Influencer marketing has developed tremendously in the past few years. Some recent trends include the arrival of TikTok, the increased demand in live shopping and e-commerce. The need to maintain existing social media platforms have led to some very interesting trends.
As influencer marketing grows and gets bigger, anyone is essentially capable of becoming an influencer. Here are the 14 influencer marketing trends that dominate online platforms.
Trend #1: Authenticity is most important
An influencer doesn’t need to be perfect, nor does their video. Authenticity is much more important. If you haven’t used influencer marketing before and are turned off by videos appearing less filtered, live-driven, and unproduced, those descriptors are not bad.
This means an influencer can be themselves in this context while creating ads and sponsored content for brands like yours that don’t look like traditional advertisements. That’s a win.
Trend #2: Multi-platform influencers are the most valuable
Although some influencers are successful on a specific social media site, brands see more success when they partner with creators and influencers with built-in audiences across multiple platforms.
Trend #3: Live streaming is becoming live shopping
Live streaming is projected to become a $500 billion sales driver by 2023. A growing part of that is coming from a live shopping app. There are Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and other influencers promoting products using live video. More live shopping events will benefit the influencer and their clients next year.
Trend #4: Audio and video content over text and images
Blogs and images are still useful but aren’t generating the returns of podcasts and videos. Live shopping, live streaming, YouTube, Twitch, podcast platforms, and TikTok are seeing more engagement.
Brands that zeroed in on influencer marketing can expect more clicks when using audio and video channels.
Trend #5: More influencers get involved in ecommerce
Even brick-and-mortar stores are shifting their marketing budgets to online shopping and e-commerce. There has been an explosion of interest in e-commerce, live shopping posts and videos, and social media posts linking to products and services you can purchase online.
Influencers play a massive role in establishing new brands and helping boost new products into public view.
Trend #6: Momentum in niche community influencers
There’s long been a rise in micro-influencers and niche community influencers, and that only continues to grow. For brands, this means hyper-targeted marketing with higher ROI choosing influencers with followings of 100,000 or less that often have better engagement rates and supportive communities backing them.
Trend #7: More diversity and representation
Now more than ever, there are online influencers from every walk of life, background, and culture. This is something to be aware of for brands that prioritize diversity and representation as they search for influencers to partner with. You can send out branded messages and campaigns targeting specific demographics, focusing on inclusivity.
Trend #8: Using micro-influencers as affiliates
The affiliate marketing of yesteryear is drying up. More brands are using micro-influencers as affiliates to recommend products, give testimonials, and provide demonstrations, instantly connecting brands to their target audience.
Trend #9: Influencers become their own brands
Many influencers grow their audience and diversify their income streams, launching self-branded products and becoming entrepreneurs. This allows brands to develop partnerships with influencers, launch dual marketing campaigns, or bundle products to leverage their audiences.
Trend #10: More long-term collaborations
Brands are preceding one-off posts and one-off video content in favour of long-term influencer marketing collaborations that span multiple months. This makes finding the right influencers for your brand all the more important.
Trend #11: Commission-based deals are popular
The monetary compensation for influencer marketing is somewhat diverse. More brands are opting for commission-based, performance-driven deals over a flat rate instead of a single payment. This puts the influencer to work for your brand, helping you and them generate income simultaneously.
Trend #12: There are new platforms surely to come
The past decade has shown us that new social media platforms are constantly being created. While TikTok is the most trendy social media app this year, it could be different next year. This means influencers must adapt to new platforms, and brands are ready to learn how to maximize the opportunities on new platforms.
Trend #13: Influencers driven by social causes
In the past few years, we’ve seen more social activism with influencers, ranging from blackout days to targeted messaging about specific issues and online charity fundraising. What influencer you choose to partner with should align with your brand. This may also be an opportunity for brands to use philanthropy-based branding or social activism-related events to brand themselves.
Trend #14: Influencers in the metaverse
The Metaverse is still very early in development, but we already see metaverse-related influencer marketing. The metaverse has the potential to be a host for live entertainment, social networks, user-generated content, avatars, 3D worlds, and more. Including brands, products, and influencers in these new spaces could open the door to further partnership opportunities.
