Influencer Marketing: 3 Trends for 2022

By now, you’re (hopefully) aware that Influencer marketing has the potential to have an extraordinary impact on a brand’s marketing results. Those who can give influencer marketing a meaningful place in their marketing efforts can reap considerable rewards. 

We see three major trends emerging – or continuing to gain momentum – that should have significant implications for the year ahead. Let’s go!

The Rise of Nano & Micro-Influencer

The preference to use micro-influencers in influencer marketing campaigns is a 2021 trend that will continue to gain momentum into 2022. Influencers with lower follower numbers, but high engagement rates, are incredibly valuable due to their potential for a high ROI. 

Micro-influencers (20-100k followers) are a popular choice. They tend to be confident creators, come across authentically, and make perfect long term ambassadors. A safe pair of hands who can deliver some really impressive results. Expect this to continue to go from strength to strength. 

However, 2022 will also see the rise of the nano-influencer. Accounts with 3-10k followers can be a fantastic choice, especially if they own a particular niche, are a specialist in something, or are a thought leader in their industry. Nano influencers are particularly good at educating their audiences of this size, so they are suitable for new product launches or services. 

Because of these factors, they can create compelling content that goes directly to those most likely to take notice – and convert. They also make great longer-term ambassadors, something else increasingly important (we’ll cover that later). 

Different Types of Collaborations

We’re seeing more apps rolling out tools to allow brands and influencers to create and distribute content together. Instagram, in particular, has identified this need and has pulled together a host of handy and often surprisingly uncomplicated tools and updates to enable both parties to work seamlessly together. These tools allow creators, and brands, to reach highly targeted audiences and increase engagement. 

The following are either live on the platform now or due in 2022.

Collabs: Enables users to co-author in-feed posts and reels so that their content can readily reach larger, organic audiences.

Instagram stories: Add Yours: A simple tool that allows users to add their own pictures to another user’s Instagram Story. You may have seen the recent ‘we’ll plant a tree for every photo added.’ It’s a great way to source UGC and encourage creativity. With influencers’ naturally high reach, it has the potential to catch on quickly and spread across the platform, reaching new audiences. 

Instagram Reels – Play bonus: A way for Instagram creators to earn money directly from Facebook and Instagram, simply by creating content that their audiences love to watch. Currently, the plan is for IG to pay out on Reels that get 1,000+ views over 30-days. This can be an excellent incentive for influencers to deliver compelling content when working with brands to create reels. 

The Always-On Approach Steps Up

Historically, a short-term approach has been prevalent in influencer marketing. This is demonstrated by the number of one-off influencer campaigns we’ve seen over the last few years – brands using an influencer to support one campaign, end of. This is primarily due to the fact that many companies were apprehensive about investing in something new. 

Now that influencer marketing is more established, the industry is turning its attention to an always-on approach. This refers to brand ambassador strategies, building longer-term relationships with talent, or strategising longer-term influencer campaigns that span months or years rather than days or weeks. 

The goal is to be present in your audience’s feeds before and during that moment of need. It can take multiple touchpoints to build credibility and to convert prospects. With the continued endorsement of the influencer backing the product, this is likely to lead to those conversions and active consumers.

Ready to take your brand to the next level through harnessing these influencer marketing trends? Get in touch with our team today.