2017 Influencer Marketing Budgets Are On The Rise, New Study Shows

Sixty-three percent of marketers increased influencer marketing budgets this year, according to research from Bloglovin. Influencer campaigns helped 67 percent of surveyed marketing professionals reach targeted audiences, while 32 percent see influencer campaigns as essential to their strategies. In fact, 41 percent said they have seen more success in influencer campaigns than in more traditional advertising efforts.

“Influencers have been part of our client campaigns in entertainment and gaming for years, but we’re seeing a marked increase in different verticals showing interest now,” said Bill Buckley, vice president of brand integration at ION. “This is naturally leading to an increase in influencer marketing budgets.  More marketers are realizing we can help them find big fans of their brand out there on YouTube, Instagram and other platforms. These creators are excited to talk about products they love in an authentic and engaging way – it’s just about aligning them with the right brands.”

One-third of surveyed marketers reported using at least three social platforms per campaign, and 36 percent spend less than $5,000 per campaign. Despite the platform’s popularity with young consumers, only 32 percent in Bloglovin’s survey have tapped Snapchat for influencer campaigns.

Influencer marketing is often repurposed by brands, as well—a good 74 percent of brands reported finding multiple uses for their campaigns across different channels.

More brands in the US are realizing the importance of influencer marketing, especially with the rise of ad blocking software. As the percentage of time spent on social media platforms like Snapchat, YouTube and Instagram continues to rise alongside the availability of ad blocking tools, more brands are seeing the value in working with influencers who can incorporate brand messages into content viewers actually want to see.

According to trend-tracking company Trendera, 40 percent of US internet users ages 13 to 20 said they would be more interested in a brand if it partnered with an internet celebrity. That’s more than twice the number for adults 21 and older. Teenagers don’t have much patience for mobile advertising at all, according to an October study of internet users from Kantar Millward Brown. Approximately 56 percent of 16-to-19-year-olds said they skipped ads “whenever they can” on a desktop computer, while 47 percent of teens said the same about ads on a mobile device.