It is no secret in the marketing world that influencer marketing has quickly become one of the most effective methods there is to raise brand awareness, brand loyalty and to drive sales. Many brands find themselves looking to incorporate influencer marketing into their marketing mix but are not sure where to start. Because the world of social media evolves so quickly, it is important to ensure you understand the current and rising trends so you can properly allocate your budget and garner the desired results. Outlined below are the top influencer marketing trends of 2022, which will help you get the most out of your influencer marketing campaign.
Short-Form Video will Rule
Brought to the forefront by TikTok and quickly adapted by almost all other social media platforms, short-form video is all the rage of 2022. Even platforms like YouTube, that have traditionally been used for sharing lengthy video content, have created a section for short-form video. Short-form video has the highest ROI of any digital marketing strategy in 2022, and 30% of social media marketers plan to invest in it more than any other trend this year. Therefore, it stands to reason that as you consider an influencer marketing campaign, this is the form of content you should look to collaborate on. Most influencers will be very comfortable with creating short-form videos, and it allows for maximum creativity. As short-form video is now available on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and other platforms, it will be easy to repurpose your content across channels if so desired. Essentially, if you plan to invest in influencer marketing this year, short-form video is the type of content for you!
Authenticity is Key
Gone are the days of a perfectly curated feed and airbrushed photos. In 2022, people want to see authenticity, vulnerability, and someone they can relate to. After all, we just spent two years living and surviving through a pandemic! People want to keep it real. When looking for an influencer to partner with, keep this in mind. You want to find the right person to collaborate with, someone who demonstrates the same values as your brand and will be relatable to your target audience. Spend some time looking back through past content they have created to ensure there are no major conflicts in values with brands they have collaborated with in the past. Be sure they actually like and believe in your product or service so that they can authentically share their love for it with their followers.
Micro-Influencers Continue to Thrive
Keeping on track with the desire for authenticity, people no longer care as much about “vanity metrics” such as follower count. Therefore, when looking to partner with an influencer, choosing a micro-influencer is often the best move for your brand. Not only are they cost effective and easier to access than mega-influencers, they actually produce the highest ROI of all the influencer tiers. It allows you to target a very niche audience, so be sure you find a micro-influencer who has strong ties to the community that your target audience belongs to.
Livestream Shopping on The Rise
Live shopping or livestream shopping began to gain popularity in 2021 as Covid-19 confined many of us to our homes, and it is predicted to continue its growth this year. As live stream shopping is a relatively new trend, you may still have questions on what exactly it means. The difference between livestream shopping and traditional online shopping is that the former is unedited, with the audience interacting with the host in real time. Influencers now frequently promote products via this method, and it sees great returns as it allows the audience to interact, ask any questions they may have about the product, and feel a sense of community. It also creates urgency to purchase, as often items sell out quickly. This is proving to be a very effective method, and will likely continue to see growth in coming months.