded actions concentrated there and 66% of them work alone in content production.
Highlights from the report:
- Influencers income
- Influencers work process
- Most used platforms
- Compensation models
- Sponsored posts disclosure
Libro Blanco de Marketing de Influencers
IAB Spain – Advertising and Digital Communication Association
Spanish. November 2019. About 40 ~ 50 min to read.
This is a very complete document that aims to frame the Influencer Marketing activity in all aspects. It covers the definition and classification of Influencers and the characterization of relevant stakeholders. It sets a framework for strategy and campaign operation, from briefing to results measurement. It also frames this activity within the Spanish law regarding the advertising norms, intellectual property, and contract structure.
Influencer marketing is a relatively new business model that is booming. These characteristics mean that the ecosystem formed around it is complex, misunderstood by many and needs a series of guidelines to shed light on its operation.
Highlights from the report:
- Definition and classification of Influencers
- Influencer marketing strategy
- Industry stakeholders
- Measurement and metrics
- Relevant metrics before selecting an influencer
- Post collaboration evaluation
- Relevant metrics per platform
- Negotiation process
- Applicable legal norms
- Intellectual property and third party rights
- Contract structure
What Consumers Think About Influencer Marketing
Influencer Intelligence – Influencer Marketing Platform, Econsultancy – Marketing Consultant
English. February 2019. About 10 ~ 15 min to read
This research report explores the attitudes and perceptions of young consumers towards digital Influencers. It was produced using online surveys. 500 consumers from the US and UK, aged 18 to 34 years, responded to the research’s requests.
61% of consumers say that having the ability to create authentic, engaging content is the most important attribute in a social media influencer.
Highlights from the report:
- The influence of social media content creators
- The value of micro and mid-tier talent
- The most important attributes in an influencer
- Influencers versus celebrities
- Sponsorship disclosures and credibility
- Consumer’s concerns
The Marketer’s Guide to Influencer Marketing ROI
Mediakix – Influencer Marketing Agency
English. May 2019. About 40 ~ 50 min to read.
More than an introduction to Influencer Marketing this guide covers the fundamentals of Social Media mechanics like the main differences between platforms, types of interactions and metrics. It features actionable tips, campaign examples and aims to explain how to track and measure Influencer Marketing ROI. It has also a very useful list of the Do’s and Don’ts that can help when building campaigns and working with Influencers.
Instagram posts are ephemeral—older in-feed posts are rarely seen and Stories disappear within 24 hours. Keep time-sensitivity in mind when planning an Instagram influencer campaign.
Highlights from the report:
- Setting campaign goals
- Campaign goals & kpis
- The costs of influencer marketing
- ROI by social media channel
- Tools for measuring & tracking influencer marketing ROI
- Examples of calculating ROI for campaigns
- Tips for achieving a positive ROI
Later x Fohr State of Instagram Influencer Marketing 2020
Later – Digital Marketing Software, Fohr – Influencer Marketing Agency
English. December 2019. About 20 ~ 30 min to read.
More than an introduction to Influencer Marketing this guide covers the fundamentals of Social Media mechanics like the main differences between platforms, types of interactions and metrics. It features actionable tips, campaign examples and aims to explain how to track and measure Influencer Marketing ROI. It has also a very useful list of the Do’s and Don’ts that can help when building campaigns and working with Influencers.
When searching for the perfect influencer to work with, it’s worth looking at how much sponsored post is already on their feed (…). If their audience is seeing too much sponsored content, it could mean that they become immune to it — and the partnership may feel less genuine to an influencer’s audience.
Highlights from the report:
- The impact of hashtags for engagement
- Best times to post on Instagram
- Choosing an Instagram Influencer
- Average engagement per category
The Economic Cost of Bad Actors on The Internet: Fake Influencer Marketing in 2019
CHEQ – Adtech Software, University of Baltimore – Public University
English. July 2019. About 15 ~ 20 min to read.
This report provides an in-depth economic analysis of fake influencer marketing and helps to uncover the damage done by fake followers and their growing impact for brands, consumers and platforms.
Fake influencer marketing will cost advertisers $1.3 billion in 2019. Left unchecked the problem will continue to grow (…) costing the global economy $1.5 billion by 2020.
Highlights from the report:
- Estimates of fraud levels
- Indirect costs of growing influencer marketing
- Indirect costs for consumers, brands and social media networks
2019 Influencer Marketing Report: A Marketer’s Perspective
SocialPubli.com – Influencer Marketing Platform
English. February 2019. About 20 ~ 25 min to read.
