Influencer marketing has taken the social media world by storm, and is predicted to become a $15 billion dollar industry by 2022, according to Business Insider. Businesses and brands are recognising the value in this new way of communicating with potential customers, which can yield a strong ROI for very little cost when compared to other, more traditional forms of marketing.

The stats speak for themselves. According to a survey by Rakuten Marketing, a whopping 87% of consumers surveyed have been inspired to purchase based on what they saw from an influencer, and 65% said they find at least one new brand or product from an influencer weekly. This sheds new light on the power of their influence. Previously, some marketers felt that influencers were only good for building awareness or inspiration and did not necessarily help to convert customers. Yet 80% of respondents to Rakuten’s survey said they will click through on an influencer’s link or post and make a purchase if the product is right for them.

Authenticity and transparency are key to influencer marketing strategies with 46% of those surveyed by Rakuten believing “good taste or recommendations” and “passion about a topic” made an influencer authentic. Building trust and commitment is crucial. Later predict that “influencers will become true brand partners in 2021, with brands investing in ongoing relationships over an extended period of time”. 

It’s interesting, then, that many marketers continue to focus their efforts on what they *think* consumers want to see. According to Stackla, 90% of consumers say authenticity is important when deciding which brands they like and support. 60% say UGC is the most authentic form of content claiming it's 35% more memorable. And starkly. while 92% of marketers claim most or all of their brand content resonates as authentic, 51% of consumers polled by Later said less than half of brands create content that resonates as authentic. As 41% of B2C marketers claim to spend over $500,000 per year on brand content, there’s a clear disconnect between what brands perceive to be great content and what the consumer wants to see.

Drill down even further and it’s UGC posted by genuine customers that has the most impact. 79% of those surveyed by Stackla claim that consumer created content highly impacts their purchasing decisions, with over half (56%) saying UGC photos and videos from real customers is the content they most want to see from brands. 

So what does your social media marketing strategy say about your brand? Are you listening to your audience and responding, or persisting to invest in branded content that could be flopping on your channels? 

At Vista, we keep a close eye on our clients’ audience through social listening and analytics to deliver content strategies that their customers want to see. As expert brand builders, we create meaningful and lasting relationships with customers, carefully curating content that weaves through every online touch point and drives a connection to our client’s business.