Around half (49.2%) of US PR professionals say they use influencers to get brand stories and key messages out, while close to one-third (32.5%) are considering doing so, according to the results of a recent report by PR News and Meltwater.
But perhaps cementing its reputation for looking for ‘free’ coverage, almost 4 in 10 (37.9%) of those using influencers don’t compensate them in any way.
While close to one-third (29%) say they do provide monetary inducements for the influencers they work with, about 1 in 6 say they provide free products/services, with the same percentage offering access to their products, executives and events.
This is despite the fact that more than half (55.6%) say the influencers they have worked with have delivered a positive ROI – although there is no indication as to the breakdown of this segment between those paying-to-play and those avoiding such incentives.
As for what types of influencers are being used, the most common type – as used by just over three-quarters (76.9%) of those surveyed – are Social Media Influencers.
But second on that list are Internal Employees and Spokespeople, with two-thirds of respondents who use influencers turning to employees to get brand messages out. Read the rest at Marketing Charts.
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