In a new report from eMarketer, a digital and media marketing research firm, influencer marketing is generating tremendous benefits for both sides in the marketing relationship. The PR and reputation management firm Augure defines Influencers as “…someone who is able to mobilize opinions, creates reactions when talking about a specific topic, has a large audience or base of followers and has a high degree of participation in a conversation on a given subject.”
A symbiotic relationship in the classic sense, marketers turn to and rely on influencers during product launch campaigns and for content distribution; in exchange, influencers expect to receive information and content that they can use, rather than product, services, or money.
Statistically, about 75 percent of marketers rely on influencers during product launches, and almost 60 percent turn to influencers when distributing content. Half of the marketers responding said they used influencer marketing for communicating information about events or webinars.
On the other side of the coin, a combined 59% of the influencers surveyed said that either usable material for their own content production was expected and/or information that was exclusive and relevant (31 and 28 percent, respectively). Only about 15% of the respondents said they expected monetary remuneration and only 9% cited receiving products as a preference.
The results of this sharing of information and influence are yielding the positive ROI marketers expect. So much so that eMarketer, citing a report from the corporate research and advisory firm Altimeter, indicates that more than 40 percent of marketers plan to increase their influencer budget in 2014, with the majority of that being directed toward social platforms, specifically “blogger and influencer networks.”
Reference:
eMarketer. “Marketers Use Influencer Marketing to Launch Products, Share Content,” March 10, 2014.
