33 Truly Unbelievable Influencer Marketing Stats for 2022

Influencer marketing is getting stronger as people see the great results they can achieve by having the right people spreading their message on social media. Owned influencer networks empower brands and agencies by allowing them to manage their most enthusiastic and influential brand ambassadors, while also allowing for the discovery of new influencers through lookalike audience building.

Tessa Wegert, business reporter for ClickZ was quoted in a report:

"An influencer outreach program is quickly becoming indispensable to the modern digital marketing strategy. Influencers are more valuable to brands now than they’ve ever been for their ability to deliver on social chatter, earned media, and action."

The reason influencer marketing is so powerful is that when done correctly, it builds trust. People are far more likely to trust an individual than they are a faceless brand. And when people trust a brand, they are far more likely to buy from that brand.

Therefore, the right influencers can help you connect with potential customers, convert leads, and drive sales. Still on the fence about the value of influencer marketing? Try these 33 stats on for size.

📈 Influencer marketing stats 2022

In 2022 and even beyond, influencer marketing will be even more popular than it is. If you're not using it to promote your brand or business, you're missing out. Here are some statistics that show just how effective and powerful influencer marketing can be:

#1: The influencer marketing industry is worth around $16.4 B in 2022

All signs point to the influencer marketing industry continuing to grow exponentially as more and more people catch on to the power of influencer marketing. In fact, the industry is predicted to be worth over $24.1 billion by 2025. So if you're not using it yet, you're seriously behind the times.

This growth is being driven by a number of factors, including the increasing popularity of social media, the continued rise of mobile devices, the increase in social media consumption during the pandemic, and the fact that more and more brands are allocating larger portions of their marketing budgets to influencer marketing. (Influencer Marketing Hub)

#2: 90% of marketers believe that working with social media influencers is effective

According to a Mediakix study, an overwhelming majority of marketers (90%) believe that working with social media influencers is effective. This belief is shared by marketers across all industries, including those in the B2B, e-commerce, and brick-and-mortar sectors. (Mediakix)

#3: 68% of marketers would like to increase their influencer marketing budget

Another finding from the Influencer Marketing Hub revealed that 68% of marketers would like to increase their budget for influencer marketing. This shows that marketers are happy with the results they're getting from influencer marketing and are looking to invest more in it. (Influencer Marketing Hub)

#4: 93% of marketing professionals have used influencer marketing at some point

A study by Oberlo found that 93% of marketing professionals have used influencer marketing at some point, which means even non-believers of influencer marketing are also giving it a try.

Depending on the industry, social media platforms used, and target audience, influencer marketing can be used in a number of ways. However, the basic premise is always to identify and collaborate with individuals who have a large social following that makes sense for the brand and can influence the purchase decisions of others. (Oberlo)

#5: The most common goal marketers is to raise brand awareness 86%

Marketers are finding that influencers are extremely effective for achieving a variety of goals, with the most common being to raise brand awareness (cited by 86% of respondents), followed by reaching their intended audiences (74%) and improving brand advocacy (69%). Surprisingly, increasing sales only came fourth at 46%. (Sveriges Annonsörer)

#6: 17% of companies spend over half their marketing budget on influencers

According to a study by BigCommerce, 17% of companies are spending over half their marketing budget on influencers. While this looks like a modest number, the fact that a handful of companies in fashion, beauty, gaming, travel, and lifestyle are spending over 50% of their marketing budget on influencers shows just how powerful this medium can be. (BigCommerce)

#7: Some brands struggle to find appropriate influencers

Even though a majority of brands are happy with the results they're getting from influencer marketing, a sizeable 22% say they struggle to find appropriate influencers. This is likely due to the fact that the influencer space has grown so much and has become super competitive.

Finding an influencer that’s a good match for your brand is going to be tough for your in-house team to do alone, so it might be worth outsourcing the job to influencer agencies like theright.fit. These agencies can streamline the process for you and assist you in finding the best content creators for the job. (Influencer Marketing Hub)

#8: 51% of marketers believe influencer marketing helps them acquire higher quality customers

In total, 51% of marketers say influencers help them acquire "better" customers meaning those that contribute to conversions such as repeat purchases and those that become brand advocates. (Smart Insights)

#9: 57% of fashion and beauty marketers engage influencers

Over half of the companies in the beauty and fashion space use influencers as part of their marketing mix. This is likely due to the fact that these industries rely heavily on social media and the visual content that these platforms generate. Additionally, fashion and beauty marketers are finding that organic growth on social media has become slower without some form of amplification. (ION)

