2014 Influencer Marketing Benchmarks Reportintelligence.communicatieonline.nl/sites/default/files/...2014 eport 4 BURST MEDIA For many marketers the concepts of Influencer Marketing

2014 Influencer Marketing Benchmarks Report

March 2015COPYRIGHT © 2015 BURST MEDIA LLC

2014 Influencer Marketing Benchmarks Report2

BURSTMEDIA

Contents

Page 3 About This Report / Methodology

Page 4 Finding Highlights

Pages 5-7 2014 Influencer Marketing Programs Overview

• Sponsored Blog Posts• Social Syndication and Branded Content Distribution• Influencers and Influential Content• Earned Media Value

Pages 8-9 Results – Earned Media Value

Page 10 Results – Social Engagement Rate

Page 11 Conclusions

APPENDIX

Pages 12-17 Category-Specific Benchmarks and Insights

• CPG Food• Grocers & Supermarkets• Home & Garden• Retailers & Apparel• Shoes• Tourist Destinations & Travel• Toys & Games• EMV Highlights from Single Advertiser Categories

Pages 18-19 Resources

2014 Influencer Marketing Benchmarks ReportBURSTMEDIA3

About This Report / Methodology

This inaugural Influencer Marketing Benchmarks Report offers a top-level analysis of Burst Media’s 2014 Influencer Marketing programs as well as industry-specific benchmarks and takeaways. It also provides key insights in the areas of execution, earned media value, consumer engagement and more.

In 2014, Burst ran 48 Influencer Marketing programs for advertisers. These US-targeted branded content programs spanned 15 industry verticals and employed (in aggregate) 662 independent web publishers and bloggers. These publishers and bloggers, who we refer to as “influencers” throughout this report, each has a direct relationship with Burst.

“An influencer outreach program is quickly becoming indispensable to the modern digital marketing strategy. Influencers are more valuable to brands now than they’ve ever been for their ability to deliver on social chatter, earned media, and action.”

- Tessa Wegert, ClickZ

Consumer action is driven by the seamless and authentic integration of brands into influential content.

Burst Media and Influencer Marketing

Burst Media helps marketers weave their brand stories into the content and social platforms of some of the biggest independent influencers on the web. We do this through our Influencer Marketing programs that can include a variety of content distribution solutions such as Sponsored Blog Posts and content discovery rich media ad units.

We are advocates of Influencer Marketing because we know that online consumers trust and are impacted by the influencers they follow. For brands, there is no more effective place to engage with consumers than a trusted environment.


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For many marketers the concepts of Influencer Marketing and native advertising are hard to define. We view them as two distinct — yet related — marketing executions. Used together, they make for a powerful marketing tool that leverages the presence of influencers to help promote a product or service with either branded or brand-approved content. Content distribution ad units can further amplify that influence at massive scale.

On average, marketers who implemented an Influencer Marketing program in 2014 received $6.85 in earned media value for every $1.00 of paid media.

CPG advertisers received the greatest earned media value for Influencer Marketing programs. Factors contributing to their programs’ success included:

o A highly social platform engaged target audience — moms. o Use of brand-approved, highly appealing imagery.

Multiple blog posts scheduled to run for fixed time periods with no overlap drove programs to higher social engagement rates.

Inclusion of a sweepstakes or giveaway drove higher earned media value and higher social engagement rates.

Use of our content distribution Rich Media ad units had the dual impact of increasing program reach and driving social engagement.

Finding Highlights

Highlights of Influencer Marketing Benchmarks

2014 Influencer Marketing Benchmarks ReportBURSTMEDIA

1. Retailers & Apparel (23%)2. CPG Food (19%)3. Grocers & Supermarkets (15%)

4. Tourist Destinations & Travel (13%)5. Shoes (6%)6. Home & Garden (4%)7. Toys & Games (4%)

In 2014, Burst ran Influencer Marketing programs for a wide variety of brand advertisers. Seven industry categories had representation from more than one advertiser and by count comprised 84% of our influencer campaigns.

Additionally, nearly four-fifths (78%) of paid media for our 2014 Influencer Marketing programs came from the seven “primary” advertiser categories.

Single advertisers (16% total) came from the following eight categories and accounted for 22% of paid media for our 2014 Influencer Marketing programs.

