A new study from Dash Hudson shows the crucial role of creators in today’s social media landscape, and how AI is changing influencer marketing on the platforms. Dash analyzed more than 3,000 global accounts of brands on social media, including 150 from Canada, from January to June of this year.

The study found that performance metrics improve when there are partnerships between creators and brands, and that content from influencers is generating significantly higher engagement and effectiveness rates compared to brand-generated posts. Creators are achieving 12 times higher engagement rates and 14 times higher effectiveness rates compared to brand-generated content, with twice as many likes and comments.

On Instagram, they significantly outperform brands in terms of engagement rate (3.5% vs. 0.3%), total engagement (6.7K vs. 3K) and effectiveness rate (65.4% vs. 4.8%).

Entertaining content, in particular, is not only engaging audiences more effectively, but is also helping to increase brand awareness and perception, as well as sales. In collaboration with NielsenIQ, Dash analyzed its own entertainment score metrics for 150 beauty brands on TikTok over the past 52 weeks to see if there was a connection between a higher entertainment score and a brand’s overall sales growth. The company found that despite some exceptions, the overall data suggests a positive correlation between entertaining TikTok content and sales growth.

In terms of format, 51% of creator posts are now reels, indicating a shift toward raw, authentic content, according to Dash.

“The ideal integration of creators and AI in social media marketing lies in a partnership where creators retain creative control while leveraging AI to optimize their efforts,” said the company.

The study also showed that the integration of AI technologies into social networks is revolutionizing the way content is created, shared and moderated, and is driving brands to increasingly partner with creators for the long term. Platforms such as Meta, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, X and Snapchat are leveraging AI to enhance user experiences and streamline operations. From sophisticated AI-based visual analytics tools and innovative content creation tools to advanced ad targeting systems and conversational AI, these advances are transforming social media workflows.

AI-based tools that help predict how content posted on social media will perform can be of great help to brands, Dash said. The report analyzed the results of different brands that used Vision AI (Dash visual analytics tool that can predict how content will perform based on a brand’s historical performance) on Instagram between 2023 and 2024. Among the brands analyzed, content with higher prediction received higher overall engagement, effectiveness, video views and reach than content with lower prediction.

But it isn’t just AI that is transforming influencer marketing. Dash found that the priority social networks are giving to improving discovery, connection and monetization opportunities for creators are making brands more interested in influencer marketing on the platforms.

Instagram, for example, updated its feed algorithm to prioritize original and emerging creators and launched a new series of interviews with top creators. TikTok, meanwhile, created the TikTok Change Makers program, which highlights creators and nonprofit organizations that create meaningful change in their communities through the platform. Other social networks, such as Instagram and X, are facilitating partnership opportunities between creators and brands, investing in improving relationships between creators and their communities and expanding monetization opportunities.