Nearly 80% of the influencers in Asia are micro influencers

Micro influencers with a following of less than 10,000 followers are less likely to collaborate with a large number of different brands and industries. Whereas those with a following between 100,000 to one million users partner with brands across various industries, and mention brands in their posts over two times more frequently.According to Socialbakers' "Must Know Influencer Marketing Trends Report for 2019", influencer marketing is predicted to become a US$2.38 billion market in 2019 and majority of Instagram influencers fall into the micro category. This accounts for 80% of the influencers in Asia.Meanwhile, influencers with a larger following are more likely to use the hashtag #ad in their Instagram posts as opposed to smaller influencers. About 26% of influencers with more than one million followers have used #ad in their posts. Socialbakers' report noted that over 2018, the number of influencers using the #ad hashtag on Instagram more than doubled, increasing by 133%. As of February this year, the #ad hashtag had grown by 120% across Instagram posts.Additionally in Asia, influencer-sponsored posts have grown by over 189% over the past year, while North America has seen a 150% rise in sponsored content.Separately over the past year, the use of Instagram Stories grew by 21%, forming an invaluable source of engagement for brands.The report stated that this allows brands to boost visibility at low cost without flooding their audience with content. The brand that received the most influencer mentions in Southeast Asia over the past year was Daniel Wellington, with more than 1,500 mentions by 558 Instagram influencers.The report also stated that female influencers between the ages of 25 to 34 years old gather the largest share of followers, 23% of all total influencer followers. This is followed by female influencers aged 18 to 24 years old and male influencers aged 25 to 34 years old. Meanwhile, female influencers betwen the ages of 25 to 34 receive the largest share of interactions (25%) followed by female influencers between the ages of 18 to 24.[gallery link="file" ids="257974,257976,257977"]Yuval Ben-Itzhak, CEO, Socialbakers said consumers are increasingly seeking out reviews and trusted voices when making purchasing decisions. This has created a huge opportunity for influencers and brands to team up to create authentic connections with audiences. “Our findings indicate that brands that collaborate with authentic and relevant influencers increase their results from their social media campaigns," he added.(Read also: Instagram mulls removing number of likes: How will it impact influencer marketing?)(Photo courtesy: 123RF)