Influencer marketing is growing. An industry expected to exceed $20 billion this year, the creator economy changes how certain companies reach customers through marketing. Even more, a changing nature in search and content preferences now sees more than 50% of Gen Z-ers preferring video search through platforms such as TiKTok to more established Google searches.

New trends call for new actions. Finding the right influencers for brands to grow with isn’t as easy as it may first appear. On the other hand, all of these influencers may come with benefits no other marketing channel can match in terms of pure return on investment. Even more, companies can analyze creator KPIs such as social sentiment or brand mentions to ensure they get the most out of their influencer strategies. Here’s where to start in finding the ideal video content creators.

TikTok

TikTok is growing rapidly, and its impact on Gen Z-ers is considerable. The rise of TikTok shopping is here to confirm online shopping may also be exclusive to social networks shortly.

For brands, TikTok is one of the most engaging platforms to work on. It allows companies to leverage the highly engaged audiences of smaller creators on the platform. You can find TikTok influencers through agencies. Companies in the beauty space also need to act fast, as many creators sign non-compete agreements, remaining loyal to a brand.

Instagram

Instagram remains the network with the most influencers in the world. Its impact on revenue and company growth may still not be easily quantified, but Instagram remains the platform for macro influencers. This is the network with the most influencers, with over 1 million followers, which means it’s an ideal channel for building brand awareness.

YouTube

Ideal for longer videos, YouTube is more than a video platform. It acts as a search engine for everything from entertainment to educational videos.

YouTube influencers may be accustomed to working with specific KPIs and delivering in-depth content, as opposed to influencers on TikTok and Instagram. Creators here can easily record longer videos, and they also have access to simple additional monetization methods through views.

High ROI influencer benefits for brands

But why even go through the hassle of influencer vetting on all of these platforms and not just sign with the free creators willing to take on a new partnership? It turns out that measuring influencer marketing success is much more complicated than brands expect. Marketers still don’t know what makes influencer marketing successful, but they know how a good campaign may ultimately benefit them.

Engaged audience

The right influencer on the right platform always has an engaged audience. The larger the influencer, the higher the chances of a less engaged audience. Brands now work with a selection of influencers by following, which means all creators come with different engagement rates.

Why is engagement important? It shows where the attention of the audience is and where brands capture attention. Video listening tools now allow brands to pinpoint the exact moments in videos where the attention of the audience is and how this moment impacts social sentiment.

Tools that run social sentiment analysis typically come with a dataset goldmine, ideal for brands to leverage and learn what sparks the real interest of their audience. Brands use these tools to add new social listening metrics to the success guarantee of their influencer strategies.

Industry awareness

Companies looking to build brand awareness may ultimately benefit from influencer marketing the most. Simply mentioning or showing a product in a video may start a snowball effect that sparks business growth.

Choosing the right influencer also comes with the right industry awareness. Companies that get in front of the right audience through influencers that already have a loyal following tend to have a high ROI on influencer marketing. By some estimates, brands such as those in the beauty space may earn up to $20 in return for every $1 spent on influencer marketing when their influencer vetting strategies are correct.

Leads and sales

Companies know influencer marketing is as good as its returns. But this growing marketing channel is ideal for generating leads and immediate sales. Even one-off campaigns are shown to be worth it for brands that know which influencers they need to partner with.

Working with the right influencers is worth it

TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube are home to some of the most engaged communities around influencers. The problem is that brands cannot simply associate with any influencer, as they need to properly select creators to align messaging and expectations. In turn, this process comes with a high ROI on influencer marketing campaigns.