by Colin Kirkland , Staff Writer
Source: www.mediapost.com, October 2022
Global micro-influencer marketing platform SocialPubli just released its “Latina Influence 2022 Industry Report,” which documents responses from 118 U.S.-based Latina influencers about relevant brand, platform, and influencer trends.
As we continue to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month in the U.S., I’d like to pivot our attention to the current challenges and opportunities existing for Latina social media influencers, and the ways in which brands and marketers can help.
For some background, Latinos make up a growing portion of the U.S. consumer base, holding around $1.5 trillion in purchasing power, according to Nielsen. Hispanic influencers have built a solid base of experience for businesses, with over 50% reporting they have at least four years of experience working with brands.
Close to 60% of Latina influencers said they are full-time content creators, and about 20% said they are earning $50,000 or more from their influencer marketing work per year.
However, despite population growth, increased spending power, and brand experience, Hispanic representation lags behind in the influencer marketing space, where 68.6% of Latinas feel they are not fairly represented.
“As more brands seek to authentically connect with the Hispanic consumer, it’s important to address this sentiment among Latina influencers and the need for more visibility and representation,” said Ismael El-Qudsi, CEO of SocialPubli. “Latinos are not only America’s second fastest-growing minority group, they also boast the highest rate of entrepreneurship of any race in the U.S.”
El-Qudsi added that Latina influencers value working with brands committed to diversity and inclusion, with 64% reporting that diversity and inclusion were “very important” differentiators between choosing brands to work with, and almost 100% reporting that they at least consider a brand’s commitment to diversity and inclusion when deciding whether to work with them.
Right now, compensation for Hispanics and other minorities also remains high on the list of industry challenges, with 39% of Latina influencers surveyed ranking it as a top area of concern.
Over half of the respondents (53.4%) do not think they are being paid fairly for their influencer work, with 60% reporting that they believe their ethnicity affects the rates they’re offered for influencer campaigns.
“A growing number of Latina influencers are approaching content creation as a legitimate, full-time career path, but our research shows they’re continuing to face roadblocks when it comes to equal treatment and fair compensation from brands,” El-Qudsi said.
The study shows that Latina influencers earn a high percentage of their income (44%) from content production, specifically sponsored content partnerships with brands.
As the lines between content creator, entrepreneur and influencer continue to blur, El-Qudsi believes that brands should be willing and ready for Latina influencers seeking partnerships. “They must seize the opportunity to buy in further and invest more deeply in the value generated through Latina influencers’ deep connections with their online communities,” he added.
In terms of social platforms preferred and used most by Latina influencers, Instagram remains at the top of the list, with 52% planning to focus on Instagram as their top opportunity for brand collaborations over the next six to twelve months.
TikTok ranked second, with 38.5% planning to take advantage of the short-video network’s growing advertiser base.
Seventy percent also cited Instagram as their main source of income.
