1. Comparative Analytics:

Brands typically use comparative analytics to benchmark influencer metrics against other marketing channels. This involves looking at key performance indicators (KPIs) like reach, engagement rates, conversions, and sales uplift.

2. Cost-per-Engagement (CPE):

Brands often use CPE metrics as one of the main ways to compare influencer marketing to other channels. This metric shows how much a brand is spending for each interaction a user has with the influencer’s content.

3. Attribution Modeling:

Measurement of influencer marketing ROI often involves attribution modeling. With the help of advanced tracking tools, brands can see how many conversions, sales, or other desired actions were driven by a specific influencer’s efforts.

4. Metrics Benchmarking:

Brands also use platform-specific metrics for comparison. For instance, Facebook provides Channel Comparison, allowing brands to contrast the performance of their influencer marketing campaigns against other ad formats.

5. Use of Tools:

Tools like Flinque offer extensive analytics that help brands compare the effectiveness of different influencers, content formats, and campaign approaches. By using these insights, brands can optimize budgets and target the most impactful channels.

6. A/B Testing:

By running A/B tests, brands can compare the effectiveness of influencer marketing to other digital channels on a campaign-by-campaign basis, refining their approach based on real-time results.

Influencer marketing platforms provide data-driven insights and tools that can be compared to other marketing channels to guide spending decisions. However, each marketing team has unique needs and budget allocations, making it essential to choose the approach that best suits those requirements.