More than 8 out of 10 creators completed a partnership in 2023. Indeed, more and more brands are turning to influencers, whether micro or macro, to promote their products or services. Why such success? What lies behind the ever-expanding influence industry? How is the influencer market doing? Let’s take a closer look.
Demographics and Growth of the Influence Market
The demographics of influencers are as diverse as Instagram’s filter choices. Influencers are, on average, between 31 and 34 years old, with a majority of women representing nearly 78%.
According to Études & Analyses, influencers with fewer than 100,000 followers are considered micro-influencers. Beyond that threshold, they fall into the macro-influencer category—or even web celebrities for those with millions of followers. Brands and marketing agencies mainly target those with over 100,000 followers for their wider reach, even though only 5% of influencers achieve that audience level.
Engagement rate—used to measure the impact of an influencer’s advertising—can reach 8 to 10%, which is significantly higher than the 0.5% average for generic brand posts on social media.
Despite considerable budgets, typically amounting to several thousand euros annually, brands generally see satisfactory results, including a significant boost in their audience reach. Notably, 92% of consumers trust influencers more than their friends when it comes to product recommendations.
The new legislation has significantly improved transparency in France. According to Kolsquare, Instagram accounts with sponsored posts increased by 52% year over year. The number of such accounts rose from 2,739 in Q3 2022 to 4,172 in Q3 2023. The number of labeled posts also surged by 180%, jumping from 12,284 to 34,350 during the same period.
In France, there are:
- 57,000 influencers with more than 5,000 followers on Instagram
- 143,000 influencers with more than 50,000 followers on TikTok
According to Statista, investments in influencer marketing-related advertising in France increased by 15.2% year over year, reaching €418.8 million (USD 499 million) in 2023. However, the growth rate of ad spending for this form of marketing is expected to slow down, with a projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.29% over the next four years through 2027. By then, the market is expected to reach €609.4 million (USD 664.4 million).
Demographics and Growth of the Influence Market
More than 8 out of 10 creators completed a partnership in 2023. Indeed, more and more brands are turning to influencers, whether micro or macro, to promote their products or services. Why such success? What lies behind the ever-growing influence industry? How is the influencer market really doing? Let’s take a closer look.
Lifestyle Influencers
They share aspects of their daily lives, including food, travel, wellness, and interior design. Their content often aims to inspire or provide practical advice.
Examples: Caroline Receveur, Hugo Philip, Dounia Batma, Aurélie Van Daelen
Fitness and Health Influencers
These creators focus on fitness, nutrition, and physical and mental well-being. They share workout routines, nutritional advice, and collaborate with supplement or fitness equipment brands.
Examples: Tibo InShape (Thibaud Delapart), Sissy Mua (Sihem Souid), Justine Gallice
Gaming and Tech Influencers
Specialized in video games, gadgets, and the latest technologies, they offer reviews, tutorials, and product demos. A famous example: PewDiePie.
Examples: Gotaga (Corentin Houssein), Joueur du Grenier (Frédéric Molas), Amixem (Mathieu Sommet)
Parenting and Family Influencers
They share their experiences related to parenting, raising children, and family activities, often attracting the attention of family- and children-focused brands.
Examples: Natoo (Nathalie Odzierejko), Camille Lou, Silent Jill
Food and Culinary Influencers
These creators specialize in cooking, gastronomy, and food reviewing, drawing attention from food brands and kitchenware companies.
Examples: Cyril Lignac, Mercotte (Jacqueline Mercorelli), Jérôme Anthony, MARIEGOURMANDISE
Fashion and Beauty Influencers
These creators focus on fashion, makeup, skincare, and the latest beauty trends. Examples: EnjoyPhoenix (Marie Lopez), Léna Situations (Léna Mahfouf), Celine Schraepen
Travel and Adventure Influencers
They document their journeys and adventures, offering travel tips and advice, and frequently collaborating with travel agencies, hotels, and outdoor apparel brands.
Examples: Alex Vizeo (Alexandre Alapetite), Tania (La Brigade du Bonheur), Margaux Caput
Education and Career Influencers
These influencers focus on education, professional development, and career coaching, sometimes collaborating with educational institutions or professional training companies.
