It feels like we haven’t even really processed 2020. Nevertheless, 2022 is only a blink of an eye away. A lot has happened within the last year. Therefore we want your influencer marketing strategy to be ready and set to shift to new levels in 2022. Following the pandemic and lockdown in 2020, there has been a transformation in influencer marketing. By 2021 influencer marketing had an estimated value of $13.8 billion. This blog post will reveal the top 5 trends for your successful influencer marketing strategy 2022!
#1 Authenticity:
Throughout the last few years, people have craved authenticity on social media platforms. Movements like Black Lives Matter, the increased awareness for the LGBTQ+ community, and (mental) health have all significantly impacted our society. This has been reflected on every social media platform – from Facebook to Instagram and TikTok. An influencer who shows their true unfiltered self has a much higher engagement than influencers with only branded and filtered content. However, creating such authentic content requires time and consistency. Only once influencers establish a good relationship with their followers can they produce the most relatable content.
Below you will see the Danish influencer, Emma Martiny. She shares raw and real pictures from her everyday life as a mum and entrepreneur. The 27-year-old shares unfiltered moments from her family life whilst also sharing her passion for food and fashion. By providing unfiltered insights into her everyday life, she appeals to others around her age and mothers in particular.
When deciding on your next influencer collaboration, you should also look at an influencer’s historical and engagement data. We know that consumers trust what influencers say about a brand more than what a brand says about itself. The reason behind this is simple – it appears more authentic. Consumers don’t expect a marketing strategy behind an influencer’s post. Their opinion about a product comes across as honest and trustworthy.
Our research shows that engagement rates are unlikely to increase when the content is perfect and unattainable. However, you should also look at the compatibility of the influencer with your brand values. Look at their audience, engagement and performance. The content posted should not come across as an ad, rather like an authentic product review.
#2 E-Commerce
Due to the pandemic, our communication preferences have changed drastically. They shifted even more towards social media than they’ve been before. Social media has become the leading platform for socialising and shopping, allowing us to order our favourite foods and commodities from our living rooms. Consumers nowadays browse endlessly through Instagram to look for inspiration, instead of strolling the high street.
The younger generation is primarily shopping on social media platforms, but the older generation is becoming increasingly familiar with the possibilities of Instagram too. As the consumer base grows, so will supply and demand. Social commerce in 2022 has to be accessible. When consumers have to visit a third-party website, they often lose trust or interest in the product they were searching for. Therefore, it is important to keep consumers’ purchasing journey short with swipe-up links, live streams, and ad links from the post directly to your product catalogue.
“Social commerce has to be easily accessible”
Social commerce is a way in which consumers use social media networks to get inspiration and shop. Consumers trust peer-to-peer communication more than brand-to-peer communication. Make influencer marketing effective to communicate your brand and brand values to engage with your target audience. Once a consumer feels understood by a brand and sees that its values align with theirs, they are likely to become loyal customers.
Social commerce will lead your brand to better audience engagement and will enhance brand awareness. Videos and posts can help to create a seamless buying experience from influencer content to brand channels. Make it easy to buy the product and find out what your customers are looking for.
#3 Data-Driven Strategy
It is key to develop a data-driven strategy to get the most out of your influencer marketing in 2022. One way to do that is to incorporate your influencer marketing into your regular marketing strategies. Staying on track of data relating to influencers and their engagement rates can be time-consuming. A software like Woomio is key in helping you plan and calculate your campaign easily. When creating a data-driven strategy for your influencer marketing pay close attention to the engagement data of an influencer. The more the influencer interacts with their audience the more recognition the campaign can get.
Additionally, it is mandatory to know how to interpret the data correctly. For example, can a customer see a purse on Instagram she wants to buy but is occupied so she can’t buy it immediately. However, she remembers that purse later that day. Instead of using that Instagram link, the customer purchases the product through Google. In that case, a complete understanding of your collected data is necessary to know that this purchase shouldn’t count as a Google search result.
#4 Video Content
Video content is already part of social media and influencer marketing. Whether it is an Instagram Reel, a story or a live story on Instagram (IGTV), video content is the hottest trend for 2022! The posting frequency of video content on social media for marketing purposes increased by 23% within the last four years. Videos are more captivating and authentic than posed pictures since they show the creator in live-action and motion.
It’s hard to stage a live video or at least an influencer needs outstanding acting skills to fake their videos. Therefore, consumers tend to engage more with revenue-created content such as product reviews, tutorials and engaging challenges. An influencer is more likely to achieve a higher engagement and generate more conversion than branded content. Through this approach Consideringly, we can predict that the future of influencer marketing lies in “real-life” ads and product reviews instead of fully planned campaigns.
Since video content is a brand-new niche in influencer marketing, it gives brands a whole new strategy and presents new opportunities to create campaigns. Instagram has introduced several new features within the last few years. Those features provide creators with a broad spectrum of options to produce creative video content. Campaigns don’t only rely on Instagram fitted content, but can also use these videos on other social media platforms like Snapchat or TikTok.
#5 Cross Channelling
Cross channelling is probably the most exciting trend for 2022. With the use of multiple social media platforms, you can reach the full potential of your target audience by not having to limit your reach to only one platform. Since 2020, the new video platform TikTok has gained enormous momentum worldwide. This growth shows how quickly new social media platforms can progress. Consequently, people tend to have access to at least two social media accounts to stay up-to-date.
How can this knowledge be integrated into your next influencer marketing campaign? The extraordinary feature that you can connect different channels is present in new and old social media platforms. Almost every influencer has a TikTok, YouTube and Snapchat account in addition to Instagram. Therefore, it is no surprise that each TikTok account can connect to a creator’s Instagram and YouTube account. If you plan a campaign that includes video content, you can reach your entire target audience by posting it on Instagram, TikTok or Snapchat.
However, be aware that the audience does likely differ across different platforms, so it is not advisable to post the same content on TikTok as on Instagram. On the one hand, content created for TikTok is rawer; it is often quick and witty. Since TikTok videos consist of 15 to 60 seconds, they have to grab peoples attention immediately. A campaign for TikTok can’t be planned weeks or months ahead since trends on this platform are always fluctuating. On the other hand, people appreciate Instagram accounts with an authentic look behind the scenes of content creation or simply more detailed content. Nevertheless, the possibility of cross-channelling gives more creative space for campaigns. Additionally, it allows you to reach the full potential of your target audience with almost the same effort as for a one-channel campaign.
Wrap up
Considering these 5 top trends and incorporating them into your influencer marketing strategy will generate enormous success for your business in 2022. Implementing these strategies takes time and human resources, but once you get the hang of it. The rewards will be worth it, especially when considering that softwares like Woomio can help you out. The social media world is also one of the fastest-changing industries there currently is – so by including our top 5 influencer marketing trends, you can stay up to date and even a little ahead of your competitors.