Entertainment value is the top reason Australians are following Influencers, according to quantitative research by Pureprofile for global agency We Are Social.
We are Social, a socially-led creative agency and consultancy, uses the approach of social thinking to solve brand and business problems. The Under the Influence report explored the impact Influencer Marketing is having on brands. It found Australia’s Top 10 Influencers have an average of 9.4 million subscribers – more than the top ten Australian media companies – and reach 7.7 million people each week.
The most popular source of Influencers’ appeal is Entertaining Content – cited by 77 percent of respondents, followed by Authority (63 percent), Identity (62 percent), and Inspiration (61 percent).
When it comes to Influencers helping to shape identity, this resonated with the 16-35 age group because they are “still in the age of self-discovery” and Influencers can act as role models.
People needing to redefine themselves because they have entered new life stages also looked to Influencers for guidance. This group includes “new Mums, who lap up content from Mum influencers”.
Diversity also falls under the increasingly broad banner of Influencers, reaching the 49 percent of Australians who were either born overseas or had one or both parents born abroad. YouTubers such as Superwog (@SUPERWOG1) are bridging the cultural divide, offering more cultural diversity than the mainstream media networks.
The report recommends using “micro-influencers”, with 10K-50k followers, to reach a specific niche. They have the benefit of offering high engagement, affordable fees and creative talent.
While influencer marketing has gone mainstream and its appeal will only continue to rise, the report highlights the importance of transparency among Influencers. 85 percent of consumers don’t resent Influencers’ brand-funded activity as long as the commercial relationship is clearly stated and is “sympathetic to their usual style of content”.
But there is a cautionary message for engaging Influencers: outline the value you want them to deliver in exchange for what you’re offering and – more importantly – contract them.
This data was first published by We Are Social on 21 November 2017.
