The power of social media and content creation was showcased in the past decade, and the next one will be no different. Content creators will continue to affect the perception of a good portion of the society, influencing them. That’s the foundation on which the concept of influencer marketing stands.
According to Business Insider’s influencer marketing report, the industry is well on its way to reaching $15 billion worth in 2022. Numbers like that prove that it has grown so much and will continue to do so in the near future. Many brands have also been turning to influencers in recent years to boost awareness and change their public image.
Since it’s still growing, digital marketing professionals like you need to keep track of influencer marketing trends. Staying in the know will help you improve your campaigns and projects for your clients who want to dive deeper into this current phenomenon. Here are things to expect in influencer marketing this year, 2021.
The continuous rise of micro-influencers
Micro-influencers are social media users or content creators with fewer than 100k followers. These are influencers who are also still progressing in their careers and has tons of potential. This year, you’ll be seeing more of them promoting more brands.
In a report by digital marketing experts, influencers with less than 25,000 followers had the highest engagement rates in social media website Instagram in 2019. That was regardless of topics that they talked about, genre, or their target audience. That number already gives you an insight that more businesses will be looking to partner with micro-influencers in the coming years.
Micro-influencers have a stronger connection with the communities they’ve built, making them a potent marketing partner. You can expect locally-owned businesses to strike deals with them to reach a wider audience. You’ll likely be seeing small local brands benefit from a social influencer in Kansas City this 2021.
Consumers will count as nano-influencers
Even in this era of social media and smart devices, brands and consumers still rely on word of mouth. Its effects are still acknowledged, although it’s being spread differently. People use social media to post about a new product or service they liked or hated, spreading information about it to other people.
Brands will care more about what non-influencers on social media say about them. Their reviews will be considered as a nano-influencer comment, which means every regular user counts an influencer. You’ll see more of this trend with startup brands because one positive or negative review can impact their overall online presence.
Brands and influencers will explore more shareable forms of influencer media
Experimentation in terms of influencer marketing will happen in the form of using other shareable stuff on social media. Virtually everything’s been done, so to find fresh ideas, trying out different things will be the focus this year. You still have to capture the attention of consumers, and that’s where the sharing thing comes in.
Experts see more infographics made to show data-driven analyses will be shared on social media. A perfect example is the Spotify “Year in Review” last year. The integration of the Spotify app to Instagram stories was a nice touch to add to the informative and personal infographic.
The emergence of influencer partnerships
Typically, brands will approach an influencer to connect and convey their message to them and eventually through them. But this year, more influencers will collaborate with brands to create content for them. This has been happening for quite some time, but it’ll likely be the norm starting in 2021.
This will affect how brands work with influencers in conceptualizing campaigns. As this trend continues, long-term partnerships are also expected to materialize between both parties. Influencers will become true brand partners as businesses will look for credible influencers they can trust to market their product continuously on social media.
Wrapping up
There’s no doubt that influencer marketing will be a more prominent factor in digital marketing and the online world next year. You can expect more exciting developments for both brands and influencers as time goes on. 2021 is only the beginning of the bigger picture to come. #KhabarLive #hydnews
About The Author:
Edwin Deponte is a motivational writer who is also passionate about anything digital and social media marketing-related. On his free days, he spends his time indulging in digital and social media marketing books.
