Influencer marketing has become a social media marketing powerhouse. As the practice matures and goes mainstream, marketers still struggle to connect with influencers and costs are increasing. A new infographic from Altimeter and TapInfluence looks into the divide between marketers and influencers in hopes of narrowing the gap.
The biggest challenge in working with influencers, as reported by marketers, is finding relevant ones. Nearly 60 percent report helping influencers engage with their communities while maintaining executive expectations as a core problem, and 30 percent report issues with negotiating terms. More than one-half also report that influencer marketing faces skepticism within their organization because it?s seen as a new and unproven channel. However, more than 72 percent of influencers report that companies do not offer adequate compensation. Almost 40 percent report restrictive content deadlines, and nearly 25 percent say requiring drafts for each post is a mistake. Influencers want to maintain some level of creative control, and companies need to loosen their grip on a campaign for better results.
Marketers and influencers are also at odds when it comes to measuring success. For most marketers, engagement is the most important metric, followed by brand awareness, sales lift and traffic. Influencers measure success based on traffic, shares of the post to social channels, re-engagement from the brand for further assignments, impressions and likes. Influenc...