The alchemy of trust, or what type of Influencer Marketing sells, research report from the Hash.FM Agency by Streetcom.
Nearly 40% of Polish Internet users rely on the opinion of influencers when choosing products and services. In terms of influence on consumers, celebrities are equal to influencers only in one product category – luxury goods. Fashion and Beauty are the product categories where the influence of influencers is the greatest – 55% of responses. 63% of Polish Internet users believe that influencers should mark promoted products as advertising. Such data can be found in the latest report of the Hash.Fm by Streetcom Agency entitled: “The Alchemy of Trust, or what type of Influencer Marketing sells”, which has just been published.
Influencer marketing and the alchemy of trust
Influencer marketing has been gaining popularity for years due to its exceptional effectiveness. Today, no one wonders whether, but how to cooperate with influencers. IM expenses are growing year by year and according to forecasts from the Benchmark Influencer Marketing Hub report, they will increase by another 19% in 2022. The HASH.FM by Streetcom agency decided to check what makes Influencer Marketing in Poland one of the most effective tools in the marketing mix.
The role of influencers in the consumer decision-making process is significant
Nearly 40% of Polish Internet users rely on the opinion of influencers when choosing products and services. Influencers are MORE IMPORTANT in the decision-making process than celebrities and distant friends. Recommendations from family and close friends are higher than the opinions of influencers (77%).
Which product categories do influencers have the greatest influence on?
The main product categories where the influence of influencers on purchasing decisions is greatest are related to fashion (clothing, accessories, additions, footwear), which received almost 1/3 of the indications, and beauty (cosmetics, perfumes) – almost 1/3 of the indications.
In turn, as many as 40% of Polish Internet users, during the pandemic, developed new habits by observing the influencer’s content in the media. Most often, they concerned cooking (3/4 of responses) and sports training (over 50% of responses).
In which industries are Polish Internet users most inspired by the activities of influencers?
The industries in which Polish Internet users are most inspired by the activities of influencers are travel, technology, sports and content related to the industry in which they work.
To sum up, the industries in which investing in Influencer Marketing can be the most profitable are FMCG, fashion and technology.
Celebrities are equal to influencers in only one product category: LUXURY GOODS. When asked whose recommendations you take into account when purchasing selected products – for luxury goods: 22% of responses were given to influencers and 20% to celebrities.
A special role in the group of influencers is played by influencers who are perceived by consumers as specialists in a given field (e.g. dietitians, trainers, doctors, lawyers, engineers).
Research – the alchemy of trust
According to the study “Alchemy of trust, or what type of Influencer Marketing of the Hash.FM Agency by Streetcom”, content from this type of influencer is more credible for consumers and has a stronger impact on their purchasing decisions. The greatest advantage of specialists over ordinary influencers is visible in the following industries: supplements (18% vs. 36% of responses) and electronics (19% vs. 35%).
Labeling influencer posts as advertising is a practice that influences the perception of the entire influencer marketing industry as playing “fair play”.
What determines the credibility of influencers?
63% of Polish Internet users believe that they should mark promoted products as advertising. For the remaining nearly 40% it does not matter. At the same time, when asked about what influences trust in a given influencer, respondents rarely mention tagging posts as an important factor (10% of responses). It can be concluded that tagging posts at this stage is in line with the principles of fair sales and this is what consumers declaratively expect, but in practice they do not yet attach so much importance to it.
As it turns out, influencers are great at introducing new products, they “sow seeds”, which translates into sales in the long run.
Why is Influencer Marketing the right tool for introducing new products?
As many as 62% become interested in the product promoted by their favorite Influencer, 38% in the profile of the promoted brand, and 13% of respondents buy the product immediately – we read in the report “Alchemy of trust, or what type of Influencer Marketing of the Hash.FM by Streetcom Agency”. For this reason, Influencer Marketing is an ideal tool for introducing new products to the market because Influencers, by reaching consumers at the beginning of their purchasing path, increase interest in the product and brand, which translates into sales over time.
A consistent image of the influencer in who he is, what he says and what he promotes is crucial to building trust in the influencer himself and, therefore, in the brand he promotes.
What influences consumers’ trust in an influencer?
According to the study “Alchemy of trust, or what type of Influencer Marketing of the Hash.FM by Streetcom Agency”, consumers’ trust in an influencer is influenced almost equally by: refining the content he publishes in terms of substantive content (46% of responses), specialization in the field of he talks about (46%), long-term cooperation with brands (43%), being active in the topic he talks about (41%) and not promoting anything he is paid for (43%). It would be good for marketers and agencies to select Influencers for projects in this respect.
However, as respondents declare, the following factors are of little importance in building trust: locality (4%), marking published content as advertising (10%), similarity to followers (12%), popularity among friends (15%).
However, as respondents declare, the following factors are of little importance in building trust: locality (4%), marking published content as advertising (10%), similarity to followers (12%), popularity among friends (15%).
Study “The Alchemy of Trust, or What Type of Influencer Marketing Sells”
What makes customers trust influencers? Who is the best choice to implement campaigns in the FMCG and e-commerce industry, and who in the luxury goods industry? What is the influence of influencers on consumer decision-making processes? In which product categories is it most profitable to invest in influencer marketing? These are all questions we ask ourselves every day when implementing influencer marketing campaigns. We wanted to know the answers more precisely and prepare activities for our clients even better. The Hash.Fm by Streetcom agency has been actively working for the development of the IM industry in Poland for years and is an active member of the influencer marketing working group within the IAB. Recently, we also took part in the work initiating the implementation of market changes in the area of marking cooperation on behalf of IAB and the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection, says Matylda Szymalska, CEO of the Streetcom agency.
The study “Alchemy of trust, or what type of influencer marketing sells” was carried out in April 2022 on a nationwide sample of over 5,000 Polish Internet users.
