Brands will increasingly utilize first-party data about their audiences to inform influencer marketing campaigns. Performance-based deals will become more prevalent, making real-time analytics and reporting essential for all parties involved.
Influencer marketing will continue, yet we anticipate some key developments over time. Here are our predictions: 1. Influencers will become more professional.
1. Micro-influencers
Brands are increasingly turning to influencers as a source of tangible return on investment for their marketing campaigns, including working with micro-influencers (content creators with under 10,000 followers) to increase brand recognition and reach an untapped passive audience that could potentially convert into customers.
Micro-influencers are an excellent way for brands to form genuine, intimate connections with their audiences through creative content and relatable recommendations. Plus, micro-influencers tend to be more cost-effective than macro influencers – which makes them a good option for budget-minded brands and niche communities. Partner with someone who loves your product deeply enough that they know exactly how it fits into their lifestyle so they can create compelling storytelling about why this fits into their lives and then share that narrative with their followers.
As we move towards 2022 and beyond, influencers should place greater importance on authenticity and realness when engaging their audiences. Social media users have become aware of fake follower counts and engagement rates and want more authentic content and relationships between brands and audiences.
Influencers will soon be expected to disclose any sponsored posts or content they create in an open and honest manner, with influencer houses becoming an increasingly common solution for this purpose. Furthermore, brands have begun prioritizing working with influencers with diverse backgrounds and skill sets in order to reach as many people as possible with their message.
Video content marketing has quickly become one of the hottest digital trends, and this trend can extend to Instagram influencer marketing as well. Video is particularly appealing among millennials but is also increasingly the preferred form for most consumers; therefore more brands are encouraging their employees to record videos showing them using and enjoying their products or services.
Employee-generated content can also help companies attract and foster a strong company culture. By featuring happy, engaged employees in promotional videos, brands can promote a positive working environment that potential hires can relate to. Furthermore, employee-driven videos serve to highlight unique values of brands while encouraging followers to join their community.
2. Hyper-specialized influencers
Influencer marketing isn’t new, but its importance to marketers has grown rapidly over time. Analysts predict it could reach $15 billion dollars by 2022 as influencers become an essential element of social media campaigns.
Influencers must not only have a large following, but they must also create engaging content relevant to their target audience. Therefore, brands are increasingly turning to influencers who specialize in particular types of posts in order to develop trust with their audiences and give them content they can rely on.
One area that has seen significant interest and adoption over recent years is beauty. Consumers increasingly turn to beauty influencers specializing in certain products as a source of information and guidance, with this trend likely continuing through 2023 as knowledgeable influencers can help brands better reach their audiences.
Influencers could also partner with brands long-term to ensure their content reflects their values and resonates with consumers, building genuine relationships between influencers and brands while increasing trust with their target audiences. This tactic could prove extremely successful.
Influencers advocating for fairer rates is also likely to increase in 2023, which has long been an issue within creator space; many influencers don’t earn enough to support themselves and their families. Clara for Creators and FYPM platforms provide transparent marketplaces where influencers can discuss pay rates with brands.
As we head into 2019, we may witness more influencers partnering with brands to produce cross-platform content, giving their message access to a broader audience than they might reach using only one platform alone. By working with influencers who create pieces that work across various platforms, brands can maximize their influencer marketing budgets for maximum success and achieve optimal results.
3. Brand-influencer collaborations
Establishing strong relationships with influencers has become a popular tactic among brands, as they look for individuals that share their values. Doing this can lead to longer-term collaborations which are more successful than one-time campaigns; influencers often command enormous cultural and consumer clout and can attract thousands of viewers or listeners for their content; in essence they act like modern marketing currency and help businesses draw customers in.
Mega-influencers boast massive followings and are easily visible on social media, providing them with immense reach to captivate a broader audience and support big budget, large scale marketing campaigns. However, working with mega-influencers may be costly; additionally they don’t usually possess as much engagement than smaller influencers.
Brands have increasingly focused on influencers with niche audiences and high engagement rates who also value authenticity and connection to their brand, in order to develop high return-on-investment campaigns and accurately gauge the impact of their work. Utilizing tactics similar to affiliate marketing – like coupon codes and trackable links – brands are measuring impactful campaigns utilizing these influencers whose results they can then measure against their goals.
An increasing number of companies are encouraging their employees to post about products they enjoy using and love on social media, which not only saves costs but can increase brand recognition and sales as well as build trust and credibility with target audiences.
Influencers will likely take on more creative director roles for brands and act as liaisons, connecting potential partners. This allows them to craft content more holistically as they will have a clearer idea of the brand’s vision; particularly useful when working in specific industries.
As an example, a beauty blogger could introduce a hair-care line or gym regimen to a makeup artist; similarly an athlete could recommend one to their gym trainer. This will create more authentic and engaging content – something consumers crave – which in turn changes the face of influencer marketing while driving better results.
4. TikTok influencers
Brands are increasingly turning to influencer marketing for their marketing needs, with 42% spending more of their budgets on pay-to-play creators. This trend could create long-term partnerships between creators and brands that deepen audience connections and produce more successful campaigns.
Instagram and TikTok have become key platforms for brands looking to reach specific target audiences with influencer marketing campaigns. Jacob and Co, a jewelry company known for eye-catching watches, recently collaborated with a TikTok influencer who created an engaging video featuring one of their watches which garnered widespread engagement from viewers, leading to more traffic to the company website and an increase in sales.
Collaboration offers both creators and brands new revenue opportunities, particularly since many creators don’t get enough pay through traditional platforms. Furthermore, it allows brands to work closely with influencers who may require additional support in building their businesses.
Another trend to watch out for is the rise of subscription-based influencers, like Patreon and Gigapay that enable influencers to charge subscribers for content or access. Brands can exploit this opportunity by working with Creators who offer value to their followers – building loyal and engaged audiences while simultaneously giving creators a sustainable source of income.
Podcasts are another trend to keep an eye out for, with influencers increasingly using audio content to engage their followers and build rapport with them. Podcasts’ popularity is on the rise among millennial and Gen Z consumers who desire meaningful and authentic information; therefore podcasts make an excellent way to promote a product or service by using influencers with distinctive tones and presentations styles to capture listeners’ attention.
Influencer marketing’s future looks bright, with innovative brands taking advantage of new trends to increase their impact and engage their target audience. From micro-influencers to niche celebrities, influencers have the cultural and consumer clout needed to raise your brand’s profile.