Do Influencer Strategies Still Work?

Over the past ten years influencer marketing has become mainstream, even making it into the Merriam-Webster Dictionary in 2019. Influencers and their brand partnerships are commonplace across our social media applications and mobile device screens. However, brands have seen a varied level of success using this marketing strategy.  Here we uncover the three main reasons the heyday of influencer marketing may have passed: 

Three Main Challenges with Influencer Marketing

Consumers Trust in Influencers Has Declined

• 1 in 2 18-44 years olds mistrust influencers*
• 1 in 2 18-44 year olds even say their perception of a brand diminishes when they see influencer content*

Authenticity is More Important to Consumers

• Why do 1 in 2 18-44 year olds mistrust influencers? It’s because they deem their content inauthentic*
• 80% of 18-44 year olds would prefer to see real customer content*

Tracking Return On Your Investment Is Difficult

• Influencer Marketing isn’t cheap – on average ranging from $1,000 - $18,000 per post**
• Without a SaaS platform to help streamline connecting activity to key KPIssuch as purchase or engagement brands find themselves in constant defense of these strategies 

While consumers are becoming less influenced by influencers and yearning for more authentic content from brands they consider purchasing from, both UGC strategies are still valid to a complete marketing program. With the right balance of authentic and influential user content that can be tracked to key KPIs for executives we have not seen the last of Influencer marketing but hopefully the end of inauthentic, untrackable partnerships.

*Learn more about our survey results: EnTribe 2022 User Generated Content Survey