Ah, 2020. The year shit hit the fan and literally everything changed. But let’s not dwell on 2020, shall we? Let’s focus on the present year – 2021 – and what big influencer marketing trends coming. Because if there’s anything we learned from 2020, it’s that influencer marketing is here to stay.
It Will Be Bigger Than Ever This Year
Probably no surprise here, but according to Later, influencer marketing is on track to become a $15 billion (yes, billion) dollar industry by 2022. And 63% of marketers plan on increasing their influencer marketing in 2021.
Video Content = King 👑
Thanks to TikTok and Instagram Reels, video content will remain, king, when it comes to influencer marketing. But rather than being perfectly shot and edited, it’s expected to be more collaborative and creative than ever.
Videos are more engaging and authentic than images and make followers and consumers part of the brand and action. Basically, it’s an awesome way to engage your community and provide value.
Focusing on Inclusion and Diversity
The increase in social activism in 2020 shined a light on the true lack of diversity in influencer marketing. It’s not hard to forget those brands that were held accountable for unfair pay or tokenism – and now many content creators are speaking out about how there needs to be more representation in influencer marketing.
2021 will see a shift in brands working towards creating a more inclusive influencer marketing campaign – but not just on the surface level. Diversity and inclusion should be an overall brand goal to help propel effective change in this industry.
The “Non-Edited Edited” Vibe
2020 also caused a huge shift in the way influencers and content creators showed themselves on social media. It’s no longer all about perfectly curated feeds and pretty filters – consumers (and content creators, for that matter), want more authenticity.
2021 will see an increase in influencers and content creators hopping on the #nofilter trend, where they only apply subtle edits and show more “in the moment” content.
And while there is a shift to show more “real” content, it doesn’t mean we have to shun polished content. If that’s your vibe and that’s what you’re trying to portray, then you do you!
It’s All About the Value, Baby
Similar to their photos, influencers and content creators used 2020 to show their followers a lot more behind the scenes action. While some of that was forced (hello, pandemic), it showed that when influencers started to create more value-driven content, their followers responded well.
Followers want to relate to an influencer – and showing a behind-the-scenes glimpse into their life is the perfect way to do that. As a brand, rather than focus solely on numbers, focus more on the value that influencer provides. Are they asking questions? Are they trying to relate to their audience? Do they have a lot of comments on their posts?
Long-Term Partnerships Rather than One Night Stands
2021 will see a true shift in brand + influencer partnerships rather than one-off campaigns. Since it takes six to eight touches to make a sale, one-off campaigns aren’t enough to bring in the results you want.
Influencers should pitch ongoing, longterm partnerships while brands should focus on strategizing how they can work with influencers on a monthly basis.
Brands can even start thinking about joining forces with an influencer for a signature line of products – which can be a huge revenue booster for both brands and influencers.
Nano and Micro-Influencers, FTW
It’s probably no surprise that 2021 will continue to be the rise of nano and micro-influencers. Since both nano and micro-influencers tend to have higher engagement rates, they are more likely to connect with their audience – and make sales.
Since engagement rates on Instagram are still declining, brands are seeing the value in working with nano and micro-influencers who have a high engagement rate but a “low” following (I use quotes because I’m low in comparison to those with millions of followers).
That’s not to say you can’t and shouldn’t work with big influencers – but it is typically more cost effective to work with nano and micro-influencers as their budget is lower.
Stick around for part two of our Influencer Marketings for 2021 where we’ll talk about more in-depth trends influencer marketing trends for this year!