Influencer marketing has become and will continue to be a staple in the digital world, and therefore, brands need to include as much of it as possible in their digital-first strategies for extra consumer engagement.
Sports sponsorships revenue alone has managed to grow upwards of $105.47 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach $189.54 billion by 2030, while influencer sponsorships are on their way to hitting $22 billion in 2025 (Statista, Collabstr). These numbers aren’t too surprising, either, because reportedly, 63% of consumers trust influencers over traditional brand messaging.
Social media has played a significant role in reaching these heights. Consumers are far more likely to buy a product they saw on an Instagram post or TikTok video made by an influencer or public figure they trust. This is why tech companies, restaurants, and beauty brands are investing more in influencer marketing than they are in their traditional means of reaching their audience.
To accomplish marketing milestones like this, there are four core pillars:
- Choosing the right talent
- Setting clear objectives
- Fostering authentic engagement
- Prioritising long-term value over short-term reach
Strategic Partnerships and Boosting ROI
For years, brands have relied on celebrity endorsements, using their built-in audience to promote their products. However, there often is greater potential and overall better ROI with influencers who have a similarly large audience base. Audiences are now more likely to engage with the authenticity and relatability of influencers rather than the world of celebrities and Hollywood.
The increasing ROI of influencer marketing is also backed by the numbers, as Harvard Business Review revealed that brands see an average return of $6 for every $1 invested in influencer sponsorship.
Another benefit of influencer sponsorships is precision-based marketing for Millennials (56%) and Gen-Z (58%). This level of reach thus boosts sales and creates compelling user-generated content (UGC) across several platforms.
How to Properly Use Influencer Marketing
As with most areas of sponsorship several steps are needed for any brand to maximise audience engagement through influencer marketing:
1. Define Clear Goals and Budget
Before selecting their influencer, brands need to set clear goals and a reasonable budget, whether for awareness, engagement, or conversions. Meeting these goals will measure the effectiveness of the influencer sponsorship strategy.
2. Identify Relevant Influencers
When choosing an influencer, brands need to find those who align with their values and audience preferences. For example, a sports brand likely wouldn’t have much success with a beauty influencer and vice versa. Authenticity is key here, though, as some brands become swayed by follower count and ignore the fact that how the influencer reaches their audience is more important than how many of them there are.
3. Measure Influencer Authenticity
Speaking of influencer authenticity, there needs to be a system by which brands can measure it. How are audiences reacting to the influencer’s promotion or message? What comments are being left? All of these elements help gauge the success of the sponsorship.
4. Negotiate Terms and Deliverables
Influencer marketing is very much a partnership that needs to be on solid ground. Brands need to ensure that they are on the right terms with the influencer to maximise benefits and avoid any miscommunication or conflict of interest.
5. Track Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Engagement rate, impressions, reach, video performance, SEO benefits, conversions, sales lift, and click-through rates all act as the key performance indicators of any influencer sponsorship strategy. Keeping an eye on these elements provides actionable insights into the campaign’s effectiveness.
Influencer Sponsorships: A Long-term Plan
For influencer marketing to be most effective, the goal should be long-term collaborations to build consistent trust – because this approach, like traditional sponsorship, will outperform short-term reach with one-off campaigns. More brands are looking into the power of platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Discord, Twitch and more with their ability to reach a global audience while still maintaining local impact.
As marketing continues to evolve, it has become a race to see which brands will be able to adopt modern strategies like influencer sponsorships and digital engagement while focusing on authentic voices and data-driven insights.
For more on influencer marketing, get in touch with BDS. Let’s make you an effective influencer.
Photo by Collabstr on Unsplash
Last Updated on February 26, 2026
