Influencers drive high interest in luxury brands

According to influencer agency HelloSociety, luxury marketing Instagram campaigns see at least 30 percent higher engagement rates.

Focusing on influencer marketing, HelloSociety found, on average, luxury campaigns generated 30 percent more engagement than average Instagram campaigns, and 200 percent higher engagement rates than non-campaign Instagram Posts.

“The images and messaging attached to luxury ad campaigns are more controlled than other types of brands,” said Kyla Brennan, founder and CEO of HelloSociety. “Those companies are more protective, and therefore more reluctant to break into influencer marketing.”

“People are looking for someone to tell them what’s next or what’s cool,” she said. “There can be a Hadid for every brand.”

Luxury campaigns on platforms like Pinterest also over-perform the standard posts. On average, luxury campaigns from HelloSociety earned 17 percent more engagements, 32 percent more repins, and 59 percent more likes per pin.

“Pinterest is a purely aspirational platform,” said Brennan, “whereas people on Instagram can usually afford to buy the products brands and influencers are promoting. It’s just a difference on how people are using the platforms.”

HelloSociety found that social influencers are key in driving engagement among both current and aspiring luxury consumers.

When it comes to brands or marketers who are looking to jump into the influencer marketing space, Brennan suggests that companies with the right attitude, as opposed to the right products, should make the leap.

“Any company should be flexible in their approach,” she said. “If they’re spending millions of dollars on ads in magazines or on television, then they can expect similar outcomes from influencer marketing. In fact, influencer marketing can be more cost effective and more targeted than other forms of advertising.”