This is an excerpt from MarketerHire's weekly newsletter, Raisin Bread. To get a tasty marketing snack in your inbox every week, subscribe here.
Who isn’t using influencer marketing these days?
Three years ago, a little over half of marketers were using influencer marketing. Now, an estimated 72.5% of marketers work with influencers, according to eMarketer data.
It’s nearly as widely-adopted as social media marketing.
Why influencer marketing is powerful
Simply put, shoppers like influencers (most of the time).
Around 40% of Millennials say their favorite creators understand them better than their friends, Google found.
People trust their favorite influencers, too. Gen Z and Millennials trust Instagrammers, TikTokers and YouTube more than politicians, according to YPulse.
Why it’s better with social media marketing
- Social media marketing levels up influencer campaigns. Brands can organically share and, as of 2019, put paid spend behind influencer assets to boost reach.
- Influencer marketing levels up social media marketing. It encourages new prospects to follow brand accounts — and essentially sign up for paid retargeting.
Our takeaway?
Influencer marketing probably won’t beat social media marketing — it’s more likely to join it in a powerful growth loop.
Long-term, these two types of marketing could become indistinguishable. By 2025, 86% of marketers — nearly as many as have a social media marketing strategy — will have an influencer one.