Attributed to Andonia Kailis
Gone are the days when influencer marketing was limited to celebrities and a handful of devoted bloggers. Nowadays, influencer marketing is a form of social media marketing made up of influencers that have a niche audience and field of expertise.
Influencer marketing is rapidly growing and it’s only going to keep growing. The use of influencer marketing is a common and popular strategy for brands to engage with a larger demographic. So, whether you’re thinking of integrating influencers into your marketing strategy or you’d like to see more results from previous campaigns, below are some trends to keep in mind.
New purchasing behaviours
Not only have brands and businesses learned to operate virtually, but more and more consumers have changed their purchasing behaviours, meeting their shopping needs online. Due to the rise of online shopping and the amount of time we spend on social media, social media has now impacted consumer buying immensely. Studies show that consumers on social media are four times more likely to spend more when purchasing online. This is because, brands are seeing influencers as a means to maintain a conversation and relationship with their target market from all around the world.
As consumers we are also more likely to engage in a product endorsed by an influencer rather than a celebrity. Why? Because most of the time when we see a celebrity promoting a product we don’t engage as we automatically associate it with an advertisement.
Virtual events continue to surge
In 2020 we saw brands using influencers and social media in innovative ways to reach their target audience and consumers. Influencers who were the most successful stayed at the forefront of content creation, producing content such as, IGTV ‘how to’ tutorials, Q&A’s, live workshops, and IG reels.
IGTV and the live stream feature was used more than ever before, with many brands hosting live events are shows via their Instagram account.
A great example of this was the annual Iconic fashion show, which was held virtually in 2020 and was a huge success. The online show, Runway Everywhere, harnessed fashion power to uplift, elevate and liberate. Fronted by Australian comedy duo, The Inspired Unemployed, alongside a diverse cast of leading models and influencers. Due to the unpredictable pandemic, more and more brands are jumping on this trend as we are spending more time at home than ever before.
Engagement over followers
When sourcing an influencer to work with, as a brand or agency it can confusing to understand engagement. The number of followers an influencer has should not be the deciding factor, you should mainly be taking their engagement into account. This can be done with online tools that measure engagement, however a good rule to follow is looking at comments made on each post and the types of comments. When looking at the comments, ensure that they are genuine comments rather than a one worded comment or emoji, as a lot of the time they can be a bot.
Did you know, it can be more effective to choose an influencer with a smaller number of followers than an influencer with millions of followers. This is because most of the time, the smaller influencer has a more engaged audience. Micro-influencers are not necessarily experts or public figures, they are relatable for the everyday consumer, and build trust with their niche audience.