The way social media works can be a mystery sometimes. It’s hard to fully understand why some simple videos can become internet sensations overnight, like Bella Poarch’s “M to the B” video that reached over half a billion views, or the Hawk Tuah girl, who even released her own merch.
There’s no guarantee that your video will become viral. In some cases, it’s just luck. But in others, it requires much more than luck: a strategy.
Influencer marketing has taken the world by storm. Partnering with influencers can not only increase your brand awareness but also skyrocket your sales. With shifts in the way we connect with audiences and drive engagement, it’s key to stay on top of the industry by understanding the latest influencer marketing trends.
Here are the top trends to watch in 2024:
In this article, we’ll not only explore these 5 influencer marketing trends, but we’ll also provide insights on how to effectively implement them in your marketing strategies.
Consumers are no longer interested in generic branded content. In the past, influencer marketing was often centered around celebrity endorsements and high-profile partnerships. Today, there’s a stronger emphasis on authenticity.
According to a study, over 86% of marketers said influence content either matches the performance or outperforms branded posts.
This is why customers tend to follow and trust influencer recommendations, especially when it comes to influencers who have deliberately chosen to work exclusively with brands that align with their values and interests. These influencers are selective in their partnerships and in the products they promote, helping them maintain their credibility.
The latest influencer marketing trends show that authenticity is one of the factors driving engagement, as it establishes deep connections between influencers and their audience.
A great example of this is Dove’s ‘Real Beauty’ campaign, which has been running for over 20 years since it first launched.
This year, Dove became the first brand to commit to never using AI and launched a campaign with influencers showing their perfect AI version, “This is what AI thinks I should look like,” versus the real version, highlighting there’s nothing wrong with having facial hair, pimples, wrinkles, etc.
Why it works? Because women can 100% relate to this. Dove’s “Real Beauty” campaign portrays how beauty is truly about self-love and our perception beyond the desire to fit into society’s ideals, or in this case, AI’s ideal.
The best way to achieve authenticity in your campaigns is by working with influencers who match your brand’s ideals and audience.
“My tip would be to look for an influencer with values similar to those of the brand you are representing. If we partner with a like-minded influencer, chances are higher that they will communicate effectively to our audience and achieve an accurate representation of my client’s brand. “ - Adrian Falk, Believe Advertising & PR ( Forbes)
When an influencer has built a strong community of followers and prioritized creating content that adds value, it makes their followers trust their recommendations. Here’s why to build authenticity in your influencer marketing campaigns, you should look for influencers that:
In 2024, AI entered the chat, transforming the industry of influencer marketing. Previously, influencer marketing involved manual processes for identifying and managing influencer relationships.
With advanced AI algorithms and upcoming generative AI development services, brands can easily match influencers to their campaigns, optimizing processes and building lasting campaigns through authentic partnerships. Over 76% of marketing agencies and 52% of influencers are already using some form of AI to analyze data, scale their outreach campaigns, and create content.
With AI-powered software like Influencer Hero, brands not only can easily discover influencers through detailed filters and reports, but they can also automate their outreach with drip campaigns and personalized emails increasing their chances of building authentic and long-term partnerships.
Additionally, the rise of AI influencers is transforming brand partnerships, allowing companies to have greater control over their messaging. This innovation not only reshapes traditional marketing strategies but also introduces a futuristic element to campaigns, offering a unique and highly customizable approach to audience engagement.
Social media platforms are also rolling out AI features like YouTube’s generative AI tools to support creators. These new features include “Dream Screen,” which allows creators to generate video or background content for YouTube Shorts by using text prompts. TikTok also released a feature to label content as supported or generated by AI.
Although AI provides significant advantages, it also presents various challenges and ethical issues. A key concern is the risk of biased algorithms, which can influence both the selection of influencers and the recommendations for content. Ensuring that AI tools are designed and implemented ethically is crucial to maintaining fairness and transparency in influencer marketing.
Another challenge is data privacy. When using AI tools that collect and analyze audience data, brands and influencers should adhere to data protection regulations. It is essential to be transparent about how data is used and to obtain proper consent from users to address these privacy concerns effectively.
One of the major influencer marketing trends in 2024 is the preference of brands to work with micro influencers over macro influencers.
Hubspot’s Social Media Marketing 2023 report revealed that 64% of marketers prefer to work with micro-influencers.
