Top Social Media Sites for Influencers

According to a Mediakix study published in 2019, here’s a look at the most popular influencer marketing channels:

Here’s how it compares to the most popular social media sites used overall:

While ‘influencer’ is a platform-agnostic term, referring to anyone who leverages social media to gain a following and can monetise their influence, we can see major differences in social media channel preference. Instagram and Youtube are perceived as more influencer-friendly than Facebook, despite the latter being most frequented by active users. What accounts for this difference and what are the differences between Youtube and Instagram?

While Facebook has rolled out features which benefit influencers including Stories, Live, Watch Parties with the ability to tag brands, etc it has typically been less popular amongst influencers. Despite being owned by the same company, Instagram and Facebook use different algorithms; it’s not about visibility, but visibility with the right people. A post by 99 designs (hyperlink: https://99designs.com.au/blog/business/instagram-vs-facebook-marketing/) sums up the factors that determine a post’s rank.

For Instagram’s algorithm, these factors include engagement, relevancy, relationships, timeliness, profile searches, direct shares, and time spent on post. As of 2018, Facebook’s algorithm accounted for friends and family, engagement, images and videos, demoting bait and promotional posts. What this means is that Instagram is better for direct marketing for the under 30 demographic, while Facebook remains the best for visibility for older age groups, but only if you’re using paid advertisements. For influencers starting out looking to more organically engage with customers, spread awareness and showcase new products, Instagram appears the more preferable option. Instagram places more emphasis on observation and discovery, dominating industries like fashion and beauty.

Now how does Instagram compare to Youtube? Here are some ways to think about differences between the platforms:

Medium: Youtube doesn’t allow for still images, and Instagram doesn’t allow for long videos. It’s important to think of these content format limitations and which would be most suitable to your needs. All things equal, creating content for Instagram is less involved than Youtube videos.

Content type: What sort of niche are you seeking to inhabit? Fashion and beauty, which may not require a lot of demonstration, may best be suited to Instagram. On the other hand, if you’re looking to demonstrate more complex products and ideas, such as a makeup tutorial or the merits of a philosophy, Youtube may be more beneficial as a platform.

Demographics: While user demographics are quite similar between platforms, Youtube’s base tends to skew a bit younger. Within the platforms, some niches may perform better than others. For example, technical content may perform better and receive more traction on Youtube rather than Instagram

Longevity: Content is treated differently over time, with Instagram’s feed being chronological while Youtube is able to recommend videos from the past. Impact may therefore be greater on Youtube, however influencers may choose Instagram for limited or time-sensitive viral posts. To sum up, no social media platform is one-size-fits-all and aspiring influencers should make an informed and strategically valuable choice before investing their time and effort into incorporating platforms into their content creation strategy. Increasingly, users’ attention is divided across platforms, making cross-platform engagement more and more important for influencers to build a relationship to followers.

Talk soon,

Demi