#HASHOFF Report: Instagram Dominance Unlikely to Let Up According to Top Influencers

NEW YORK, April 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

#HASHOFF, the leading micro-influencer marketing platform, today released a state of the union report detailing key industry trends driving the increasing popularity and viability of influencer marketing. To understand the changing face of influencer marketing, and gain valuable insight into where influencers are headed, #HASHOFF surveyed hundreds of vetted influencers on its platform to understand what lies behind their passion and creativity. The #HASHOFF platform has over 150,000 opt-in influencers who partner with brands and work hard to grow and maintain their organic audiences every day.

With 25% of U.S. internet users employing some form of ad blocking, and consumers continuing to trust word of mouth over all other forms of marketing, influencer marketing is proving to be a powerful channel for targeted marketing.

The report found that micro-influencers are emerging as a critical marketing channel for brands large and small, enabling brands to grow awareness and drive sales. Brands are increasingly relying on micro-influencers to share their brand messages, since these influencers have higher engagement rates and are perceived as more passionate, creative and authentic by audiences.

Here are just a few of the highlights from the report:

• While most respondents work across multiple platforms, nearly all respondents (92%) selected Instagram as their #1 platform of focus, followed by Facebook.

• The majority (56%) of influencers surveyed spend at least four hours per day on social media, and more than 20% spend 7-8 hours or more.

• Nearly one-third of influencers have grown their audience by 20%-50% in the past year, while one-fourth have grown their audience by 50%-100%, and 17% have more than doubled their audiences.

• Platform of choice for influencers - Last year, 80% of respondents said Instagram was #1, while this year, a full 92% cite Instagram as their top platform, a 12%-point increase. A similar number of influencers (87%) predict Instagram will remain #1 for them next year.

"The time, energy, passion and creativity that goes into each influencer post is exactly why brands choose influencers to deliver content to their communities," said Joel Wright, President and Co-Founder of #HASHOFF. "These numbers not only confirm the viability and strength of the micro-influencer channel, but show that brands are increasingly aware that driving authentic and organic content over this medium increases brand-consumer engagement. Creating impactful brand experiences in a crowded media market that combines targeting, analysis and brand safety is vital for brand-consumer engagement, and the #HASHOFF platform delivers all three."

Influencer Quotes 

"The number of followers has no relevance in this day and age, where followers and likes can be bought," said influencer @AlishaMarie (despite having nearly 3M Instagram followers, 2.45M Twitter followers and 1.9 YouTube subscribers herself). "Content should be king."

"Influencer marketing grows brands," said micro-influencer @throughjakeseyes. "Even influencers with fewer than 10K Instagram followers can still have a big impact on the brand and create ROI."

"I love Instagram for the inspiration and creativity it offers and for the real friendships I've made through it!" influencer @ChrissyJPowers said.

Echoed @EdiCaves, "I love Instagram because of the community. Instagram allows me to connect with locals that I would have never met otherwise. As my following has grown, brands have begun to contact me about work."

About #HASHOFF:  

#HASHOFF is the pioneer of micro-influencer marketing for brands of all sizes and across all industries, with more than 150,000 influencers opted into the platform worldwide. The company's proprietary algorithms combine keywords, geography, interest and past campaign performance to identify and activate the best micro-influencers for each brand in any given moment. By sourcing authentic influencers to create and distribute organic content on a brand's behalf, #HASHOFF helps brands create more meaningful relationships with consumers and drive brand engagement metrics that vastly outperform those of traditional social media marketing. The company's new product, #HASHOFF Amplified, combines the creative benefits of influencer marketing with the scale and measurement of paid media on Facebook and Instagram, helping brands get the most out of influencer campaigns. Allowing brands more meaningful ways to evaluate their desired business outcomes like awareness, consideration, intent and event sales versus solely engagement. #HASHOFF is platform-agnostic, leveraging influencers across Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, and YouTube to deliver the best results. Founded in 2014, the company is headquartered in Denver with offices in New York City and Los Angeles. For more information, visit hashoff.com or email [email protected].

Contact Information: 
Brandon Weinstock
[email protected]
+1-914-336-3878

SOURCE #HASHOFF