Influencer marketing has seen rapid growth over the past few years. This is partly due to the emergence of new platforms. Particularly, TikTok and Twitch were able to take off in the aftermath of the pandemic. In the year 2020, Twitch influencers doubled in number, and TikTok influencers tripled.
What is the difference between these social media influencers? Which kind of influencer is best in your marketing campaign? To aid you in this, we’ve gathered some data to help you understand some of the distinctions between networks and the influencers who are part of them.
Prior to anything else, you must know your audience
Be aware that, for every marketing strategy, your target audience is a crucial element in the choices you make. So, when it comes to influencer marketing, the type and network of influencers you select will depend on the target audience you’re trying to connect with.
Before you begin searching for influencers, think about what demographics are relevant to your intended group of followers. Are they male or female? What are their ages? What is their location and in what language do they speak? What are their interests?
You can then research socio-demographics on social media to determine the networks that appeal to your target segment. For instance, if you are looking to connect with millennials, you may consider using Instagram; however if you would like to connect with Gen Z you might want to make use of TikTok.
The target audience and the network where you can find them are more important than any other factor when you decide the best place to run your campaign.
Instagram influencers
Instagram is still one of the most-used platforms in the field of influencer marketing. Instagram offers functions that the other networks haven’t implemented yet, such as shopping or the paid partnership tag.
The most popular categories on Instagram include fashion, music, arts, and health and fitness. Influencers can make a variety of types of content on Instagram, such as videos, photos, stories and reels.
When looking at how Instagram influencers perform, consider:
- Follower count and increase over time
- Engagement rate
- Average comments and likes per post
- Average views per reel, video, and story
TikTok creators
If you’re looking to reach out to Gen Z, TikTok influencers are a great choice to run your campaign.
TikTok content is brief and fast. The maximum length of a video is 60 seconds, so it is imperative to communicate your message quickly. TikTok content is also designed for mobile use: TikTok videos use the vertical orientation, which makes consuming content on handheld devices easier.
TikTok is all about entertainment and fun. Some of the most popular categories include dancing as well as singing and humor.
The most important metrics to evaluate TikTok creators’ content performance include:
- Follower count
- Engagement rate
- Average view per video – from followers and other users
Twitch streamers
Though Twitch streamers can save their videos to their profiles, the primary function of the site is its live streaming feature. Twitchers live-stream as their viewers watch and react through the platform’s stream chat.
The primary focus of Twitch at the moment is gaming. However, the platform is also looking to expand into different areas. There are now categories such as Just Chatting, which is sort of a catch-all talk show category . It allows streamers to talk about whatever they want to with their followers. There are also categories that cover topics like food and sports.
While analyzing Twitch streamers, look at these performance indicators:
- Followers – Unpaid followers
- Subscribers – Paid followers, who get special perks
- Average viewers – the number of people who watch a streamer’s feed, whether following, subscribed, or neither
- Engagement rate
YouTube influencers
YouTube is a long-time popular choice for marketing via influencers. Although it is facing new rivals from TikTok and Twitch, it’s not going anywhere just yet. YouTube permits videos of up to 15 minutes, or longer if your account is verified.
According to Google, the most-watched categories are music, comedy, pop culture/entertainment, and how-tos. Beauty is another major segment, at least in influencer marketing. Well-known beauty youtubers such NikkieTutorials, James Charles, and Manny Mua are famous because of their work on the platform.
If you’re interested in assessing the effectiveness of YouTube influencers, look at:
- Subscribers
- Engagement rate
- Average views per video – from subscribers and unsubscribed users
- Likes to dislikes ratio – how many people like their content compared to how many dislike it
Conclusion
These are just a few of the social media influencers working in the industry in 2021. There are lots of other networks and influencers out there that don’t appear on this list.
The choice you make should be based on your target audience and where it is the most engaged on social networks. Be sure to conduct market research prior to deciding whether you want to seek out Instagram influencers, TikTok creators, and so on.