“As the name suggests, a micro-influencer has a smaller following. And in our work with these types of influencers, we have found they have stronger relationships built on expertise and trust with their followers. A micro-influencer serves more niche audiences and can be beneficial to a brand because they provide access to a small subset of a targeted demographic interested in your business.” - Kelly Ehlers, Founder and President of Ideas That Evoke, Forbes Councils Member
While cost is a major factor in this preference—nano and micro-influencers typically charge around $100 to $1,000 per post compared to $500 to $10,000+ per post for macro-influencers—the preference for smaller influencers is also driven by their impressive results and engagement rates.
A report by Fohr in collaboration with Later revealed that nano-influencers achieve an average engagement rate of 4% and micro-influencers of 2%, whereas macro-influencers have a significantly lower average engagement rate of 1.2% to 1.3%.
So, while macro influencers have a significantly higher audience reach, their engagement is considerably lower than nano and micro influencers.
Brands are increasingly choosing to work with smaller influencers due to their higher engagement rates and more specialized communities. As these influencers focus on fostering strong connections and engaging niche audiences, it’s easier for brands to reach their target market, enhance ROI, and boost brand awareness.
You can find micro influencers by using tools like Influencer Hero. This platform’s feature, “Influencer Finder,” allows you to search for influencers based on specific criteria like location, engagement metrics, topic, number of followers and more.
Other useful ways to find influencers:
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Short-term, one-off campaigns were once the norm, providing quick bursts of visibility but lacking in sustained impact and trust-building. Currently, establishing long term collaborations is one of the best ways to engage your target audience by making them feel that what an influencer is promoting is authentic.
29% of consumers say that a promotion feels more authentic and real when an influencer posts about them several times.
When brands shift towards long-term partnerships rather than a one-off campaign, they build more trust with their audience. One reason is that it helps with more consistent and cohesive content that aligns with the brand’s image.
A great example of this is Gymshark, a popular fitness apparel brand that has many long-term collaborations with fitness influencers. In some cases, these influencers do “Get Ready with Me,” or try-on hauls with the brand, and in others, like the case of fitness influencer Whitney Simmons, they collaborate to release her collection based on her and her audience’s preferences.
When you work in a long-term collaboration with an influencer, they can become key patterns, providing valuable insights and feedback to the brand based on their experience and interaction with the audience. Influencers are great at spotting brand sentiment and helping brands attract and refine their marketing strategies better.
The first step to building lasting relationships with influencers is to identify high performers.
Not all influencers within your niche will deliver great results, so it's essential to start with a test project to gauge how their audience will respond to your brand. Before committing to an influencer who requires a significant budget, consider working with them on a smaller scale first. This can be through affiliate commissions, discounts, or gifting your product for them to promote.
By analyzing metrics such as click-through rates, engagement, and conversions, you can assess how well the influencer’s content resonates with your brand. If the results are positive, you can proceed to negotiate long-term terms that benefit both parties.
Additionally, you can also keep influencers engaged and motivated, by offering them incentives such as bonuses based on key performance indicators (KPIs). This approach not only encourages them to create quality content but also fosters a productive, ongoing partnership.
Nowadays, users are following their favorite influencers across multiple platforms, not just one. This shows why it’s key that brands diversify their influencer campaigns and work with creators who have a strong presence on different channels.
While previously, the focus of influencer marketing was centered on single platforms, in 2024, using multiple platforms has become mainstream for brands seeking a more integrated approach.
TikTok is a great platform for brand discovery, while Instagram and Facebook focus more on nurturing and converting. Additionally, age is also another factor that influences users preferences for certain platforms:
To take a more holistic marketing approach, brands are now implementing multiplatform strategies. This allows them to reach different audience segments and maintain brand consistency.
Sephora is a great example of this, using Instagram for high-quality visuals and tutorials, YouTube for in-depth product reviews and tutorials and TikTok for quick, engaging hacks and trends.
By taking a diversified approach and tailoring content to each platform, Sephora maximizes engagement through different audience segments and conversion opportunities.
With influencer marketing becoming mainstream, it’s key to understand the current panorama. The latest trends highlight the importance of authenticity, AI integration, collaborations with smaller influencers, long-term partnerships, and multi-platform strategies.
Brands can create meaningful and effective marketing strategies by partnering with authentic influencers who align with their values, using AI tools for smarter campaign management, and focusing on nano- and micro-influencers for niche targeting.
Establishing long-term collaborations not only enhances the perceived authenticity of promotions but also provides valuable insights for refining marketing approaches. Additionally, a well-rounded multi-platform strategy allows brands to maximize their reach and maintain consistency across different channels, ensuring sustained engagement and conversions in an ever-evolving digital landscape.
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