Influencer marketing has stormed its way through the marketing world without hesitation. It has had a massive impact on our lives without us even being aware of it. It is no surprise that many businesses have introduced influencer marketing to their strategy and like to keep on top of all the latest influencer platforms and trends. Influencer marketing can open up a variety of opportunities for businesses, including audience growth, revenue, brand awareness and sales! With new social media trends, platforms and viral phenomenons being introduced every year, it is sometimes hard to keep up to date with it all. So we have gathered the top ten influencer trends to watch out for in 2022, because the last thing you want to be doing is using something that is sooo last year!
- We continue to focus on video content over image and text-based content
Video is a medium most people have been building into their marketing strategy for the past few years. This is still on the rise and will continue to be for years to come. Instagram is no longer a place for just stunning visual images, it now showcases a range of video content that tends to get more engagement than image content. TikTok, YouTube and Twitter are also part of the video party as we dive into lots of video content. Influencers are aware that video content is what they need to be getting involved with in order to get that engagement they need when working with brands. So if you are a brand working with influencers, make sure you suggest lots of creative video content!
With the rise of video content came the rise of lots of video platforms. Content creators have become a success, especially when it comes to their fans financially supporting them. Clubhouse is one of the newest platforms to support lots of audio and video content.
- Live shopping
Live shopping will become increasingly popular in 2022. Influencers are able to provide their audience with links to buy products and brands are able to do the same! This makes for great tracking for companies looking to work with influencers on a live shopping basis, especially with sales and new launches.
- Ongoing partnerships
Gone are the days of one-off partnerships with influencers, as we look for consistency and reliability, ongoing partnerships are set to be popular in 2022. If a brand finds an influencer they like then building that relationship and an ongoing partnership is the key to a successful outcome.
This can also be tied in with brand ambassador programmes. These are a great way for a brand to get involved with influencer marketing if they are on a budget. A brand ambassador is usually hired by a company to create a buzz around their products. Brand ambassadors usually get given a discount code to provide to their followers and will get paid on a commission basis when buyers use this code. This allows companies to pay the ambassador on a results basis. This idea is on the rise in 2022 as it allows smaller brands to work with influencers and build trust before committing to any sort of big budget.
- Diversity and inclusion
Diversity on all platforms is at the forefront, as society learns and becomes aware of inclusivity for all. Supporting charities and movements on social media has resulted in increasing awareness for all topics. Influencers and consumers analyse campaigns to make sure everyone is represented. Make sure you are aware of this and shift your cultures to focus on inclusivity and remove any traces of exclusivity. Forbes state:
‘Brands are leveraging influencers now more than ever. They’re tapping into every type of influencer whether B2B employee ambassadors, fashion nano-influencers, or celebrities with millions of followers. With this immense investment in influencer marketing, brands need to think about inclusivity from the very start of their campaign strategy.’
- Micro and nano influencers will take centre stage
Micro and nano influencers will take the reins in the influencer world when it comes to working with brands. Micro influencers tend to work on a more personal, specific and authentic level in comparison to mega macro influencers.Their engagement rate tends to be higher because of the work they put in communicating and connecting with their followers. Due to this, brands are becoming more keen on working with micro and nano influencers to help promote their products. Along with the great engagement they get, it is also costs less for brands to work with micro and nano influencers, meaning that if you are on a marketing budget, this is ideal for you.
- Creator-focused marketplaces rise
Marketplaces that give influencers and brands the opportunity to connect and collaborate are on the rise for 2022. With TikTok and Instagram launching their own creator marketplaces, it is predicted that this concept will continue to grow throughout 2022 and new marketplaces will be introduced. A few great ones we suggest to take a look at are TikTok Creator Marketplace, Instagram Creators, The Room, Komodo, Activate and Press Loft.
- Podcasts
Since the pandemic, influencers have started creating podcast content in a way to connect and engage with their followers more. Podcasts are set to be popular for 2022 and have a more personal approach to influencer marketing. We have seen many influencers, celebrities and brands opening up about personal subjects, life experiences and unique stories, making podcasts a force to be reckoned with.
- Employee-driven content
We’ve already seen how user-generated content can significantly impact sales and how brands are perceived; it only makes sense for brands to begin treating their own employees as influencers through employee advocacy programs.
How can Press Loft help?
As a PR platform, Press Loft specialises in helping brands and agencies generate press coverage with our industry-leading PR tools. We also connect brands with influencers and with a growing network of journalists and influencers, we help our clients secure exposure from top tier publications, blogs and social media platforms every day.
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