5

2014 Influencer Marketing Programs Overview

23% 22%

19%

15%13%

29%

8%5% 6% 7%

4% 4% 4% 3%

% of Programs

% of Paid Media

Retailers & Apparel

CPG Food Grocers & Supermarkets

Tourist Destinations & Travel

Toys & GamesHome & GardenShoes

Influencer Marketing Program Distribution by Advertiser Category

1. Baby Products2. Bath, Body, Skin & Beauty3. Cameras & Equipment4. Pet Products

5. Cleaning Products6. Fast Food Restaurants7. Hospitals & Medical Services8. Regional Causes


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All of Burst’s 2014 Influencer Marketing programs included paid media in the form of Sponsored Blog Posts. Our Sponsored Blog Posts pair brands with hand-selected influencers who develop and distribute brand-approved content that promotes products, services or other initiatives. Depending on the specifics of the program, the content of Sponsored Blog Posts takes the form of text, imagery and/or video.

Sponsored Blog Posts

For most programs we also leverage the influencers’ social media platforms to amplify the impact and reach of a Sponsored Blog Posts. This Social Syndication can include Facebook posts, Pinterest boards, Instagram videos and posts, Vine videos, Twitter parties, sponsored tweets and Google+ Hangouts.

Our content distribution Rich Media units (Expandables and Fixed Footers) can further extend a programs reach beyond the “influence” of the influencer by distributing created content on targeted sites. Brands seeking to extend the distribution and reach of their Influencer Marketing programs opt for these Rich Media units.

Social Syndication and Branded Content Distribution

“As social channels become more visual and as we see authentic images working more effectively to communicate with our customers, we’re very excited that those are platforms we might be able to tap into differently.

Jennifer Kasper, Macy’s 1


Example: Influencer Fixed Footer


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Influencers and Influential Content

Independent influencers have been Burst’s currency since 1995. Our influencers are literally thousands of digital media publishers who foster vibrant online communities through sites, blogs and social media.

Most important, our influencers demonstrate seven key traits that are present in all that they do.


1. Accelerated growth. Determined and sustained audience development.

2. Social power. Significant and measurable clout on social media.

3. Viral distribution. Engaging content that is often shared organically.

4. Consumer engagement. Audiences that interact with and react to content.

5. Content expertise. Knows his or her focus inside out, no matter the topic.

6. Aesthetically appealing. Clean, clear and user-friendly design elements.

7. Community leaders. Respected as trailblazers within online communities.


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Earned Media Value

Influencer Marketing is an ideal tactic to elevate brand awareness and consideration as it encourages social sharing. Our Sponsored Blog Posts, Social Syndication and content distribution Rich Media offerings are inherently social and are specifically designed to maximize earned media value (EMV) for paid campaigns.

EMV refers to the media value that can be attributed to publicity, social sharing and endorsement. It is an effective measure of an advertising campaigns success at reaching beyond the bounds of it paid placements and a good way to understand the “amplification-effect” of Influencer Marketing.

We consider a wide variety of measurements (see table) to calculate EMV for our Influencer Marketing programs.

Burst Media EMV MeasurementsBlog Comments/RepliesContest EntriesFacebook: Shares, Comments, Likes, Shares from PostsTwitter: Re-Tweets, Replies/Comments, Favorites, Shares from PostsPinterest: Re-Pins, Comments, Likes, Shares from PostsInstagram: Comments, LikesGoogle+: Shares, Comments, Likes, Shares from PostsReach of Influencer Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and Google+ ProfilesOther Social Shares: Clicks to Brand URLs, Posts with Specific Campaign Hashtags

Campaign-specific factors, such as a product giveaway or sweepstakes, can significantly impact Influencer Marketing program EMV. Another significant consideration is the selected influencers themselves. For ex-ample, an individual’s social media clout (e.g., Klout Score 2) can impact EMV. The more social media clout an influencer has generally means more followers will share their content organically and frequently.

For a full breakdown of how we calculate EMV, see the Resources section of this report.

Earned Media Value



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On average, our advertisers received $6.85 in earned media for every $1.00 spent on a Burst Influencer Marketing programs in 2014.

Among the seven “primary” industry categories (each of which are detailed in the report appendix), the average return of EMV breaks down as follows:

Earned Media Value

Results

Retailers & Apparel ($10.48)

CPG Food ($11.33)

Tourist Destinations

& Travel ($7.04)

Grocers & Super-markets ($4.80)

Shoes ($3.70)

Toys & Games ($3.31)

Total BurstMedia Average:

$6.85

“It’s kind of a misnomer to force [content marketing] into previous metrics that we use for advertising. … That said, I think earned media value is the most important metric.”

