Battle of the socials: Instagram knocks YouTube off top spot for influencer content

By Becky Bargh | Published: 20-Mar-2019

According to a new report compiled by Rakuten Marketing, 65% of customers named Instagram as the most commonly used site to view influencer marketing

Social media giant Instagram has overtaken YouTube as the most commonly used site for influencer content, according to Rakuten Marketing.

In the report, The 2019 Influencer Marketing Global Survey, the marketing agency found 65% of consumers agreed to using the social media platform for influencer content, outdoing the video-sharing website by 3%.

It also revealed that 81% of consumers reported they have made a purchase following a link shared by an influencer.

More than a quarter (26%) also admitted to spending £500 or more on items recommended by influencers.

Rakuten Marketing’s Managing Director EMEA, Anthony Capano, said: “Influencer marketing has come a long way and understanding from consumers, brands and influencers themselves has grown.

“People increasingly appreciate the work and financial investment involved in making great daily content.”

He continued: “However, this level of consumer savviness comes at a price.

“If influencers are promoting products that are not a natural fit, audiences will switch off. It’s about being authentic.

“Brands must prioritise partnering with influencers that align with their brand values [and] influencers must prioritise promoting products that align with their own ‘brand’ or risk losing their audience.”

With great power comes great reasonability

Battle of the socials: Instagram knocks YouTube off top spot for influencer content

Despite Instagram’s success, it has been the source of a number of indiscretions from celebrities for ambiguous sponsored posts.

TV personality Louise Thompson was among those issued with a warning by the ASA for three videos posted on her Instagram for not clearly identifying her posts were sponsored by Vanity Planet.

As a result of a these cautions The Competition and Markets Authority issued new guidelines for influencers to follow when endorsing products on their social media outlets.

This was backed by a number of A-listers including Ellie Goulding, Alexa Chung and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.

Read more on the new guidelines here.

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