Instagram has the greatest impact on young consumers these days, with 38% of 18 to 35 year olds saying it is where they are most likely to follow celebrities or influential accounts, dwarfing the figures for Facebook, YouTube and Snapchat.

A quarter of Instagram users in Britain have made a purchase because of the social network, either buying directly from the app or in store at a later date according to The Influencer Index from internet marketing company Takumi, which alongside YouGov polled online Instagram users on their attitudes and habits around influencer marketing and social media.

Authenticity is key
Some of the major drivers behind this appear to be social media influencers, as 30% of Instagram users admitted they are more likely to buy a product or service if they see it promoted by an influencer or in a social advert, including almost half (47%) of 18 to 24 year olds.

Authenticity remains key for this 18-24 demographic as 57% said that they don’t trust social media influencers who post about products or services that are not relevant to channel or content.

Influencers are receptive
Discussing how influencer marketing is evolving to meet current trends, Solberg Audunsson, co-founder and CEO of Takumi, says: “Influencer marketing is evolving at a rapid pace, with more and more businesses now using it to tap into dedicated, engaged communities on Instagram. What we found is that a high percentage of Instagram users are receptive to brands communicating to them through influencers and have made a purchase as a result of something they’ve seen on the platform, which demonstrates just how far we’ve come in the last few years. It has joined the dots between social media and sales, and it’s clear that there’s a huge opportunity for brands and agencies that can offer the right type of content, through the right channels.”

Audunsson concludes that the tricky part of inlluencing influencers is being believable: “What remains important though, is creating transparent, well-matched brand partnerships that fit seamlessly into an existing feed. The industry still suffers from a lack of trust because of past mistakes and badly executed campaigns.” 

Methodology
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov. The survey was carried out online with a total sample size of 2,174 adults, of which 575 were Instagram users within the last 30 days. Figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).

 Instagram users are defined as adults who visited the Instagram website, used a mobile application to access the social network, or shared something on the social network via another online service or platform in the previous 30 days.