Why Watch Influencer Marketing Trends?
As more and more of the marketing budget is allocated to paid forms of advertising (by B2B &B2C alike), influencer marketing has quickly become a widely adopted & quickly method of marketing & a quickly evolving industry in its own right. While influencer marketing is primarily seen as consumer-facing, 91% of B2B purchases are at least influenced by word of mouth, meaning influencer marketing can be an effective strategy for B2B marketers.
With this in mind, we’ve put together a list of influencer marketing trends & developments to monitor & potentially integrate into your marketing campaign strategy.
Trends To Watch
1. Micro influencers:
Most marketers and social media managers are now able to tell the difference between genuine engagement and vanity metrics on social media. As businesses are becoming more aware of the differences between the two, the shift focus will shift towards smaller (micro) influencers who may have smaller audiences, but also achieve higher levels of engagement than those with larger audiences. This represents a more cost-effective option for businesses that can’t afford more popular/expensive influencers & an efficient alternative to influencers with large followings but low levels of engagement.
2. Stricter guidelines:
Due to its rapid growth, regulations are still catching up with influencer marketing practices. Things like the mandatory disclosure of paid/sponsored posts are becoming increasingly common in the influencer industry. It’s likely that we will continue to see regulations develop as the industry expands & staying on top of these updates will allow you to use influencer marketing without opening your business up to litigation.
3. CG Influencers:
As dystopian as it sounds, brands have begun to work with computer generated influencers (“personalities” designed by digital artists to collaborate with brands). High fashion brands like Prada, Balmain & Fenty Beauty have already collaborated with CG influencers & we can expect their presence to grow in the fashion industry (via hollographics at runway shows). Marketers should also be thinking about the potential applications of CG influencers in other industries.
4. Long-term partnerships:
With influence being based on repeated interactions with the target audience, businesses are realising that long-term partnerships offer a more effective way using the budget as limited exposure to one-offs are less likely to inspire a purchase than consistent exposure with posts with a similar message.
5. Influencers will become more specialised:
As influencing becomes a more popular option for those with large/engaged enough audiences, it’s likely that we’ll see an increase in niche influencers: people who cater to niche markets/audiences, like cruelty-free make-up, online puzzle games, & gluten-free recipes. As these types of influencers become more common, businesses may benefit from keeping a close eye on the influencers in their industries to ensure they collaborate with those as close to their target audience/market as possible. For example, if you’ve started a cruelty-free beauty brand, it may be more beneficial to partner with the niche cruelty-free makeup influencer than the general makeup influencer due to the audiences they cater to.
Conclusion
Influencer marketing is a rapidly evolving (and rapidly growing) industry. Being aware of the trends in this industry means that you’ll be able to compete with others using similar strategies, & it establishes you as an innovative, modern organisation that embraces change. This awareness will also allow businesses to accurately examine their options & make informed decisions about their marketing strategies going forward. If you have any questions or need to get in touch with specialists to advise you on your marketing strategy, don’t hesitate to reach out to our team & schedule a free brief consultation!
By Ore Ige
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