Ten Influencer Marketing Tips to Watch in 2022

“Influencer marketing at its core is about developing real relationships to ultimately champion your influencers to market with you.” - Amanda Maksymiw.

Undoubtedly, influencer marketing has been making waves online.

And if you are a business looking to tap into the massive marketing potential of influencer marketing, you need to watch out for the recent trends that will soon be beneficial to your campaign. By itself, influencer marketing is already big, and it is an effective tool for business growth and brand recognition. And while it may already be a significant tool in marketing today, it is only going to get bigger. There is a myriad of social media platforms today, and every year brings about new ones. As a result, new types of content can be seen online, and along with that, fresh new ways that brands can engage with their potential customers.

Partnering with the best influencers in the industry ensures that brands can stay on top of trends and do what they need to do so that they can stand out and shine. However, social media landscapes are continuously and quickly evolving. That said, leveraging the hottest influencer trends is paramount. As a result, influencers can adapt and develop their authority and expertise, which makes them more appealing to brands. On the other side of the spectrum, brands should waste no time jumping on these influencer marketing trends to expand their audience further, generate new leads, and earn more revenue. That said, businesses and brands should look into hiring influencer marketing services if they want to grow their brands even bigger. In recent years, the pandemic has shifted the way brands market themselves to audiences. These days, businesses need to update their marketing and advertising efforts to resonate with an audience that is mostly stuck at home. With that, a lot of businesses and brands have learned that they can operate virtually and remotely. More importantly, they have found that there are more consumers turning to the internet to meet their eCommerce needs.

Needless to say, several conventional and traditional marketing methods have become incompatible with the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. As a result, the eminence of influencer marketing became even more pronounced. Brands continuously sought out content creators and influencers who can skillfully and masterfully create interactive social media posts. And with that, the spotlight is now focused on them and has grown even brighter.

So, if you wish to beef up and update your influencer marketing campaigns, below are the trends you need to look out for to keep your business growing throughout the year:

1.) An even greater emphasis on following preferred creators across multiple platforms

While there are creators who have their preferred social network, it is quite rare to find one who has a presence on just one social media platform. Although this may not be new, there is a big difference in how they interact with their audiences. This is because these creators have “super fans” who can interact with them everywhere and wherever they may appear.

So, what does this mean for your brand? These content creators and brand influencers have already established a huge following across multiple social networks, which you can leverage as a brand. Look for successful creators that have large audiences interacting seamlessly across their accounts as they are not just Instagrammers, YouTubers, and the like. Instead, they can showcase their work to their fans across the web. You do not need to worry, though; these creators are adept at selecting the best platform for a specific purpose.

2.) A shift from text and images to audio and video content

Today, fast internet is more accessible—even in countries where internet connection used to be slow. Indeed, bandwidth has improved in recent years, 5G has become more commonplace, and fiber internet is typically found in most households. With this, people tend to consume more audio and video content nowadays, and as a result, creators on YouTube, Twitch, and even podcasts have gained prominence.

This is not to say that text and images are dead. After all, Instagram remains one of the most popular social media platforms. However, take this as a word of caution that video and audio content will be given more emphasis in the months to come.

3.) Live shopping will form part of an influencer campaign

In 2021, live shopping became quite a trend and is continuing to grow today. Influencers use social media to promote products to their communities using live video and interactive content. As a result, audience engagement is done in real-time.

4.) Representation and diversity in influencer marketing

Recently, there has been a demand for brands to be more inclusive, insomuch that audiences feel the need to be better represented. Society has placed a lot of emphasis on diversity and representation, so it is inevitable for this to seep into influencer marketing. Today, you can find influencer agencies dedicated to highlighting representation with the goal of inspiring brands to build partnerships with all types of people.

Keep in mind that in these modern times, your audiences are far more discerning. Both influencers and consumers analyze brands through their campaigns and make sure that everyone is well-represented. That said, your company may want to shift the corporate culture to focus on inclusivity.

5.) Micro and nano influencers will get more recognition

As a brand or business, you should know that there are different types of influencers—from nano influencers with just a few thousand followers to celebrity influencers who have millions. While brands may be more enticed to partner with celebrities who have a massive following, they will soon find that there are benefits to working with micro and nano influencers. Nano and micro-influencers allow brands to stretch their marketing budgets while still being able to partner with influencers who are connected to their audiences.

6.) Brands will look for ongoing partnerships instead of one-off projects

In these recent times, partnerships with brand influencers will no longer be a one-off thing. Instead, expect long-term and ongoing partnerships to be a trend. This is because successful sales take time, and even influencers with the most engaged audiences will meet difficulties in making a contribution when commissioned for a single sponsored post.

As an influencer, what you want to do to capitalize on this influencer marketing trend is to create packages that you can sell to those that are seeking your services. Your packages can include several sponsored posts over a period of time—much like what is done when running Facebook Ads or ads on other platforms.

7.) An increase in performance-based deals

As brands and influencers continuously seek out long-term partnerships, performance-based influencer marketing will likely increase. In a nutshell, this means that brands will expect influencers to deliver results (specific number of sales or clicks).

8.) An increase in influencer collaborations

If there is anything that influencer marketing has made clear over the years, it is that brand, and influencer collaborations will continue. Today, we have seen influencers become a thing, and they are not likely a trend that will go away. In fact, it is very likely that there will be more of that as influencer networks continue to seek ways to increase influencer marketing campaigns.

9.) Specialized influencers

Influencers are not jack-of-all-trades. In fact, influencers specializing in particular niches tend to be more successful—and that seems to be an ongoing trend that has shown no signs of slowing down. Indeed, we can expect influencers to continue developing their expertise in their chosen niche and industry. As a result, they will be even more sought after by brands and businesses.

10.) Authenticity will be key

Audiences are constantly seeking authentic content—so much so that brand influencers need to deliver. That said, influencers need to be extra careful with the kind of content they create for brands and partner only with businesses that will resonate with their audiences. This means that to be authentic, brand influencers need to believe in what they are trying to promote, as even the most engaging influencers will not be able to convince their followers to buy a product if they do not care about it. Apart from delivering no real benefit to the brand, the influencer will likely lose credibility in the eyes of their audience.

Instead, influencers should be a little selective about the partnerships they seek out and look for brands whose audiences overlap with theirs. Know what audiences want from the content and deliver accordingly.

BOTTOMLINE

Influencer marketing is a trend that is likely to stay, and if you are a brand or business looking to capitalize on this strategy, then you need to refine your campaigns accordingly. Do this by utilizing the trends listed above and be selective with the influencers you collaborate with. Seek out those influencers whose voice resonates with your brand, and form a partnership with them.

Keep in mind that as the digital marketing landscape continues to evolve, so will influencer marketing. In that sense, you need to stay vigilant with the ongoing trends and determine which of those are worth trying and which of those are not.