#10: More brands will be engaging influencers with smaller followers

Nano and micro-influencers with 10,000 followers or less offer a less expensive way to tap into new markets and connect with consumers. Because mega influencers, macro-influencers, and celebrities are expensive with lower engagement rates, we can expect to see more brands engaging nano and micro-influencers as a way to reach new audiences without breaking the bank. (ION)

#11: Google searches for "influencer marketing" has increased by 465%

This is an indication that the term has become a hot topic, with more and more people (and hopefully marketers) looking for information on what it is and how they can start using it in their own businesses. (Google Trends)

👤 Influencer marketing usage stats

With the rising popularity and availability of influencers in all areas, it's no surprise that this form of advertising is becoming more and more acceptable to audiences. Check out some more key influencer marketing statistics below to see how global internet users have engaged with social media influencer marketing campaigns.

#12: The average number of social media accounts is 8.4 per person

Which pretty much means EVERYONE is on social media. This also means that if you want to target all of your potential customers effectively and cover all your bases, you need to be targeting multiple social media platforms. And this is just the average number – some people have many more accounts than this! (Backlinko)

#13: Over 90% of millennials trust online reviews

Millennials place a high value on internet reviews when making purchasing decisions. As many as 93% of them say that online reviews and influencer recommendations are as trustworthy as recommendations from friends and family. They also say that they would choose it over an advertisement or traditional celebrity endorsement as above-the-line ads become increasingly less effective as people become more and more desensitised to them. (HubSpot)

#14: Around 86% of women turn to social media for their purchases

A report found that social media plays a big role in women’s purchase decisions. The study showed that around 86% of women use social media when making a purchase, more than any other gender. And it’s not just for window shopping – social media is also being used for product research, with over 78% of women looking up product information on Instagram before making a purchase. (Digital Marketing Institute)

#15: 40% of people say they’ve purchased something because of Twitter

This one is an older study, but it’s still relevant. A study from Twitter and Annalect found that 40% of people said they’ve made a purchase as a direct result of a tweet. This number is likely to be higher today, as Twitter has continued to grow in popularity. Twitter is especially powerful when it comes to influencing purchase decisions for big-ticket items. (Twitter and Annalect)

#16: Instagram takes the largest share of influencer marketing campaigns

About 94% of all influencer campaigns are on Instagram, followed by Facebook at 43% and TikTok at 13%. This is likely due to the fact that Instagram has been a prime platform for brands to reach their target audience, as well as some of the most engaged users ready to purchase. It’s also a very visual platform with dedicated functionalities for shopping, which makes it ideal for product promotion. (Influencer Marketing Hub)

#17: TikTok is the fastest growing social network

In just a few years, TikTok has become one of the most popular social networks, generating $4.6 billion in 2021. It’s especially popular with Gen Z, which is a key demographic for many brands. TikTok is a great platform for influencer posts as it allows people to be creative and produce engaging content that has the potential to go viral. To date, the app has been downloaded 3 billion times and had a 142% increase in revenue over the last year. (TechCrunch)

#18: Snapchat use is down by 33% among influencers

When it comes to platforms lagging behind, Snapchat takes the cake. Its use is down by 33% among influencers. This can be attributed to the lightning-fast growth of similar platforms such as Instagram Stories and TikTok.

This platform definitely isn’t dead in the water yet, as it still boasts an impressive 319 million daily users. However, it doesn’t seem to be resonating with influencers and users as much as it used to. (HubSpot)

#19: 81% of internet users have been on YouTube

YouTube’s popularity is unsurprising when you consider that it’s one of the most popular websites in the world. In fact, YouTube is so popular that it’s actually the second-most visited website after Google. It’s also one of the most popular social media platforms, with 81% of internet users using it regularly.

An earlier study by Variety revealed that 6 out of 10 millennials prefer YouTube over traditional TV, and it’s not hard to see why. YouTube offers a wealth of content, including original programming, movies, and music. It’s also a great platform for learning new things or catching up on the news. (HootSuite)

#20: Over 50% of consumers prefer to discover brands via social media and word-of-mouth

It’s no secret that social media is a great way to connect with customers and promote your brand. In fact, over 50% of consumers prefer to discover new brands through social media and word-of-mouth. This is likely due to the fact that social media allows people to connect with each other and get recommendations from people they trust. It’s also a great way to read feedback about products and see what people are saying about them. (Tinuiti)

#21: Data never sleeps

Every minute of the day, Instagram users share 65,000 photos, while Facebook users share 240,000. Twitter users tweet 575,000 times while TikTok users watch 167 million videos. In short, so much data is generated on social media channels every minute that you would do your brand a disservice if you're not there. Influencer marketing can help you tap into that data and make the most of it. (Domo)

💰 Influencer marketing ROI statistics

Influencer Marketing ROI is a big topic for brands, as they want to know if it’s worth the investment. The unbelievable stats below should show you that influencer marketing can be a very effective way to reach your target audience and generate leads.

