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Influencers speak out—Instagram’s in, Snapchat’s out, and blogs rule

by | Jan 25, 2018 | Public Relations

We know that influencers greatly prefer Instagram as their social network of choice, but we also know that you can’t put all your eggs in one social basket, no matter how influential. So what other venues do influencers like to frequent?

New research from influencer content targeting firm Carusele and influencer marketing SaaS solution TapInfluence uncovered some surprising results about how influencers feel about various platforms as we move into 2018.

One thing’s for sure: Snapchat’s not the place

Of the 790 influencers surveyed, not one answered Snapchat to the question, “What is your favorite channel to use for branded content?” Personal blogs were the favorite of 36 percent of respondents, followed closely by Instagram at 35 percent and Facebook at 12 percent. Twitter (9 percent), Pinterest (6 percent) and YouTube (1 percent) also received votes.

Even when asked to name their second favorite choice, Snapchat collected fewer than 1 percent of the responses, while Facebook ranked first at 26 percent and Instagram second at 25 percent.

“Two things are clear from this part of our survey,” said Jim Tobin, president of Carusele, in a news release. “The first is that blogs aren’t going anywhere, which I think is a good thing for both brands and influencers. And second, Instagram’s moves over the last year or two have really outmaneuvered Snapchat, which had been a hot platform for creators two years ago.”

Influencers also plan to be in the space for the long haul

A whopping 97 percent of influencers surveyed planning to continue their work “as long as I’m able.” This despite fewer than half surveyed reporting working full time in the vocation (46 percent) while 24 percent work full time elsewhere and 13 percent part time elsewhere. The balance report being full time parents or caregivers.

“Our earlier research legitimized influencer marketing as a sales driver. This new research supports the fact that it remains a viable career option for content creators,” said Promise Phelon, CEO of TapInfluence, in the release. “We also found that 91 percent of influencers say brands work with them to ensure FTC compliance most or all of the time, so the guidelines around the industry have taken hold as well.”

The research also included additional findings around compensation, audience size, why influencers choose certain brands and the challenges they face. A webinar outlining the results, featuring three of the influencers surveyed, will take place on February 7. Register here.

Richard Carufel
Richard Carufel is editor of Bulldog Reporter and the Daily ’Dog, one of the web’s leading sources of PR and marketing communications news and opinions. He has been reporting on the PR and communications industry for over 17 years, and has interviewed hundreds of journalists and PR industry leaders. Reach him at richard.carufel@bulldogreporter.com; @BulldogReporter

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