Why Influencer Marketing is a Must-Have Strategy for Brand Growth
Our latest analysis with Swayable uncovers how creator content drives awareness, performance, and brand growth at every stage of the funnel.
In collaboration with Swayable, our Brand Lift data partner, we have created an in-depth analysis of how influencer marketing drives success throughout the funnel. It showcases influencer marketing's unique strength in generating brand awareness, highlights how trusted and authentic creator content positively impacts lower-funnel performance, and argues for brands shifting towards more integrated, creator-first strategies.
Through a mix of qualitative and quantitative insights, it explores why brands from all industries—regardless of their maturity in the space—should consider creators as a central component of their overall marketing strategy.
Click here to download the full deck.
The $30B+ influencer marketing industry has reached a turning point. The next chapter isn’t about likes or views, it’s about impact.
At Influential, we’ve built the technology, data, and expertise to transform creators into high-impact media channels, and we’re leading the way in proving their role alongside core media investments.
Executive Summary
In an era of declining consumer trust, the way we discover and engage with brands is undergoing a fundamental shift.
According to Qualtrics, only half of all consumers and just 28% of Gen Z trust the brands they interact with. Marketers are increasingly turning to influencers to communicate their message authentically and effectively.
Statista reports that marketers spent $35 billion on creator-led campaigns in 2024. That figure is expected to reach $60 billion by 2030—matching the current figure for TV advertising.
This growth marks influencer marketing’s shift from an experimental tactic supporting a broader media strategy into a cornerstone of effective omnichannel marketing.
As the consumer landscape continues to change, the gap will widen between early adopters and those slower to adapt, facing a roadblock of identifying influencer use cases and proving value.
This report demonstrates that brands that don’t quickly integrate influencer marketing risk falling behind and failing to meet the demands of today's consumers.
01
The State of Influencer Marketing:
How influencer has shifted from an experimental to essential channel
Despite the rapid growth of influencer marketing, there remains three key challenges for marketers
32%
Measuring Performance
29%
Finding New Creators
26%
Driving Revenue
Source: “The State of Creator Marketing: Trends and Trajectory 2024-2025” conducted by Sapio Research, Oct 23, 2024
02
Performance:
Proving why influencer is more than just a top of the funnel tactic
Influencer is the best-in-class marketing channel at the top of the funnel
2x
Performance vs. other content types
67%
Increase in lower-funnel performance using influencers who create trust and authenticity between brand, influencer, and consumer
03
Activation:
How strategic flexibility and agility make influencer uniquely powerful
Influencer achieves results across demographics
Outperforms Other Content
Influencer outperforms other content at the top of the funnel across every single age demographic
Drives Purchase Consideration
At the bottom of the funnel, influencer is the leading channel to drive purchase consideration for Gen Z and Boomers
04
Integration:
Why brands should shift to a creator-first mindset
An integrated influencer approach can lead to
75%
Increase in sales lift
16x
ROI performance
Conclusions
Don’t Be Constrained by Campaign Objectives
As a leading channel across every phase of the customer journey, marketers can use influencer content to drive results no matter the objective.
Projecting Trust and Authenticity Are Vital
Integrating trust and authenticity in influencer content improves lower-funnel performance by as much as 67%, making influencer selection a pivotal step in your strategic planning.
Shift from Demographics to Psychographics
Influencers are no longer just a tool to reach Gen Z, but to engage broad cross sections of the population who overlap by lifestyle, passions, and shared experiences.
Flexibility and Agility Make Influencers Valuable
The human voice of influencers, coupled with their speed and flexibility in market, makes the channel uniquely powerful as brand discovery evolves from search-led to social first.
Integrate Influencers into Omnichannel Strategies
Infusing influencer content throughout your entire marketing plan improves ROI by up to 16x. Brands who shift their approach now will be the biggest winners as creator-led marketing continues to evolve.
Click here to download the full deck.