#22: Influencer marketing content delivers 11x higher ROI than traditional forms of digital marketing

A case study by TapInfluence and Nielsen found that influencer marketing delivered $285 in incremental sales per 1000 views, and this meant it delivered 11x higher ROI than all other forms of digital marketing. (TapInfluence and Nielsen)

#23: On average, businesses earn $5.78 for every dollar spent on influencer marketing

Businesses make an average of $5.78 today for every dollar spent on influencer marketing. This is up from the $5.20 benchmark in 2018, which means more and more firms are learning to navigate the game properly with proper campaign planning and more realistic KPIs. (Influencer Marketing Hub)

#24: 78% of marketers rate ROI as the number one challenge

When it comes to measuring the success of an influencer marketing campaign, 78% of marketers rate ROI as the top challenge. This is because it can be difficult to track the sales and leads that are generated as a result of an influencer campaign. However, with the right tools and platforms, it is possible to track ROI and measure the success of an influencer campaign. (Mediakix)

#25: Conversion is the most important KPI

While most companies marketers now understand that the best way to measure success is to use a metric that corresponds with their campaign goals, 42.3% of businesses still favour measuring tangible results through conversions or sales, more than engagement or reach. (Influencer Marketing Hub)

#26: Only 70% of marketers measure their ROI

Because of the challenges that come with measuring ROI, only 70% of marketers are actually doing it. This leaves a lot of room for improvement when it comes to tracking the success of influencer marketing campaigns. (Influencer Marketing Hub)

#27: 90% say ROI is better with influencers compared to other marketing

Generating a positive ROI is the holy grail for any marketer, and when it comes to influencer marketing, 89% of professionals or nearly 90% say that it outperforms other forms of marketing. Because ROI is measurable and quantifiable with influencers, it becomes easier to understand where the leads and sales are coming from. (BigCommerce)

#28: Engagement rates for micro-influencers are at an all-time high

Micro-influencers (those with less than 100,000 followers) have an engagement rate of 3.86% on Instagram, while celebrities have a rate of just 1.21%. This is because micro-influencers have a more personal connection with their followers and they are seen as more relatable. As a result, their content is more likely to be shared and engaged with. (Influencer Marketing Hub)

#29: Marketers check engagement rates when finding influencers

Marketing professionals vet influencers by engagement or clicks over any other metric (39%). It's still hard to measure true influence, but engagement rates are a good indicator of whether an influencer can generate conversation and interactions for a brand. (Mediakix)

#30: 91% of people say ads are intrusive and 71% want to filter them out using ad blockers

This means that brands need to find new and creative ways to reach their target audiences without being intrusive. Influencer marketing is one way to do this, as it allows brands to partner with influencers who already have an engaged following that is interested in the type of content they produce. (HubSpot)

#31: 58% of Instagram users say they become interested in a brand after seeing them in Stories

Instagram Stories are a great way for brands to reach their target audiences and generate interest. In fact, 58% of Instagram users say they become interested in a brand after seeing them in Stories so this means this Instagram feature has a lot of potential for conversions. Brand stories are completed 86% of the time so there are lots of opportunities there. (Hootsuite)

#32: 14% of marketers say they plan to ramp up TikTok marketing

In 2021, a reported 14% of marketers saw a need to spend more on TikTok but only 3% think it's an effective channel for influencer partnerships with a measurable ROI yield. However, based on the numbers featured in #17, it appears like there was more money spent on the platform. (Business of Apps)

#33: 90% of brand managers track engagement rates as a metric

Tracking influencer ROI is mandatory for a successful influencer campaign, and it's a huge numbers game. However, there needs to be a fine balance between tracking quantity and quality. This is why 90% of marketers track engagement rates in their campaigns. This varies by business model and objectives, but the understanding is when audiences remain engaged, the conversions will follow.

In conclusion, influencer campaigns are a powerful way to reach your target audience and generate leads. By using the right tools and platforms, you can track the ROI of your campaigns and measure their success.

These stats barely scratch the surface of what's happening in the world of influencer marketing, but you should be able to make a strong case for using influencer marketing in your next campaign.

Stay tuned for more influencer marketing stats 2022 and beyond and keep your eyes peeled on our updates about this exciting, fast-growing industry.

Featured image: Influencer Caitlyn P // 160k followers