INFLUENCER [in-floo-uh n-ser] A person or who has the ability to influence the behaviour or opinions of others through social media.
Monitoring the impact of your influencer campaigns can help you understand your audience, create more effective content to engage and grow your customer base as well as measure the impact they are having on your brand.
Influencer marketing can yield significant results, particularly on visual-focused platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. Since the inception of Instagram in 2010, influencer marketing on the platform has increased exponentially with a growth in social action of 39 per cent in 2018 and a daily active user list of greater than 500 million. Influencer marketing statistics have indicated that 82 per cent of consumers are likely to follow an influencer recommendation and brands have found it to be an effective channel to promote and grow their brands.
At present, more and more brands are including influencer marketing into their overall marketing strategy in order to add value to their brand and better engage with their audience. And although it can be one of themore affordable channels to gain more customers, proper campaign planning is still required to ensure you get the most out of your investment.
According to Influencer Marketing Hub, 10.5 per cent of brands consider the audience relationship to be the most valuable factor when collaborating with an influencer and will more and more brands.
Measuring your success
Measuring the success of your influencers is crucial to understanding if your strategy is working. By utilising social media monitoring, you can monitor information relevant to your business. For example, you might want to track and measure:
Brand mentions (with or without direct tagging)
Relevant hashtags (branded and unbranded)
Mentions of your competitors
Keywords or trends applicable to your industry
Social media monitoring in our Mediaportal helps you track key social metrics such as brand awareness and social share of voice. With this information, you can use it to test social campaigns, track ROI and build on improving future campaigns.
The level of influence
As an influencer is an extension of your brand, it is important to seek out influencers that align with your brand values and align with your products and services. It’s also important to understand the different levels of influencers as their audience size can determine their engagement rate. Interestingly, once a social influencer reaches a critical mass of followers, audience engagement begins to decrease.
Micro-influencer
The largest group of influencers are known as micro-influencers – holding approximately 500 – 10,000 followers. Micro-influencers are a good asset to brands as their followers are interested and engaged with the influencer, which in turn, results in a higher engagement rate – approximately 25 – 50 per cent.
Macro-influencer
Macro-influencers have around 5 – 25 per cent engagement per post with audiences ranging from 10,000 – 1 million. Although the engagement rate is lower than micro-influencers, macro-influencers can reach up to 10 times more people.
Mega-influencer
These influencers could be a social media celebrity. Although they can have a following of over 1 million, their engagement rate is approximately 2 – 5 per cent.
Relevance, Reach, Resonance
Although there are many benefits of influencer marketing, influencers can also go awry if they fall out of favour with their audience or unexpectantly decide to move on from a brand. In addition, like any marketing campaign, there is financial risk with influencer marketing. Unlike the world of cost per click, cost per acquisition and cost per thousand, influencers don’t control who sees their content. Instead, influencers rely on ‘organic reach’, meaning their success is based off the algorithms of Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. Brands face the risk of engaging with influencers that do not have the right type of audience or do not continue to mutually align with the brands strategy.
To mitigate risk when choosing an influencer, an influencer marketing strategy should be created, and the 3 ‘R’s – relevance, reach and resonance are areas that should be a key focus and making your decision.
Relevance
Ensure your influencer is relevant to your brand, one who has expertise and subject-matter credibility, as well as well developed, solid relationships with their followers. Identify the topics of influence that speak to your brand’s target audience and purchasers and determine if their audience is one you would like to engage with. The influencers demographic should also be considered to determine if they are relevant to your brand and will continue to be influential with their audience.
Reach
If you’ve chosen and targeted your influencer correctly, you not only gain the influencer’s responsive audience, you obtain that audience’s audience too. To mitigate damage to your brand reputation and equity, a natural alignment between your influencer and brand messaging is important and it’s crucial your influencer comes across as authentic and real.
Resonance
Seek out and research influencers that will be a good fit to your brand including content quality, reach, engagement, and an alignment of values with your brand
Also ensure all earned media is reviewed and identify which influencers work best for your brand. Repeat this to continue having a strong influencer marketing strategy.
Since influencer marketing is about building strong relationships, a strategy that values a mutually beneficial relationship is important as well as one that aligns with those who are active in the relevant verticals. By tracking conversations that are being had about your brand you can uncover what your audiences actually find engaging and continue providing relevant content tailored to their values, interest and needs.