-Stephanie Losee, Dell 3

Home & Garden ($0.64)

Single Advertiser Categories

($2.10)

Earned Media Value for Every Dollar of Media Paid

(By Advertiser Category)

• CPG Food ($11.33)• Retailers & Apparel ($10.48)• Tourist Destinations & Travel ($7.04)• Grocers & Supermarkets ($4.80)• Shoes ($3.70)• Toys & Games ($3.31)• Home & Garden ($0.64)


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On average, advertisers saw a 3.4% social engagement rate for Burst Influencer Marketing programs in 2014.

Among the seven “primary” industry categories (each of which are detailed in the subsequent report section), the average social engagement rate breaks down as follows:

Social Engagement Rate

Results

Social Engagement Rate = reader engagements/social exposure.

Reader Engagements = measurable actions taken by readers, including (but not limited to) blog comments, re-tweets, Facebook likes, Instagram comments, etc.

Social Exposure = the number of times an influencer’s audience was exposed to a Brand’s Influencer Marketing program via Sponsored Blog Posts and social media.

6.7%

3.9%

1.1%

.67%

2.7%

.70%

1.3%

Retailers & Apparel

CPG Food

Grocers & Supermarkets

Tourist Destinations & Travel

Toys & Games

Shoes

Home & Garden

• Grocers & Supermarkets (6.7%)• CPG Food (3.9%)• Retailers & Apparel (2.7%)• Toys & Games (1.3%)• Shoes (1.1%)• Home & Garden (0.7%)• Tourist Destinations & Travel (0.67%)


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Influencer Marketing by nature is the modern word-of-mouth. Advertisers that run effective campaigns know this — and they leverage the trust and authenticity that influencers inherently bring to the table.

Also by nature, Influencer Marketing is very specific. From planning to execution, the four-dozen advertisers that partnered with Burst in 2014 each worked with our team to create customized programs with a clear set of deliverables and goals.

Targeting

Influencer Marketing is all about leveraging the power of community and like-minded people. To that end, the tighter an audience is defined and the more focused the influencers are, the better the results (i.e., earned media value and social engagement rates) will likely be. Influencer Marketing is not for reaching the masses. It’s for reaching your brand advocates and then getting consumer-generated content to do the work for you.

A strategy that focuses on targeting the right audience and providing them with great, relevant content will not only increase engagement, but will help to keep your brand “top of mind” to that audience.

-David Neuman, Prime Visibility

Conclusions

Engagement

“Natural” Amplification

At a granular level, an Influencer Marketing program’s engagement rate is the barometer for how on-point branded content is with the target audience. Measurable interactions — whether it’s a comment on a Sponsored Blog Post or a “like” on Facebook — are key for evaluating how Influencer Marketing programs resonate with communities of people with similar interests.

Engagements are what feed earned media. And earned media is all about trust. If a friend or family member were to share a great deal for a trip they saw on Facebook, re-pin a great kid’s craft they saw on Pinterest or like a delicious dessert they saw on Instagram, chances are you’ll pay attention. Maybe you’ll even visit that destination, or maybe you’ll grab that brand-name ingredient the next time you go food shopping.

In essence, this is the power of effective Influencer Marketing: engaging the right people who will raise awareness, contribute to the consideration process and ultimately drive action.

Appendix

13

Category-Specific Benchmarks and Insights


CPG Food

Advertisers used a total of 160 influencers (in aggregate) for CPG Food Influencer Marketing programs in 2014. On average, CPG Food advertisers saw an EMV of $11.33 for every dollar of paid media. CPG Food advertisers also saw an average Influencer Marketing program engagement rate of 3.9%.

Takeaways:

• All advertisers included two posts from each influencer in their Sponsored Blog program. These posts were rotated at set time periods to ensure fresh content and brand visibility as well as to extend the opportunity for consumers to comment on, engage with and share content.

• All advertisers ran Social Syndication programs, and influencers promoted their own (brand-ap-proved) imagery of baked goodies and recipes across Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook with campaign-specific hashtags.

• All advertisers in this category had a primary audience target of “Moms,” and it’s no secret that moms are social.