Examples: Lucas Hauchard (Squeezie), Marion Seclin, McFly (Raphaël Carlier) and Carlito (David Coscas)
Culture and Art Influencers
They share content related to culture, art, music, and literature, often collaborating with galleries, museums, and festivals.
Examples: Norman Thavaud, Cyprien Iov, Marion Cotillard
Activist and Advocacy Influencers
These creators focus on social, environmental, or political causes, aiming to raise awareness and influence public opinion.
Examples: Hugo Clément, Osons Causer (Ludovik Niel and Cyrus North), Anthonin (Le Réveilleur)
A rise in costs for many creators...
According to a study, 37% of content creators reported an increase in their rates — a trend that intensifies as their community grows. This increase varies depending on the number of followers: it's 18% for those with fewer than 5,000 followers, and up to 55% for those with over 100,000 followers.
Top 5 goals of influencer campaigns
According to the study conducted by Le Blog du Modérateur in partnership with Stellar in 2022, here are the top 5 goals of influencer campaigns:
- Brand awareness: 37.5%
- Brand image or positioning: 22.5%
- Conversion: 18%
- Communicating brand values and commitments: 11.5%
- Increasing the number of followers: 9%
Influencer industry: Exponential growth and fierce competition
The influencer industry has seen exponential growth in recent years. The figures speak for themselves: the number of influencers has skyrocketed, collaborations are common, and brands compete to partner with the most high-profile digital personalities.
This rapid growth also leads to intense competition. Today, being an influencer is not just about posting selfies and using the right hashtags. You must constantly come up with new ideas, produce engaging content, and stay on top of trends to stand out online. The fight to get noticed is fierce. However, those who manage to attract and maintain the interest of their audience can reap significant rewards.
Whether on Instagram or TikTok, the vast majority of Belgian influencers are classified as “nano-influencers,” as they have between 1,000 and 10,000 followers. On Instagram, for example, 74.6% fall into this category.
The engagement rate of Instagram influencers in Belgium is 3.11%, compared to a global average of 1.7%. On TikTok, 34.71% of users are under 18, and 64.3% are (young) women.
According to a GlobalWebIndex (GWI) report for Q3 2022, 16.2% of Belgian internet users aged 16 to 64 follow at least one influencer on platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, or other social networks. This figure increased by one percentage point compared to 2021, although Belgium still falls below the global average of 22.1%.
Additionally, a study by Kepios reveals that the influencer marketing market in Belgium reached 80.46 million USD (75.43 million euros) in 2022. This amount represents only 4.5% of the country’s total digital advertising spend, which remains largely driven by search engine and social media campaigns. Nevertheless, this figure saw a notable 13.9% increase compared to 2021.
Trends in the Influencer Marketing Industry
Here are 7 key influencer market trends you should be watching closely:
- Continued growth of TikTok: TikTok is expanding rapidly with over one billion users. Influencer marketing investments on the platform are expected to double by 2024, exceeding $1.3 billion.
- Data-driven influencer marketing: Brands are increasingly relying on deeper data insights, including demographics, affinity scores, and past influencer performance to make better decisions.
- The rise of Twitch: Twitch, the live-streaming platform, is gaining popularity in influencer marketing for its authenticity and direct audience engagement.
- The importance of Instagram Reels: Instagram Reels are becoming a must-use format for influencer campaigns, delivering strong engagement results.
- Humanizing brands: Influencers help bring brands closer to consumers by sharing interactive and engaging content.
- Storytelling to deliver brand messages: Campaigns built around storytelling between brands and influencers are yielding higher ROI.
- Transparency in sponsorship: The use of “sponsored post” tags is becoming standard, reinforcing trust between influencers, brands, and their audiences.
In conclusion, the influencer industry is booming, with impressive figures and an increasingly diverse creator landscape. Brands are recognizing the value of these collaborations more than ever, but fierce competition requires influencers to continually innovate. While the industry presents massive opportunities, long-term success depends on staying ahead of trends and building authentic relationships with audiences.
"TREEZ – the solution for monetizing social media interactions."
Join us now by downloading the app.