If you’d like to learn more about social media monitoring or anything media intelligence related, get in touch with us today
Loren is an experienced marketing professional who translates data and insights using Isentia solutions into trends and research, bringing clients closer to the benefits of audience intelligence. Loren thrives on introducing the groundbreaking ways in which data and insights can help a brand or organisation, enabling them to exceed their strategic objectives and goals.
What’s the Albanese government’s real game plan for its second term, and how will it play out in the media? Isentia recently brought together three of Australia's top political journalists to pull back the curtain: Peter Gearin, Editor in Chief atThe Mandarin, Jason Koutsoukis from The Saturday Paper, and acclaimed broadcaster Virginia Haussegger AM, for a panel with our partners CPRA at the Government Communications Forum, held at the National Press Club
For communications pros, the conversation was packed with clues about what to expect next from Canberra.
A smart strategy or a wasted opportunity?
The panel honed in on the government’s positioning since its “monumental election victory” an “oddly quiet return to political normality.” It’s a question every political operator is asking: is this a calculated, smart and stable approach, or is the government squandering a chance to be “bold and progressive”?
Peter Gearin suggested the caution is deliberate and here to stay. His take? The government learned a huge lesson from the Voice referendum, when Labor bit off too much, meaning the Government now wants to occupy the political centre and won’t risk getting caught out like that again. Expect the cautious approach and the first-term playbook to continue.
What sits behind this posture is a desire to move beyond being a party in power to being seen as the party of government. While critics argue this looks like stagnation, supporters see a measured style that prioritises trust over spectacle.
What’s on the agenda? Policy and Parliament
So, what are the key issues the government needs to nail this term? The panel highlighted several areas to watch closely:
Economic messaging: The recent Economic Roundtable was seen as the government’s attempt to carefully make the case or test the waters for change. How this translates into actual policy will be a major test.
The public sector: The Mandarin’s editor pointed to the ongoing agenda for Australia’s public servants and the government’s plans for improving the sector. Katy Gallagher is driving a vision of “evolution, not revolution” with a focus on strengthening in-house capability and reducing reliance on consultants.
Parliamentary chess: With the new makeup of parliament, will the government keep trying to find consensus with the opposition, or will it work with the Greens to drive a more progressive agenda? This strategic choice will define the term. The Greens are repositioning to be more pragmatic at the federal level, while the Coalition remains fragmented. A weak opposition could make the government’s path smoother, but it also risks reducing contestability and scrutiny in the system.
Leadership and cabinet confidence
Much of the government’s steadiness comes from its internal team. Albanese is viewed as a strategic operator with deep Labor roots, and his confidence is backed by a cohesive cabinet. Ministers like Jim Chalmers and Katy Gallagher have emerged as key players, bolstering the sense of stability. This team-based strength underpins the government’s cautious but deliberate style.
Balancing foreign policy and national interest
While domestic policy dominates headlines, the government is also asserting national interest abroad. Stability in foreign policy has been part of its strategy to project maturity and avoid overreach. This layer of pragmatism adds to the perception of a government intent on consolidating itself as a long-term, steady hand.
From broadcasting to narrowcasting
For communicators, the real gold was the discussion on how to get a message across in today’s complex and vast media landscape.
The panel explored the government’s newer tactics, like the PM’s appearances on popular podcasts with influencers such as Abby Chatfield and Hannah Ferguson. This reflects a broader shift from broadcasting to narrowcasting, with messages tailored to segmented audiences rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. Success now depends on understanding fragmented channels and feeding high-quality, diverse content into the ecosystem.
But even as the playbook evolves, there’s an argument for getting the basics right. Gearin believes the media’s core job is to talk truth to power and explain how government decisions actually affect citizens, rather than just focusing on the politics or the optics. As news consumption habits change, especially among younger Australians, this balance between accountability and relevance is more important than ever.
We are watching a government playing a cautious long game, intent on cementing itself as the party of government while avoiding the risks of overreach. At the same time, the opposition’s weakness and media’s evolution raise questions about accountability and contestability. For communicators, understanding both the government’s measured strategy and the fast-changing media playbook is essential to navigating the term ahead.
