Don't believe in the magic of a crystal ball - the future cannot be predicted! What if that future is happening before our eyes? That is exactly the case with influencer marketing, which is the most dynamically changing trend and strategy of marketing activities.
Every year influencer marketing undergoes spectacular and dynamic transformations, and the rules of cooperation with influencers also change, as they are increasingly aware of how great the benefits they bring to the brands they promote. This year brings another revolution in the industry, whose variability and spontaneity are coded into its DNA. When we analyze the development of influencer marketing, we cannot be completely certain of anything, but without a doubt we are able to identify lasting trends in its development.
Here are eight trends in influencer marketing that will shape brand strategies in the coming years:
1. Audiences have taken control over which content reaches them
Not long ago, most people spent their evenings at home, sitting in front of their televisions. Those times are gone forever with the opening up of new possibilities for enjoying favorite entertainment.
Audience control over content
The television market has become significantly fragmented over the past twenty years. Initially, this was caused by the emergence of more and more new channels being offered, expanding their programming possibilities. This in turn split the markets for advertisers. They could advertise on many channels, but none of them had a large, diverse audience group.
On the Polish market, streaming channels gradually began to appear. Player.pl and Ipla.pl, however, still placed ads in their free materials. The next breakthrough was the emergence of platforms such as Netflix and Showmax, which, for a subscription fee, gave users the ability to plan their evening entertainment without irritating advertising spots.
For Generation Z, this solution is not satisfactory, just as for Millennials. They want more control, choosing YouTube and online videos.
What is an advantage for the user is a nightmare for advertisers. How can brands advertise their product when they are unable to estimate which sources their dream audiences will use?
Brands recently discovered that influencer marketing is an effective solution to this problem. Influencers influence the decisions of the people who follow them. Corporations understood that if they can win the hearts of influential internet figures, they can gain interest and open the wallets of their potential customers
2. Influencers are betting on personal brands
Influencers build personal brands
This trend is especially visible among the most influential internet figures. In many respects, in some areas the boundaries between celebrities and influencers are blurring. In particular, Generation Z believes that many of their online gurus are the stars of the generation.
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Kylie Jenner and her cosmetics brand Kylie Cosmetics[/caption]
Many celebrities have been earning from their names for years, but the best marketers are only beginning to realize that they too can benefit from their fame. The most influential ones create their own brands. They also find many other, non-standard ways of monetizing their channels.
This trend has potential benefits for brands cooperating with influencers of this caliber. If an influencer can successfully set up an Allegro, Amazon, or Shopify store selling products promoting themselves, there are many opportunities to also sell products from other brands.
3. Free the influencers!
The key to successful influencer marketing is authenticity. Therefore, it is best if the influencer is given the freedom to create content promoting the brand; they will become more credible to their followers.
Authenticity is the key to success
This may come as a real shock to some brands that are used to constant control over the image of their products. However, many companies have discovered that they must free themselves from controlling published content at every stage if they are to receive the promised marketing benefits.
Often an influencer chooses to work with a brand because of their love for its products, which companies can gladly use by spreading the influencer's content and thereby publicizing authentic, unsponsored interest in the brand.
4. An engaging influencer is worth their weight in gold
When a brand finds someone who is well matched, it will likely be more interested in working with that specific person, abandoning risky experiments with a larger group of still-unproven people.
5. Verification of influencer marketing results
Learn more at the upcoming conference dedicated to influencer marketing -> -> ->
6. Multi-platform campaigns
In the second half of 2017, it became clear that many companies prefer a multi-channel approach to influencer marketing. This will likely become even more visible in 2018, certainly for larger brands with more substantial budgets. Companies will analyze the transformations of their potential markets and realize that their target audiences are present on multiple social platforms. They are not present only on Facebook and Twitter. They do not post photos only on Instagram or only videos on YouTube. They are active on all these channels at the same time. This may mean that they use different types of influencers on these channels in one campaign. Brands have begun to use a mix of celebrities, macro, and micro-influencers to attract different audiences to the campaign. Companies can combine influential people and social networks in the way that best suits their marketing goals.7. Greater emphasis on original visual content
If there is one thing that makes a marketing campaign fail to achieve its intended effects, it is the use of stock creations. This is especially noticeable when marketers and bloggers use free photo services. After all, there is a limited number of different photos related to any keyword in stock photo banks, and these usually appear regularly on the internet.
