“Word of mouth” has always seemed to be a good tool for driving sales, and the big shift to “influencer” marketing bears this out. In 2019, it is estimated that roughly 72 percent of brands will have influencer marketing built into their marketing budgets, and some projections show that influencer investments will reach $10 billion by 2020, according to market research firm CivicScience.

“Given the important role social media plays in the customer journey, brands turning to influencers more isn’t surprising,” the firm noted in a recent announcement. In an effort to discover more about “influencers” and their impact on brands CivicScience studied the experience Americans have had with products pushed by influencers, bloggers, or celebrities. The firm said it polled more than 1,800 respondents to determine if they’ve ever been motivated to purchase something from an influencer or celebrity recommendation.

The findings of the survey revealed that nearly one-fifth of American consumers have bought something because of an influencer or blogger, compared with 10 percent who have made a purchase because of a celebrity, the firm noted. “Considering the fact that celebrities have been featured in advertising for decades, this difference highlights the turn that brands might be taking towards lesser-known influencers and bloggers who may be more relatable than a celebrity,” the announcement explained.

The findings of the survey also showed that

  • Women are more likely to purchase based on sponsorships
  • Women are more likely than men to have purchased something based on a sponsorship from a blogger or influencer, but are even more likely to be influenced by celebrity promotions as men.
  • Influencers reach more than just a younger crowd. While Americans ages 25 or younger are the most likely age group (36 percent) to have purchased something because of an influencer/blogger, a significant amount of older Millennials and Gen Xers have too – proving that the impact they have spans more than just among younger age groups.
  • Those making under $50,000 in income annually are more likely than those making more than $100,000 annually to purchase a product or service per recommendation from a blogger or influencer.>
More findings from the survey are available here.