Cautious, considered, or coasting? Decoding the Albanese government’s second term
What’s the Albanese government’s real game plan for its second term, and how will it play out in the media? Isentia recently brought together three of Australia’s top political journalists to pull back the curtain: Peter Gearin, Editor in Chief atThe Mandarin, Jason Koutsoukis from The Saturday Paper, and acclaimed broadcaster Virginia Haussegger AM, for […]
At Isentia’s Beyond the Barossa panel, industry leaders from tourism, higher education, government, defence, and media came together to discuss how South Australia is being positioned, both to its own people and to the world. The discussion highlighted shared challenges, opportunities, and the essential role of communications in shaping South Australia’s identity.
South Australia’s brand: confidence and complexity
Chris Burford (South Australian Tourism Commission) outlined the dual challenge of building national and international awareness while fostering local pride. While South Australia currently ranks sixth of eight states on “appeal and consideration” as a tourist destination, it leads the nation in state pride. Events like Liv Golf and Gather Round have helped South Australians feel more confident about their state, and post-COVID reflections have driven a greater appreciation for the quality of life.
The SATC’s Celebrate the Simple Pleasures campaign reflects a move toward “place branding,” focusing less on iconic landmarks and more on the lived experience of being in South Australia. The research underpinning the campaign revealed a consistent theme: South Australians want the state to “grow but not change” embracing progress while retaining its distinct character.
Education and global perceptions
Djurdjica Arslanagic (Adelaide University) noted that Adelaide’s perception internationally has shifted from being seen as a regional city to a globally attractive destination for students. South Australia’s reputation as welcoming, safe, and supportive resonates strongly with international families making education choices. With the upcoming merger of Adelaide’s universities, communication is focused on tailoring messages to varied stakeholders, from students to alumni to government, ensuring consistency while meeting different needs.
Defence, industry and the workforce challenge
Sasha Meldrum (Nova Systems) discussed the enormous communications challenge posed by AUKUS and the scale of defence industry growth. With tens of thousands of workers required, from shipbuilders to nuclear scientists, attracting talent locally and globally will demand new policy approaches and fresh messaging. Meldrum emphasised that communicators must also help shift perceptions of defence, reframing it as not only about warfare but also about peacekeeping, security, and technological advancement.
Media fragmentation and targeted storytelling
Verity Edwards (Hughes PR) reflected on the contraction of South Australian newsrooms and the rise of alternative platforms. Traditional prestige outlets like The Advertiser still hold influence, but strategies now require targeting the right audience with the right medium. For some clients, industry publications or regional media can have far greater impact than mainstream outlets. Edwards highlighted the need for nuanced communication strategies that prioritise outcomes over exposure, and lateral thinking to match stories with audiences.
The climate story
A key challenge raised during the Q&A was South Australia’s ongoing algal bloom crisis. Burford noted its severe impact on coastal communities and tourism, with uncertainty around long-term recovery. He stressed the importance of communication grounded in science and transparency to maintain public trust, comparing the challenge to COVID in its unpredictability. The discussion highlighted how crucial clear, proactive communication is, both in explaining what’s happening and in shaping the narrative around next steps.
Key Takeaways:
Confidence in identity – South Australians are more assured in their story, but lifting national and international visibility remains a priority.
Nuanced storytelling – Different audiences, from universities to defence to tourism, require tailored approaches that balance authenticity with strategy.
Collaboration – Industry, government, and academia must align communications to tackle workforce, economic, and reputational challenges.
Think laterally – Success isn’t always about “big hits”; smaller, targeted placements often deliver the most impact.
Beyond the Barossa: Communicating South Australia’s evolving story
At Isentia’s Beyond the Barossa panel, industry leaders from tourism, higher education, government, defence, and media came together to discuss how South Australia is being positioned, both to its own people and to the world. The discussion highlighted shared challenges, opportunities, and the essential role of communications in shaping South Australia’s identity. South Australia’s brand: […]
A critical blind spot has emerged in Australia's housing debate. An analysis of news coverage compared to social discussion reveals that the conversation happening in the news media, a calm, 'top-down' discussion of financial strategy for existing homeowners, is dangerously disconnected from the raw, emotional reality unfolding on social media.