According to eMarketer, 85% of all online moms in the US use social media every month — and nearly 4-in-5 (79%) moms who use smartphones use such devices to access social media once a day or more.4 Additional findings from Edison Research indicate 45% of moms follow brands on social media.5

14



Grocers & Supermarkets

Grocers & Supermarkets used a total of 107 influencers (in aggregate) for Influencer Marketing programs in 2014. On average, Grocers & Supermarkets saw an EMV of $4.80 for every dollar of paid media. Grocers & Supermarkets also saw an average Influencer Marketing program engagement rate of 6.7%.

Takeaways:

• Every single advertiser in this category ran a giveaway or sweepstakes as part of their Spon-sored Blog Posts program — driving consumers to engage with influencers’ posts and branded content on social media.

• Similar to CPG Food advertisers, advertisers in this category leveraged Social Syndication and had influencers promote brand-approved imagery of food items with campaign-specific hashtags (including hashtags that referred to the giveaway/sweepstakes).

Grocers & Supermarkets also all targeted “Moms” in their Influencer Marketing campaigns.

• Some advertisers leveraged content distribution units (i.e., Rich Media) to further brand awareness and extend the reach of the Influencer Marketing programs.

Home & Garden Advertisers

Advertisers used a total of 14 influencers (in aggregate) for Home & Garden Influencer Marketing programs in 2014. On average, Home & Garden advertisers saw an EMV of $0.64 for every dollar of paid media. Home & Garden advertisers also saw an average Influencer Marketing program engagement rate of 0.7%.

Takeaways:

• One advertiser in this category ran with a short list of influencers who produce home design and décor blogs. In this instance, the product had a very specific target audience of consumers

(women 25-54) redecorating/remodeling rooms in the home.

• Another advertiser had a very specific product and had an audience geared towards moms who have backyard pools. A select list of 12 mom-focused influencers (each of whom has a pool) was used to promote the brand.

15



Retailers & Apparel Advertisers

Advertisers used a total of 118 influencers (in aggregate) for Retailers & Apparel Influencer Marketing programs in 2014. On average, Retailers & Apparel advertisers saw an EMV of $10.48 for every dollar of paid media. Retailers & Apparel advertisers also saw an average Influencer Marketing program engagement rate of 2.7%.

Takeaways:

• The majority of advertisers included two posts from each influencer in their Sponsored Blog program. These posts were rotated at set time periods to ensure fresh content and brand

visibility as well as to extend the opportunity for consumers to comment on, engage with and share content.

• Advertisers leveraged their visual assets for Social Syndication programs — influencers promoted highly stylized apparel photos across Instagram and Pinterest with campaign-specific hashtags.

• One specific advertiser who saw an EMV that exceeded the category average by 325% relied on a multi-faceted program that leveraged an Influencer Fixed Footer rich media unit, Social Syndication and three Sponsored Blog Posts each from their pool of handpicked influencers.

Shoe Advertisers

Advertisers used a total of 50 influencers (in aggregate) for Shoe Influencer Marketing programs in 2014. On average, Shoe advertisers saw an EMV of $3.71 for every dollar of paid media. Shoe adver-tisers also saw an average Influencer Marketing program engagement rate of 1.1%.

Takeaways:

• One-third (33%) of advertisers in this category ran a giveaway, complete with campaign-specific hashtags — driving consumers to engage with influencers’ posts and branded content on

social media.

• All Influencer Marketing programs in the shoe category were geared towards millennial women (18-34 years) — and blog content focused on topics that resonated with the audience: seasonal

fashions, staying fit, matching footwear with outfits, frugality without sacrificing style, and more.



Tourist Destination & Travel Advertisers

Advertisers used a total of 65 influencers (in aggregate) for tourism and travel-related Influencer Marketing programs in 2014. On average, tourist destination and travel advertisers saw an EMV of $7.04 for every dollar of paid media. Tourist destination and travel advertisers also saw an average Influencer Marketing program engagement rate of 0.67%.

Takeaways:

• All advertisers in this space targeted women as “travel planners” for the family. Creative assets included family-friendly images and copy points geared towards moms.

• Nearly all advertisers in this category had very specific offerings — in these cases, the offerings were attractions and destinations in tightly defined geographic areas.

• One specific advertiser who saw an EMV exceeded the category average by 425% leveraged Social Syndication and two Sponsored Blog Posts each from their pool of 10 handpicked influ-encers — and ran the campaign over a three month period at the height of the summer travel planning season.

