Study: Influencer marketing yields 16x better ROI than digital marketing, proving ROI of Influencer Marketing

 
In what is great news for marketers needing to prove the effectiveness of their marketing plans to management, a new study has conclusively linked influencer marketing to in-store sales. In fact, the study, conducted by Nielsen Catalina Solutions in conjunction with Carusele partner TapInfluence and CPG company WhiteWave Foods, found that the influencer campaign generated $285 in incremental sales for every 1000 viewers. TapInfluence notes this is 16x higher ROI than the average digital marketing campaign analyzed, and 11x better return than a traditional banner ad campaign.

Learn about our new white paper, 25 Ways to Measure Influencer Marketing ROI

Better Results than Any Banner Ad Campaign

In fact, the impact on sales from the influencer marketing program was higher than any digital ad campaign ever measured by Nielsen Catalina. The study found that immediately after the influencer campaign launched, the sales impact was similar to that of a banner ad. However, since the content from the influencer marketing campaign stayed online generating social interactions, the sales lift from the blog posts only climbed to the 11x the ROI of a banner ad one year after the content went live that TapInfluence noted.

This "blows traditional digital advertising results out of the water.” Lori Ulanoff, WhiteWave Foods

Learn about our new white paper, 25 Ways to Measure Influencer Marketing ROI

Study Methodology

285 influencers were selected to produce blog posts for a campaign involving Silk almond milk – a WhiteWave Foods brand. The resulting content was shared via the influencers’ social networks. There was no additional paid distribution.

The study compared those who read the influencers’ blog posts to a control group who had not seen them, with the result that every 1000 people who viewed influencer content generated $285 of incremental sales over the control group.

This result was so statistically significant (and a little unexpected) that NCS and TapInfluence got together again to triple check the data.

Influencer marketing 16x more effective than traditional digital advertising

Added Benefit of Influencer Marketing

This study highlights the built-in benefit of influencer marketing and something that we’ve been telling Carusele clients for a long time now - the very long tail of post-program impressions means that your content lives on – indefinitely. Even though your actual campaign has ended, pinners continue to pin, your target audience continues to Google, and your content continues to be there for all to discover and interact with.

How to Get Even More from your Influencer Marketing

One final point: we noted above that this study involved no additional paid distribution. Imagine if you looked at those 285 original, authentic blog posts, took the best performing content and boosted it to provide even more social interactions and engagement. Your campaign ROI should increase exponentially. That’s the Carusele model.

Learn about our new white paper, 25 Ways to Measure Influencer Marketing ROI