Influencer marketing is all the rage these days. It’s the go-to approach for a brand’s social media strategy because it helps companies raise awareness and introduce their products/services to a wider audience. Businesses planning a successful marketing campaign recognise that using influencers who have established audiences is key… So what’s the catch?
Influencers with large engaged audiences don’t work for free. Often companies must pay individuals to promote their products, but how deep does your pocket need to be if you want Kim K to promote your product?
HopperHQ, an Instagram scheduling tool, has tried to answer this question. Basing its research on a mix of its own data and public information, the company compiled an “Instagram Rich List”. Below are HopperHQ’s top five lists for Celebrities and Influencers which highlight the predicted #Ad incomes of each user on Instagram.
The top five celebrities in 2017’s Instagram Rich List are:
1. Selena Gomez – 122 million followers – £424,000 per post
2. Kim Kardashian – 100 million followers – £385,000 per post
3. Cristiano Ronaldo – 104 million followers – £308,000 per post
4. Kylie Jenner – 95 million followers – £308,000 per post
5. Kendall Jenner – 81.7 million followers – £285,000 per post
The top five influencers 2017’s Instagram Rich List are:
1. Huda Kattan – 20.5 million followers – £13,800 per post
2. Cameron Dallas – 19.8 million followers – £13,000 per post
3. Jen Selter – 11.3 million followers – £11,500 per post
4. Zoella – 11.1 million followers – £10,800 per post
5. Nash Grier – 10.2 million followers – £10,000 per post
It makes an interesting read. Of course, these figures need to be taken with a pinch (or heap) of salt. But it raises the question as to what the industry feels about the current state of influencer marketing and where it’s heading in the future. I took to Twitter to gather a few opinions from the experts on how the industry currently feels about this growing marketing trend.
Q: What do you like/dislike about influencer marketing right now?
@emshelx – Award Winning Lifestyle Blogger – Emtalks
A: Like – Brands who work on campaigns with us and give us complete creative freedom and control, they trust us. It’s good to be trusted by a brand as I’d only ever put content out that I’m happy with and that my audience will resonate with so it’s great when brands get that.
The fact that we are being recognised by brands now and they take us seriously and invest in working with us. It’s a total honour.
A: Dislike – Many still don’t see blogging as a real job and don’t appreciate the time, effort and energy that goes into it, they expect a lot for zero return.
Q: What do you expect for the future of influencer marketing?
@ItsJeffHiggins – Director of Social Media – Bloomerang Solutions
A: I think it’s in a state of change right now. Agencies are discovering the different levels of influencers and using that to their advantage. Levels broken down to: Paid Influencers, Brand Ambassadors, Street Team, User Generated Influencer. Also, realising the benefits of micro-influencers when dealing with localisation campaigns. bigger isn’t always better. Think scale & goals.
@CassGowing – Global Senior Social Media Manager – ALLSAINTS
A: I think the future of influencer marketing is truly dependent on Instagram. A lot of influencers are finding their content is gaining lower reach due to Instagram’s algorithm, as engagement rate is a key metric for brands this could massively impact this form of marketing. Instagram recently launched a ‘partnership’ tag on Instagram which I predict may also lower the deliverability of the content to feeds as the advertising isn’t sitting with Facebook.
Based on these responses, you can’t deny that the state of influencer marketing is changing. This is forcing both marketers and influencers to stay savvy if they want to continue seeing success. There does seem to be an ugly side of the coin but I guess nothing is perfect, especially when money is involved…
What are your thoughts on influencer marketing? Is it something you’ve added or are considering to add to your marketing plan? Join the conversation by tweeting @WhiteoaksPR to share your voice.
Lastly, a massive thank you to Em Sheldon, Jeff Higgins and Cass Gowing for sharing their thoughts with me. Do me a favour and make sure you give them all a follow on Twitter!
@emshelx
@ItsJeffHiggins
@CassGowing
