Influencer marketing in the United Kingdom (UK) - statistics & facts

Marketer usage in the UK

Marketing specialists across the globe are devoting ever-increasing shares of their social media budgets towards influencer cooperation. When asked about the leading marketing channels in the UK in 2020, three percent of surveyed industry experts listed influencer partnerships as their most successful tool, and while this share does not sound particularly impressive, it still outperformed established offline marketing channels such as television. Looking at the industries that increased spending on influencer marketing in the UK, the U.S., and Germany in 2020, retail stands out with a budget boost of almost 80 percent.

Leading platforms and the most sought-after influencers

Thanks to rising user counts and impressive engagement figures, social media platforms like Instagram are among the most popular channels for influencer marketing in the UK. Instagram offers various formats for influencers to promote a brand’s product or service, ranging from posts and tags to Stories and Reels, making the app a uniquely dynamic and multi-faceted marketing channel. Another platform that is blossoming into an attractive marketing destination is TikTok. The number of TikTok users in the UK has more than doubled since 2019, and by partnering with mega- or even nano-influencers, marketers can boost brand awareness, stay up to date with viral trends, and appeal to a young (and hard to target) audience. In 2020, Holly H and the Neffati Brothers were the most followed TikTok creators in the UK, with 16 and 11 million followers, respectively.

Consumer perspective and transparency

According to a recent survey, over 90 percent of internet users engage with platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok, highlighting the massive impact social media can have on daily life and purchasing decisions in particular. But while social media users eagerly follow influencers for inspiration and product recommendations, there is increased global criticism regarding the disclosure of paid content. For example, reports on the transparency of Instagram Stories ads in the UK indicate that roughly two-thirds of sponsored ads were not sufficiently labeled as such in 2020. Advertising needs to be identifiable in offline and online channels alike, and if influencers fail to disclose paid promotions, they risk forfeiting their credibility and misleading their audiences, which is not in the interest of companies, either.

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