Toys & Games Advertisers

Advertisers used a total of 21 influencers (in aggregate) for toys and games Influencer Marketing programs in 2014. On average, toys and games advertisers saw an EMV of $3.31 for every dollar of paid media. Toys and games advertisers also saw an average Influencer Marketing program engagement rate of 1.3%.

Takeaways:

• All advertisers in this space ran their influencer campaigns in the midst of the 2014 holiday shop-ping season — and influencers promoted the products as “great gift ideas” towards audiences of moms of young kids.

• One-half of the advertisers in this category ran a giveaway, complete with campaign-specific hashtags — driving consumers to engage with influencers’ posts and branded content on social media. One specific advertiser with a giveaway saw an EMV that exceeded the category average by 281%.



EMV Highlights from Single Advertiser Categories

In 2014, single advertisers from the eight categories accounted for 16% of the total count for ourInfluencer Marketing programs and 22% of paid media revenue. Two single advertisers accounted for more than one-half of the paid media figure: Cameras & Equip-ment (11% of total share) and Bath, Body, Skin & Beauty (5% of total share).

In aggregate, these single advertisers saw an average EMV of $2.10 for every dollar spent on paid media (210%). EMV by specific advertiser was as follows:

1. Baby Products: 127%2. Bath, Body, Skin & Beauty: 252%3. Cameras & Equipment: 224%4. Cleaning Products: 182%5. Fast Food Restaurants: 389%6. Hospitals & Medical Services: 270%7. Pet Products: 502%8. Regional Causes: 64%


Resources

Earned Media Value Breakdown

Earned Media Type Dollar Value (Each Instance) Blog Comments/Replies $2.00 Contest Entries $0.25 Facebook Shares $1.25 Facebook Comments $1.00 Facebook Likes $0.50 Facebook Shares from Posts $0.75 Re-Tweets $1.25 Twitter Replies / Comments $1.00 Twitter Favorites $0.50 Twitter Shares from Posts $0.75 Pinterest Re-Pins $1.25 Pinterest Comments $1.00 Pinterest Likes $0.50 Pinterest Shares from Posts $0.75 Instagram Comments $1.00 Instagram Likes $0.50 Google+ Shares $1.25 Google+ Comments $1.00 Google+ Likes $0.50 Google+ Shares from Post $0.75 15% of Facebook Reach $0.25 5% of Twitter Reach $0.25 20% of Pinterest Reach $0.25 25% of Instagram Reach $0.25 20% of Google+ Reach $0.25 Other Social Shares (e.g., clicks to brand URLs, shares using campaign specific hashtag, etc.)

$0.75

Source: Prime Visibility (https://www.primevisibility.com/)


Cited Articles and Quotes

1 Kats, Rimma: “Macy’s Says Social Media Strategy Begins with Good Content.” eMarketer, September 27, 2013.

2 The Klout Score is a number between 1-100 that represents influence. See https://klout.com/corp/score for more details.

3 Elkin, Tobi: “Native Advertising Update: Marketers See Healthy Spending Growth in 2015.” eMarketer, November 20, 2014.

4 “Mothers Get Social on Smartphones.” eMarketer, September 22, 2014.

5 “US Mother and Father Social Network Users Who Follow Brands on Social Networking Sites.” Edison Research, May 2014.

Resources

Icons

About Burst Media

Art from the Noun Project Created by: AzisRick PollockThomas Le BasWilson JosephMarc Haumann

An online media and technology company founded in 1995, Burst Media connects brands with highly targeted and influential audiences brought together through specialized content found on 2,000+ websites and influencer blogs. Burst’s premium advertising solutions allow brands to leverage high impact creative formats, social media and content distribution channels to engage consumers across connected devices. Burst also offers a programmatic platform, AdConductor, for demand partners looking to access large pools of high quality ad inventory. Burst Media is headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts and has offices throughout the United States.

Visit www.BurstMedia.com or call +1 (781) 852-5200 for more information.

Copyright © 2015 Burst Media LLC. All rights reserved. The information and specifications in this document may be subject to change. Company and/or product names not held by Burst Media may be registered trademarks of their respective owners.

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2014 Influencer Marketing Benchmarks Reportintelligence.communicatieonline.nl/sites/default/files/...2014 eport 4 BURST MEDIA For many marketers the concepts of Influencer Marketing