For this report SocialPubli.com has surveyed consumer-facing digital marketing professionals with more than 20 questions related to Influencer Marketing budget, usage frequency and effectiveness. It also covers their preferences regarding Influencer selection content type, social networks and ROI measurement.
55.8% of the marketing professionals surveyed regularly use influencer marketing. For 30.2% of them, it is an “always-on” strategy. 25.6% of marketers use it periodically.
Highlights from the report:
- Percentage of overall marketing budget designated to Influencer Marketing
- Main objectives and benefits when using Influencer Marketing
- Biggest challenges for Influencer Marketing
- Top factors taken in consideration when selecting Influencers for campaigns
- Prefered platforms for Influencer Marketing campaigns
- Influencer Marketing campaigns success management
2019 Influencer Marketing Report
Rakuten Marketing – Marketing Agency, VIGA (now Savanta) – Market Research Company
English. March 2019. About 40 ~ 50 min to read.
Part I: 2019 Influencer Marketing Report – Global Survey Consumers
Rakuten Marketing conducted this research between December 2018 and January 2019. The survey includes the responses of 3,600 consumers interviewed across the United States, Australia, United Kingdom, France and Germany.
It covers topics such as the type of Influencers consumers follow the most, the preferred social media networks, favorite type of content, Influencer discovery and influencer trust. It also features a very useful analysis on how consumers purchase through Influencers.
In the US, four in five consumers have made a purchase through clicking a link or image an influencer shared.
Highlights from the report:
- What kind of Influencers consumers engage with
- How consumer shopping behavior is influenced by different types of Influencers
- What consumers expect from an influencer
- What can change a consumer’s relationship with an Influencer
- Benefits from Following an Influencer
Part II: 2019 Influencer Marketing Report – Global Survey Marketers
Rakuten Marketing conducted this research between December 2018 and January 2019. The survey includes the responses of 719 global marketers interviewed across the United States, Australia, United Kingdom, France and Germany. The respondents include marketers at varying management levels ranging from organizations of less than 50 employees to over 50,000 working directly on influencer programs.
It casts new light on Influencers payment models, campaign fees and performance measurement.
Brand reach is the most measured key performance indicator; closely behind is brand awareness. Direct sales is less of a prioritization (…) but still important to a marketer, along with site generated traffic.
Highlights from the report:
- How the measurement of campaign performance has matured
- What payment models are most popular and efficient
- Which influencer marketing investments affect a brand’s performance and how
Influencer Marketing Benchmark Report: 2019
Influencer Marketing Hub – Influencer Marketing Resources and Academy, NeoReach – Influencer Marketing Platform, Viral Nation – Influencer Marketing Agency
English. February 2019. About 25 ~ 30 min to read
Influencer Marketing Hub surveyed 830 marketing agencies, brands and other relevant professionals to determine their views and build insight into their thoughts on the industry.
This resulted in a complete, 360 degree report on the maturity of the industry, its growth, challenges and major achievements. A must read.
Our survey respondents (…) agree that influencer marketing attracts high-quality customers. 82% believe that the quality of customers from influencer marketing campaigns is better than from other forms of marketing.
Highlights from the report:
- Instagram growth and its impact in the industry
- Influencer Marketing budget allocation
- Campaign ROI measurement
- Brand safety when working with Influencers
- Influencer Marketing automation and scalability
2018 Influencer Point-of-view Report
Mavrck – Influencer Marketing Platform
English. June 2018. About 8 ~ 10 min to read.
Mavrck surveyed and interviewed more than 100 Influencers to discover what inspires and motivates them to collaborate with brands, which social platforms have the highest influencer affinity (and best features), how marketers are enforcing legal guidelines, and how marketers can be better partners in the creative process.
The poll feature on Instagram is very underused by a lot of marketers and it’s such an amazing way to understand your community and what they want.
Highlights from the report:
- When Influencers started their activity
- Influencers’ motivation to publish content
- Preferred social media networks and platforms
- Preferred compensation methods
- Influencers’ motivation to collaborate with brands
Overwhelmed? I feel you.
I made an honest effort to include reports written in other languages than English. Influence marketing is a global industry that must be studied evenly between different geographies and cultures. I wish I was fluent in other languages like French, Chinese or Russian. 🙄
The various Influencer Marketing Guides, Reports and Studies combine different points of view: Influencer Marketing Agencies and Platforms, Marketers, Influencers, Advertising Associations and Consumers.
From my research I came to the conclusion that it’s not so easy to find information on the Influencers point of view. I believe there’s an opportunity to survey and question Influencers – the key stakeholder in this field – and find out what’s on their minds.
