Instagram set to beat other social media channels in 2018, says report

An overwhelming 80 per cent of social media influencers are of the opinion that Instagram will be growing the fastest in 2018, much ahead of Twitter and Facebook. The findings form part of a survey conducted by influencer marketing platform Zefmo. The India Influence Report 2018 added that 92 per cent marketers are expected to launch at least one influencer campaign this year.

About 80% of social media influencers believe Instagram will grow the fastest in 2018, much ahead of Twitter and Facebook, according to India Influence Report 2018-Influencer Insights Edition (IIE).

This trend is believed to be riding on the back of enhanced engagement offered by Instagram, which is resulting in better impact for the brands. With photo and video sharing emerging as the fastest growing form of media, Instagram and YouTube are set to witness massive adoption by the Indian influencers.

The survey, conducted by Zefmo, a leading and rapidly growing influencer marketing platform, indicates that influencers in India seem to have found their voice by sharing about their ideas, hobbies and consumption preferences across social channels. Alongside this trend, brands too have increased their propensity to reach out to influencers to convert them as their advocates. A major portion of the influencers who have decided to pursue this interest are predominantly driven by the urge to make an impact and to be recognised as a thought leader in their respective fields. Thus, influencers are interacting with their set of audience and are striving to make the engagement a lot more interesting through a process of dialogue.

Another major insight of the report is the fact that while the lure for revenue accrual remains a prevalent motive, building an audience base is also an important factor for the influencer community.

The first edition of the India Influence Report 2018, which was released on January 2018, indicated that 92% marketers were expected to launch at least one influencer campaign this year.

While Instagram is expected to clock the most growth, Twitter is expected to grow at 56%, Facebook at 52%, YouTube at 46% and WhatsApp at 32%.

The survey also found that as influencer marketing becomes more specialised by the day, brands are outsourcing and relying more on influencer marketing agencies to engage influencers. About 90% influencers indicated that they have been contacted by either a brand or an agency for collaboration.