The report, entitled “Sway Group’s High-Performing Influencer Engagement: Creator-IQ-Backed Study & Analysis,” based on 225,000 influencer-created posts spanning 1,500 brands, 32,000 social accounts, and 9,600 campaigns, looked only at organically discovered sponsored content.  Key findings include:

• Bigger isn’t always better when it comes to sparking real engagement on social media. While micro-influencers and nano-influencers have fewer followers than celebrity-level influencers, their audiences are often more active and loyal. Generally, as an influencer’s follower count rises, their rate of engagement decreases. 
• According to the benchmark numbers that were analyzed for this report, images typically outperform video on Instagram.
• While research has shown a drop in Instagram rates across nearly all users, Sway Group’s organic reach for campaign content is impressively strong -  achieving an average engagement rate of 3.9%.

“At Stonyfield, we need every cross-platform communications initiative to perform at its best,” says Kristina Drociak, Director of Public Relations at Stonyfield. “By combining best practices, strong relationships and clear tracking and reporting metrics through, Sway Group helps us create meaningful connections with our consumers and delivers on the business results we need.”

CreatorIQ’s research finds that Sway campaign posts on Instagram received 60% more engagement than their industry benchmark. 

Why:

• Establishing strategic fit between influencer and brand
• Developing unique, creative content angles
• Campaign management and optimization
• Quality assurance processes and adherence to FTC disclosure guidelines

“We also deploy a rigorous QA process for top-shelf content quality and audience-friendly disclosures,” says Danielle Wiley, CEO & Founder at Sway Group.   She adds: “More and more marketers are looking for real ROI with influencer marketing, but it’s critical to look at the right metrics.  We’re excited by the findings of CreatorIQ’s research and believe it substantiates our belief that influencer marketing can’t rely solely on metrics.  We hand-pick our influencers and have the numbers to back our claims — but it’s the human element that sets us apart and will always remain paramount.”

CreatorIQ evaluated Sway Group’s campaign performance in comparison to some of the world’s biggest brands. 

Igor Vaks, Founder and CEO of CreatorIQ notes: “62% of Sway creators outperform industry benchmarks. Of that, 76% outperform themselves - meaning they scored higher in Sway campaigns than in their regular organic content." 

For a copy of the full report, please visit https://info.swaygroup.com/engagement-report-2019.

About Sway Group
Sway Group is a full-service, influencer marketing agency.  Focusing on such key verticals as parenting, food, beauty and fashion, Sway works with brands big and small to craft custom, creative and comprehensive programs to reach the right consumers on the right platforms at the right time. All Sway Group campaigns are fueled by its proprietary influencer dashboard, powered by CreatorIQ, offering transparent ROI metrics. 

About CreatorIQ
CreatorIQ is the global system of record for managing and optimizing creator-driven campaigns at scale. Powerful enough for the world’s biggest enterprises and nimble enough for its most innovative, CreatorIQ’s Enterprise Creator Cloud enables intelligent creator discovery, streamlines end-to-end workflow, ensures brand safety, and drives meaningful measurement. Rakuten, CVS, Dell, Disney, Mattel, Ralph Lauren, Salesforce, and Unilever utilize its platform to drive real business results across their storytelling ecosystems. CreatorIQ is headquartered in Los Angeles with offices in New York, Chicago, and London. For more information, visit https://creatoriq.com/.