Influencer marketing has proven to help brands build social proof, increase brand awareness, and convert people into customers! To build a successful social media marketing strategy, we’ve got the top 5 influencer marketing trends listed in this article.
According to Influencer Marketing Hub’s research, the influencer marketing industry is set to grow to USD $13.8 Billion in 2021 from $1.7 Billion in 2016. That’s a considerable jump!
Here are the top 5 influencer marketing trends that you need to know for 2021.
Stay tuned at the end of the article for our top tips on how to reach out to influencers.
1. Moving to TikTok Shop
If you’re in the social media space, you’re probably familiar with TikTok. The popular, 30 second video sharing platform has taken the world by a storm.
In HypeAuditor’s 2021 State of Influencer Marketing report, they project that TikTok surpass 1 billion monthly active users by the end of 2021. TikTok is currently testing their in-app shopping experiences with Shopify and Walmart to sell merchandise.
TikTok Shop is the biggest move if you want to put your products in front of people’s screens. The bite-sized video lengths are perfect for collaborating with influencers that align with your brand values.
As of right now, TikTok has not announced when they will open in-app shopping for every Business account in the U.S., but expect them to come soon.
2. Brands build long term relationships with influencers
Instead of one-off projects, long-term partnerships are at the forefront of influencer marketing trends. There are a couple reasons why long-term partnerships can benefit your brand.
First, it is difficult to find an influencer who aligns with your brand values and has an audience that suits your user persona. Partner with great influencers long term and create a bridge of trust between them, their audience, and your brand.
Second, if you saw an influencer promote a product once, do you really believe that they love the brand?
Authenticity in the digital space is growing more prominent. When an influencer shares their experience with your brand over time, their audience will feel trusted in their advocacy.
A great example of a long term partnership is Myesha Polnett’s recent onboarding as Fenty Beauty’s ambassador. In Glossy’s recent interview, the interviewer asked Myesha why this partnership makes sense. Myesha responded with a list of how her own values and her own audience aligns with Fenty Beauty’s values. “
3. Brands will focus more on values, transparency, and authenticity
Adding to the previous point, brands will focus more on corporate social responsibility, authenticity, and transparency in 2021. As the digital space gets saturated by more brands, users are craving for a new image.
Being transparent is one of the best ways to put your brand forward to build trust with an audience. You can be open about how your products are sourced or donate to a cause your brand believes in. This is an effective way to build consumer trust.
A good example of brands bringing authenticity and values onto their platform is the indie brand, Pseudo Labs. On their Instagram page, they showcase cozy, beige photos of ethnically diverse women using their faux-freckle product.
Their slogan? We are, and always will be, for all skin types.
4. Micro and nano influencers are on the rise
Forget about the celebrity influencers, micro and nano influencers have proven to increase conversions in collaborated campaigns!
According to Upfluence’s data, micro-influencers have the highest engagement rates across 3 main platforms.
💡 Blanka glossary: average engagement rate is the number of likes, shares, comments on a post relative to total number of followers.
The higher the engagement rate is on a profile, the more you know that their content resonates with their audience. Upfluence’s data shows that micro-influencers are well-connected and trusted to their followers.
What does this mean for you? The rule of thumb is to collaborate with influencers that have more than 2% engagement rate. However, depending on the social media channel you are focused on, the average engagement rate can vary.
💡 Blanka tip: You can use a free Chrome extension called Tilly to automatically view any Instagram profile’s engagement rate. Check out some influencer marketing platforms to keep track of who you reach out to.
5. Video is crucial
In 2020, we saw the rise of TikTok, where bite-sized video content gained traction for brands and influencers. So how did these short, 30-second videos come to be so popular?
According to McKinsey & Company’s research, Generation Z is the largest age group using social media. In their research, they show how Generation Z is more open and expressive of their identity. In turn, the video content produced start to express anyone’s authentic self, creating a safer, more fun space.
This is where you can get creative. Creating more video content of your products by sharing knowledge and operations can capture a wider audience’s attention.
Again, it’s all about transparency and authenticity. Use simple editing tools provided by Instagram or TIkTok or branch out to more creative apps like Inshot. You can harness the power of videos to gain traction and brand awareness.
Top tips on How to Reach out to Influencers
In this last part of the article, we share some of our tips on how to reach out to influencers.
- Confirm that the influencer’s audience matches your user persona. By doing a review of their social media profile, you can determine if their audience aligns with your ideal customer. Moreover, you can also check who the influencer has partnered with in the past to do a value alignment check!
- Reach out to influencers by offering an incentive that you would also be excited for. It’s a good idea to send your product in advance to make sure they love and believe in it.
- Plan a long-term strategy if the collaboration performs well. Some statistics review are: revenue and conversions, pageviews and impressions, and click-through rates. For an in-depth article on what type of data to measure, you can read more on it here.
Conclusion
It’s no surprise that influencer marketing trends are leaning towards in-app shopping experiences, authentic content, and long term collaborations!
As influencer marketing becomes prominent, being authentic and cultivating partnerships are the defining features of great brands.
These influencer marketing trends listed here just goes to show how the industry will not stop growing from here!
Thinking about building your own beauty brand?
Blanka can help with that! With zero minimums, high quality products, and dropshipping, build your brand with Blanka today.
