Consumers: Credibility Is King When It Comes to Influencer Marketing

Creator expertise, respect, and experience are consistently regarded as most important attributes of successful influencer marketing.

ORLANDO, FL (July 18, 2017) – IZEA, Inc. (NASDAQ: IZEA) the premier online marketplace connecting brands and publishers with influential content creators, found in its annual State of the Creator Economy report consistent year-over-year rankings in what consumers view as the top drivers of influencer marketing effectiveness.

Consistent with past studies, the credibility or believability of the influencer themselves remains the leading driver of effectiveness in the eyes of consumers – with 38% ranking as the most important attribute. The influencer’s expertise or knowledge about the product or brand itself saw a large year-over-year increase to 35%. Also important: how much detail the influencer provides about the product/brand in the actual sponsored post increased to 32% in the 2017 study.

This trend toward authentic, credible, and properly-disclosed sponsored content shared with influencers’ audiences is further reinforced by an increasingly discerning “connected” consumer:

• 32% of consumers can tell if the influencer or source of the sponsored post has actually tried or used the product based on the content itself.
• 28% of consumers judge an influencer marketing post based on its relevance to the influencer’s brand and previous product endorsements.

For the complete 2017 “State of the Creator Economy Report,” visit: research.izea.com