The influencer marketing industry has seen a rapid increase in campaigns in the past few years. This is due in part to the emergence of new platforms. Particularly, TikTok and Twitch have really taken off in the aftermath of the pandemic. In the year 2020, Twitch influencers’ have more than doubled, and TikTok influencers have tripled, and in 2021 have kept on growing.

Predictions suggest that by 2030, 50% of the U.S. workforce will be composed of independent workers, many of whom will join the gig and creator economies. According to SupplyGem, this shift in the workforce will result in a significant increase in the number of influencers. Furthermore, the buying power of Gen Z is also on the rise and 55% of this demographic consider influencer recommendations to be one of the most important factors in their purchase decisions. 

With the rise of social media and the shift towards e-commerce, influencer marketing has never been more important. Companies need to be aware of the power and influence of influencers in order to stay competitive in the market. Identifying the right influencers and building a strong relationship with them can have a significant impact on a company’s sales and customer acquisition. Understanding the trends and best practices for influencer marketing will be essential for businesses to succeed in the future.

What is the difference between these types of social media influencers? Which kind of influencer is best to promote your business? To assist you in this, we’ve gathered some data to help you understand some of the distinctions between the networks and the influencers on each.

Prior to anything else, you must know your audience

Be aware that, for every marketing strategy, your audience is a crucial element in the choices you make. So, when it comes to influencer marketing, the type of influencers you choose will depend on the target audience you’re trying to connect with. If you are trying to impact the Philippines population from 20-30 years old, you may want to try working with Filipino youtubers.

Before you start looking for influencers, think about what demographics represent your buyer personas. Which genders do they belong to and what is their age range? Where are they located and what languages do they speak? What interests them? 

You can then research socio-demographics on social media to discover the networks that appeal to your target segment. For instance, if you are looking to connect with millennials, you might want to use Instagram, however if you would like to connect with Gen Z you could choose TikTok.

Your intended audience and the network they are using is more important than any other factor when you are deciding on which platform to begin your campaign. So make sure you have your target clear.

Instagram influencers

Instagram is still one of the most popular platforms in the field of influencer marketing. It has options that other networks still haven’t launched, such as integrated shopping and the paid partnerships tag.

The most popular categories popular on Instagram include fashion, music, arts, health and fitness. Influencers are able to create a range of different types of content on Instagram, such as videos, photos, ephemeral stories and short reels.

When looking at how well Instagramers perform, consider their:

• Follower count and growth over time
• Engagement rate
• Average number of likes and comments per post
• Average views per reel, video, and story

TikTok creators

If you’re looking to reach out to Gen Z, TikTok influencers can be a good choice to run your campaign and find someone like Ayden Mekus to help you with it.

TikTok content is brief and short. The length of a video can be at most 60 seconds, so this means that you must convey your message immediately. TikTok content is also designed for mobile use. In addition to the limitation on time, TikTok videos use the vertical orientation, which makes consuming content even more simple on handheld devices.

TikTok is focused on entertainment and fun. Some of the most popular categories include dance as well as singing and humor.

Some of the most important metrics used to assess TikTok creators’ content performance include:

• Follower count
• Engagement rate
• Average views per video – for views from non-followers and followers

Twitch streamers

Though Twitch streamers can save their videos to their personal profiles, the biggest benefit for the site is its live streaming feature. Twitchers live stream as their viewers watch and respond through the platform’s stream chat.

The main focus of Twitch is gaming, although the streaming 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 anything they like with their viewers. There are  also categories that cover food and sports.

When analyzing Twitch streamers, look at these performance indicators:

• Followers – unpaid followers
• Subscribers – paid followers 
• Average viewers – how many viewers on average watch their channels, regardless of whether they are following, subscribed or not
• Engagement rate

YouTube influencers

YouTube is a long-time popular choice for marketing with influencers. Even though it is now facing competition from Twitch, we can expect to see companies continuing to make use of this channel. YouTube permits videos of 15 minutes, or longer if you’re a verified user.

According to YouTube’s owners, Google, the most-watched categories include comedy, music entertainment/pop culture, and how-tos. For influencer marketing, beauty is another important category. Some famous beauty youtubers such as NikkieTutorials, James Charles, and Manny Mua got famous on YouTube first.

If you’re looking to evaluate the effectiveness of YouTube influencers, look up:

• Subscribers
• Engagement rate
• Average views for each video – from unsubscribed and subscribed users 

Conclusion

These are some of the most sought-after kinds of influencers in 2022. But the choice you make is based on your target audience you are targeting and where it is the most involved on social media. If you are a Korean brand, you may want to search for Korean influencers, instead of German Influencers. So, be sure to conduct research before you decide which influencers to search for.