As we enter a new year, it is necessary to take a closer look at how the trends have changed in the marketing world. Influencer marketing has been at the top of its game for a long time but its dynamics have changed. Influencer marketing is rightly the most preferred form of marketing for brands and businesses across platforms and industries. But what about the changing user behavior and the post-pandemic phase? These factors have caused a lot of waves in the social media marketing industry and that also includes influencer marketing.
Trends on social media platforms have changed quite drastically over the last few years thanks to the introduction of new features on the platforms.
The user behavior is not the only thing that has changed on social media, even the way content is created and posted on the platforms has changed. Likewise, influencers have also adapted to new content curation techniques to keep the audience hooked. In this blog, we will help you discover the influencer marketing trends for 2022. Let’s begin.
Influencer Marketing Trends for 2022
1. Videos will rule influencer marketing strategies
Since the last few years, videos have been the best bet for marketing professionals to showcase their brand message. The trend is likely to remain the same for 2022 as well. Influencers will have to focus on creating video content and brand managers will majorly rely on influencers that are good at video content. Videos will see a massive rise on social media platforms, to say the least. Influencers that are not so good with video content will need to brush up their skills!
2. Be ready for live shopping
Social media platforms are coming up with various online shopping features and one of them is live shopping. Twitter has already started testing the Live Shopping feature for its platform and other platforms are already thinking of the same. Instagram also has an online shopping feature that might soon turn into live shopping. Influencers will play an integral role once the live shopping feature starts on social media platforms. Brands will need to collaborate with influencers to make the most out of this upcoming feature. Brand marketers must have a plan ready to bank on the live shopping feature. This will also help them increase sales!
3. Influencers will have to be more specific in their niche
Initially, influencers focused on producing content that was widely relatable to their niche of interest. But, as the audience behaviour has started to change, there will come a shift in the way influencers produce content. The niche influencers cater to will have to be narrowed down i.e. it will have to be more specific. For instance, if an influencer is curating content on diet and food, he/she will have to be specific as to which diet they are referring to- Is it a Keto diet? Is the focus on vegan food? And so on. Brands will soon look for influencers who are catering to a specific audience base rather than the ones who deal with an overall niche in general.
4. The crossroads between users and content creators
The bridge between social media users and content creators is soon going to vanish because both these parties will now be at crossroads. Social media users are aware of how to use the content curation features and are producing more content than ever. This means brand marketers have to be sharper when collaborating with influencers for brand marketing. See to it that the content you create with influencers is not similar to what the user posts. Give the users something more in terms of information and value. Brands can also create trends for users to follow which will give them reach and shares.
5. Nano influencers will continue to be important
Micro-influencers have been an integral part of most influencer marketing campaigns. However, in the upcoming year, nano influencers will take the lead. This is because most nano influencers are specific about their niche and content. This gives brands an opportunity to reach an untapped market. Moreover, nano influencers who are still searching for a strong foundation to build their brand often come up with excellent content plans. This can be beneficial for brands and businesses!
6. Influencers will have to focus on quantity too
The ultimate truth for all forms of marketing is to focus on quality rather than quantity. But in the year 2022, influencers will have to shift their focus on quantity too. This is because every social media platform is high on competition and brands across the globe are posting content on a daily basis. Influencers must be consistent in their posts to garner desired reach and engagement on social media.
7. Influencer marketing will be data-driven
Marketers used to go with their instincts and basic metrics for influencer marketing campaigns. However, with the fierce competition on the platforms and an ocean of influencers to choose from, data is going to play a crucial role. Influencer marketing platforms like Unbox Social can help you frame effective campaigns. The tool helps you with the influencer tracking feature wherein you can check the influencer’s data wrt posts, post metrics, and so on. Additionally, the tool also has social media analytics and competition tracking features to help you plan your marketing campaigns.
8. Major focus shifts to user experience and personalization
The pandemic increased screen time for most people. This led to several changes in the way social media content was consumed by the users. The influencer marketing trend for 2022 is all about creating content that touches the sentiments of the users. Simply posting about the products and services will not work! Brands will need to add values and sentiments in their posts to generate a response from the users. On the other hand, social media platforms will have to strive hard to make the user experience better. Even a minute change like the addition of different editing tools in content curation features can make a huge difference. Social media platforms are introducing new features every now and then and brand managers need to keep a close watch on how these changes impact their social media performance.
[“source=unboxsocial”]
