What Good Influence Looks Like: Influencer marketing effectiveness study

The tenth video in Social Soup‘s What Good Influence Looks Like content series discusses a recent study published in the Journal of American Marketing and reveals some surprising insights about influencer marketing effectiveness.

Researchers analysed campaigns from 861 brands and over 5,000 influencer marketing posts to understand factors impacting effectiveness and campaign costs.

Here are the five main findings:

1. Frequency of Posting: Both posting too frequently and not enough had negative impacts. Influencers who posted too often saw reduced effectiveness, while those who posted too infrequently struggled to build meaningful relationships and trusted connections with their followers.

2. Follower Brand Fit: An optimal balance of follower brand fit is crucial. Too much alignment between the influencer and the brand diminished the impact of the post, while too little alignment made the post irrelevant. The goal is to find influencers who introduce new products effectively to their followers and maintain relevance.

3. Post Positivity: Excessive positivity in posts was not as effective as moderately positive content that included some negative comments. The inclusion of negativity offered greater content value and authenticity, allowing followers to perceive a sense of discernment.

4. Content Originality: Original content creation had a significant impact on effectiveness. Influencers who created personalised, original content showcasing how a product fits into their lives had stronger engagement and effectiveness.

5. Brand Salience: Contrary to conventional wisdom, the research found that higher brand salience led to more effective content and engagement, specifically, making the brand an integral and undeniable feature of the post.

Influencer marketing is part science and part art through creativity. It’s important for influencer campaigns to strike a balance between these two in order to bring the magic and generate impactful campaigns.

Explore more of the What Good Influence Looks Like series here.