9 Influencer Marketing Trends to Supercharge Your Marketing Strategy In 2022

Influencer marketing has changed the marketing and advertising space for the better! 2022’s trends are not only reshaping the industry as we know it but laying the foundation for a new era of customer relationships.

What Is Influencer Marketing?

Now, before we dive into the complex world of influencer marketing trends, let’s go back to basics. We’ll start by answering one simple question: what is influencer marketing?

Simply put, influencer marketing is the use of influential individuals to promote products and brands online. This can include bloggers, local celebrities and even your not-so-average stay-at-home mom or parent. These people are seen as leaders in their respective fields. As a result, their opinion carries value – and if they mention your product or brand, it’ll make the world of difference.

Think about it, if Kylie Jenner endorses a make-up brand, they’ve essentially got her backing. This means that it’s a high-quality product and if you’re in the market for something like that, it may be the deciding factor. In the same breath, if she were to “diss” a brand, many of her followers may choose to do the same. She has 288 million followers and counting. This means that there are 288 million people that can be swayed by her opinion.

Circling back to the topic at hand, influencers, or celebrities, have got a huge online following, and each of those followers is a potential customer. This means that when used correctly, influencer marketing can be the ultimate game changer for your business.

The Importance of Influencer Marketing

Emerging trends in marketing have found that while the fundamentals of marketing haven’t changed, the ability to tell your story – the right story – at the right time to the correct audience has most definitely changed.

The rise of influencer marketing has come as a result of customers looking for a real-life experience to base their decisions on. They want the “real” story, not what the brand is trying to sell people. Audiences are more likely to believe an unbiased third party than the online ramblings of a brand. After all, brands will always have a positive story to tell. However, real people may say something completely different.

Influencers are able to relate to their audience in a way that brands can’t, this is where the right story comes into play. Next, the right place – in this day and age – has to be a digital platform and the right people are, of course, their followers.

Influencer Marketing by the Numbers

Many traditional marketing agencies are still battling to grasp this concept. Customers no longer respond to advertising. It often feels forced. Online influencer marketing on the other hand gives users the ability to make informed decisions.

Many people choose to use ad blockers when browsing the internet – 46.2% to be exact. On social media, it’s more difficult to block brand communication. Influencers are able to provide more organic advertising material which is more relatable to their followers.

As a result, paid advertising is on the decline. In 2021, only 0.47% of paid ad campaigns receive engagement. It’s gone from having brands communicating directly with their customers to creating an ecosystem where customers communicate with one another, This ecosystem is where influencers thrive.

9 Vital Influencer Marketing Trends That Will Supercharge Your Marketing Strategy

Given everything that we know about influencer marketing and the power that it has, let’s take a look at the future of influencer marketing.

1. Invest in the Meta

Facebook has rebranded and is now known as Meta. The Metaverse is set to become one of the biggest players in augmented and virtual reality game. Keep an eye out for more immersive customer experiences as a result. Marketers need to find ways of leveraging this innovative technology if they are to succeed in a digital world.

2. Privacy laws are stricter

New data privacy laws have changed the way in which marketers are able to access and use data. To rise above this, marketers need to be proactive and find more user-friendly ways of gaining access to the data that they need.

3. Engagement makes the world go round

Finding interactive ways of involving your audience for a more memorable experience. Using platforms like Facebook and Instagram Live allows influencers to interact with followers and raise awareness for your brand.

4. LinkedIn is booming

One of the underrated platforms out there has to be LinkedIn. It is growing tremendously and constantly launching new and exciting features. Marketers should look into adding this platform to their marketing strategy.

5. Facebook is old faithful

While other platforms are continuously evolving, Facebook remains a staple for many. Don’t forget to factor in Facebook marketing when it comes to your campaigns. Remember, over 3 billion people use the platform, so it is definitely worth the energy.

6. Virtual experiences have changed the game

Online events have changed the way in which customers are able to connect with brands. They are now able to be more involved with launches and events – using features like Facebook Live to take in the action. Adding virtual events to your marketing toolkit is a great way to build strong relationships.

7. User experiences beat SEO

There’s no denying the importance that SEO offers brands in the digital space. However, we have reached a point where the user experience means a lot more. Instead of trying to lure people to your site with hacks and keywords, rather spend more effort on creating a more user-friendly online experience.

8. Less is more

Websites and online content need to be quick to load and this requires optimized content without fluff and theatrics. Additionally, the content shared by your influencers needs to be straightforward and to the point. People do not want to hear the dramatic backstory of the person involved, they simply want to know what they’re talking about and why it is relevant to them. The trick to this trend, however, is being able to do so without coming across as rude or unemotional.

9. Keep it simple

When you’re choosing to do an influencer marketing campaign, rather keep it focused on one thing at a time, across one dedicated platform. Don’t spread yourself thin by making things more complicated than it needs to be.

The Most Essential Aspect of Influencer Marketing

The beauty of influencer marketing is that influencers from all walks of life can reach out to people who have similar likes and dislikes. They’re relatable, and as a result, more believable.

By partnering with influencers that understand your industry, you can reach a wider audience that is more open to discovering your brand. The influencer marketing trends set to dominate 2022 are linked to the marketing basics we all know and understand and will see us amplify it in the year ahead.

This blog post is written by Ghia Marnewick. She is a creative content writer for Aumcore, a digital marketing agency in NYC that specializes in SEO and creative content marketing services. She is passionate about finding new ways of sharing information with the world.