While news outlets focus on interest rates and mortgage advice, the public conversation is a volatile, 'bottom-up' outcry over the lived experience of unaffordability and political frustration. This gap between the financial narrative and the public's emotional reality represents a significant strategic risk for any organisation communicating in this space.
In stark contrast, social media is having a "bottom-up" conversation, focusing on the personal pain points of cost, blame, and political frustration. It speaks from within the economy. At its heart, this conversation is driven by the raw, personal impact of an unaffordable market; users aren't debating abstract forecasts, they're lamenting the "exorbitant" cost of "multimillion dollar postage stamp sized tenancies." This personal frustration then quickly seeks a target, splintering into direct political blame over specific tax policies and a deep-seated criticism of the planning bureaucracy, which is seen as a fundamental roadblock.
The core theme is the lived experience of exorbitant real estate prices, with users directly linking high property values to the unaffordability of everyday life and business. There is a strong undercurrent of blame directed at planners, councils, and perceived bureaucratic inefficiency as a primary driver of the housing shortage. The housing discussion is frequently and explicitly politicised, with users tying the crisis to taxation or economic policies.
Analysis shows a public belief that the government is prioritising private developers over vulnerable citizens. The revelation of stakeholder meetings behind closed doors to discuss 'investment models' for public housing towers for example has solidified a narrative of privatisation by stealth. The call for public housing is a direct demand for the government to re-assert its role as a protector of citizens, not a facilitator for private profit. Underpinning all of these solutions is a palpable sense of moral urgency, driven by the visible 'human cost' of the crisis. But this frustration is not passive. With calls for street resistance and construction unions to refuse demolition work, the message is clear: if these concrete actions are not taken, the conversation will move from online forums to the streets and worksites.
Monitoring and identifying these distinct ideological fault lines is crucial. It allows a communications team to understand the specific arguments and trigger words of each camp. Any government announcement will not be received by a single public, but will land on this fractured community and be interpreted through these pre-existing lenses.
A critical blind spot has emerged in Australia’s housing debate. An analysis of news coverage compared to social discussion reveals that the conversation happening in the news media, a calm, ‘top-down’ discussion of financial strategy for existing homeowners, is dangerously disconnected from the raw, emotional reality unfolding on social media. While news outlets focus on […]
Across the communications landscape, teams are being asked to do more with less, while staying aligned, responsive and compliant in the face of complex and often shifting stakeholder demands. In that environment, how we track, report and manage our relationships really matters.
In too many organisations, relationship management is still built around tools designed for customer sales. CRM systems, built for structured pipelines and linear user journeys, have long been the default for managing contact databases. They work well for sales and customer service functions. But for communications professionals managing journalists, political offices, internal leaders and external advocates, these tools often fall short.
Stakeholder relationships don’t follow a straight line. They change depending on context, shaped by policy shifts, public sentiment, media narratives or crisis response. A stakeholder may be supportive one week and critical the next. They often hold more than one role, and their influence doesn’t fit neatly into a funnel or metric.
Managing these relationships requires more than contact management. It requires context. The ability to see not just who you spoke to, but why, and what happened next. Communications teams need shared visibility across issues and departments. As reporting expectations grow, that information must be searchable, secure and aligned with wider organisational goals.
What’s often missing is infrastructure. Without the right systems, strategic relationship management becomes fragmented or reactive. Sometimes it becomes invisible altogether.
This is where Stakeholder Relationship Management (SRM) enters the conversation. Not as a new acronym, but as a different way of thinking about influence.
At Isentia, we’ve seen how a purpose-built SRM platform can help communications teams navigate complexity more confidently. Ours offers a secure, centralised space to log and track every interaction, whether it’s a media enquiry, a ministerial meeting, or a community update, and link it to your team’s broader communications activity.
The aim isn’t to automate relationships. It’s to make them easier to manage, measure and maintain. It’s about creating internal coordination before the external message goes out.
Because in today’s communications environment, stakeholder engagement is not just a support function. It is a strategic capability.
Across the communications landscape, teams are being asked to do more with less, while staying aligned, responsive and compliant in the face of complex and often shifting stakeholder demands. In that environment, how we track, report and manage our relationships really matters. In too many organisations, relationship management is still built around tools designed for […]
