The news: Creator partnerships are increasingly a necessity for driving strong marketing results, according to a TikTok report on influencer-led campaigns. Creator-led content drives a 70% higher clickthrough rate and 159% higher engagement compared with non-creator ads for the same CPM, per TikTok’s findings.

The creator impact: TikTok’s findings are echoed by others.

• 58% of consumers over 18 have made a purchase because of an influencer endorsement, per a National Advertising Division (NAD) of BBB National Programs report.
• The average skip time for ads with influencer content is 17.8 seconds, compared with just 7.9 seconds for traditional branded content, according to Kantar. Influencer ads also provide 1.4 times higher visibility duration.
• Influencer marketing is generally more cost-effective than other ad strategies like connected TV. Nano-, micro-, and mid-tier influencers maintain the best engagement to cost ratio.
• The strategy supports a wide range of business objectives. Sixty-six percent of marketers use influencer marketing to drive brand awareness; 59% use it to generate audience engagement; 55% use the strategy to build credibility and trust; and another 55% use it to drive revenue growth, per Sprout Social.

What advertisers can do: Even as influencer marketing proves its value, consumers are becoming more inundated with influencer ads. This makes it paramount that advertisers tailor their strategies for the best results as the influencer marketing space becomes highly saturated.

• Audiences respond better to content posted directly to a creator’s account rather than an advertiser’s account, per a Creator Experts Center study cited by TikTok. Ads on a creator’s account have a 59% higher engagement rate and 16% higher six-second view-through rate than those that aren’t.
• Transparency is key. Sixty-four percent of consumers distrust influencers who don’t disclose their relationships with brands, and 70% feel negatively toward influencers after finding out they were paid for or received free products from a brand without disclosing it, per NAD.
• Consumers are adept at detecting influencers who aren’t authentic users of the products they’re advertising, and authenticity is one of the top factors consumers look for in influencers. Eighty percent of consumers don’t trust influencers who are perceived as dishonest or disingenuous. Authenticity will remain a critical differentiating factor that drives influencer marketing success.