The top traits brands seek from influencers is honesty (67%), followed by creativity (47%) and charisma (38%), according to research conducted by Snapchat and MAGNA Media Trials for its Influencer Marketing Playbook.
The study, ‘Unleashing Influence: A Marketer’s Guide to Influencer Success,’ revealed that media spend on the global influencer market is expected to approach $6 billion in 2024.
With such growth forecast for the year ahead, the report explored users’ perceptions and preferences in five countries: Australia, France, Saudi Arabia, the USA, and the UK, and revealed how content creators and brand-sponsored content could push the industry even further.
Hannah Rook, head of intelligence and insights from MAGNA Australia, said that Australian social media users are increasingly drawn to and engaging with product-related content, from tutorials or product reviews, which she said makes the influencer market an “attractive proposition for brands.”
But she noted that rules of influencer engagement are important.
“This research explored influencer qualities that are preferred by Australians to help establish a set of criteria brands should seek when selecting influencers to work alongside,” she added.
The study also noted that creators who routinely shared personal experiences (58%) and engaged with their audience’s comments (56%) fared well on being perceived as honest and authentic.
Transparency went together with trust across countries. Brand-sponsored content should be clearly identified as such, especially here in Australia, where 92% of research participants ranked this as very to somewhat important. Moreover, transparency about sponsorship increased the likelihood of brand engagement (+63%).
“Overall, this natural alignment made the content and influencer come across as trustworthy and authentic, which led to positive outcomes for the brand including +51% interest in researching the brand and +49% product purchase intent,” Rook continued.
Australians were in support of brand participation in social content, with research showing Australians were highly receptive to brand-sponsored influencer content, with an average of 88% receptiveness, and this was true for Gen Z, millennials, and Gen X participants, all of whom were over 80% receptive. A further 61% agreed they were primarily on social media to follow influencers (61%).
Tony Keusgen, managing director of Snap Inc. Australia and New Zealand, said Snapchat has “always been different to traditional social media. It’s where 8 million Australians come to express themselves authentically and connect with people they care about.”
He explained that for creators, “Snapchat allows them to build real relationships with our community by showing a unique and more behind-the-scenes look at their lives. The power of genuine connections creates a positive environment for advertisers on Snapchat.”