Influencer Marketing: Top trends to look out for in 2022 Share via

Influencer marketing continues to be the top marketing tool for brand marketers. It has been growing consistently for many years, and experts believe it to grow at an even faster pace in coming years. Since the space is evolving rapidly with new social media platforms, different content formats, and changing user behavior, brands and influencers are trying their best to capture the attention of their audiences. In this blog, we will look at the top trends that the influencer marketing industry is likely to witness in 2022. Here is our prediction.

Focus will be on video content

Video content has been making its presence felt for a few years now and has seen a massive surge in its popularity. The way video content is being consumed on social media platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram, experts believe that brands and influencers will focus more on creating such posts to encash this trend in the coming year. Moreover, with 5G connectivity getting access to a broader audience in 2022, marketers will push for high-definition immersive video posts to increase customer engagement and enhance user experience. Additionally, with so much uncertainty and restrictions due to the pandemic, the demand for video content will only increase, and influencers and brands are taking note of it.

Micro and nano influencers will be in vogue

As was the trend in 2021, brands and marketers will continue to collaborate with micro and nano influencers the most in 2022, owing to the high engagement rate they witness on their social media posts compared to celebrities and mega influencers. Furthermore, as the engagement rate on Instagram is declining, businesses are looking at influencers who are attracting significant eyeballs very closely. Therefore, according to various influencer marketing experts, there will be a surge in the brand partnerships for nano and micro-influencers in 2022, and brands will be inclined to invest their time and resources with these content creators who guarantee better returns.

Live commerce will pick up

Live commerce incorporates live video content where the host demonstrates the product to the live viewers over a social network or an e-commerce platform. It is a two-way communication that enables shoppers to buy the product seamlessly during live streaming. What started from the world’s second-biggest economy is quickly spreading out to the other parts of the world, and brands are collaborating with the influencers to take this emerging shopping trend to their customers. In fact, various studies have found out that live streaming commerce will be the next big thing in influencer marketing. According to a report by Coresight Research, live streaming shopping in the US market is expected to reach USD 11 billion by the end of 2021 and USD 25 billion by 2023. Furthermore, as per a McKinsey report, sales in China through live streaming commerce is expected to reach USD 423 billion by 2022, giving a glimpse of the channel’s soaring popularity.

Performance linked remuneration will increase

As we move into the new year, brands will increasingly look to sign deals linking it with the influencer’s performance. Since both brands and influencers are finding ways for deeper collaborations and moving away from working on a one-off project, this new payment method will take center stage in 2022. Additionally, as engagement rates across social media platforms are on the decline, brand marketers are trying to make sure that the influencer delivers on all the metric that has been agreed upon and make the payout accordingly. For influencers, it is imperative to understand the expectations of the brands before going ahead with the agreement and then decide if the deliverables are achievable for them or not.

Authenticity will be valued

Influencer marketing in 2022 will move more towards creating authentic content rather than just focusing on pitch-perfect campaigns. One of the vital ingredients for the success of influencer marketing has been the authenticity of the content that resonates well with the influencer’s followers. As a result, content creators will increasingly start promoting less filtered posts to differentiate their content from being seen as advertising. Studies have found that even social media users have now started to engage more with content that appears to be authentic and provides real value to them.

Apart from the top trends that we have mentioned in this blog, there are other trends from 2021 that will continue to evolve in 2022. For example, brands and influencers supporting social causes and increased focus on diversity and inclusion will also be top draws in the upcoming year. As the year progresses, we are sure there will be further new and exciting developments in the influencer marketing space that will shape the industry’s future.