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The latest and greatest trends in influencer marketing are authenticity, transparency, and meaningful connections. With so much noise out there, it’s no wonder people turn to trusted sources for information. When it comes to influencing their buying decisions, consumers trust their peers more than advertisers.

In fact, according to Nielsen, “consumers are more likely to trust recommendations from friends and family members than any other source (87% vs. 69% average).” 

If you have a product or service that you want to get in front of consumers who care about it and who will go out of their way to buy something based on what their favorite influencers say, then consider tapping into this trend by partnering with an expertly chosen influencer who can highlight your brand among their own community.

Micro-Influencer Marketing

What exactly is a micro-influencer? In this case, the term refers to an individual with a smaller audience than traditional celebrities but still has a sizeable following. 

While these individuals may lack the influence of their more well-known counterparts, they actually have some advantages over them. For example, many micro-influencers have higher engagement rates with their audiences because they are more accessible and approachable. 

Because of this increased level of interest in their posts, micro-influencers are easier to work with than celebrities regarding marketing campaigns or other sponsored content opportunities. Finally, since these influencers generally have smaller audiences than big names, working with them can be much cheaper than working with mainstream stars—which means you will end up saving money!

Authenticity is Still King 

Authenticity is still key in marketing. Audiences trust influencers because they are authentic and honest in their content creation. Influencers have a personal connection to their audience. They know what makes them tick, their interests, and what kind of stories resonate with them emotionally. When it comes to connecting with your customers, who better than someone who knows what it’s like to be that customer?

Influencers are also great at creating relatable content. They can show you how to do something or give tips on achieving the same result in a way that makes sense for your audience. The best influencers are people who have a passion for what they do, and this passion comes through in their content creation.

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Rise of the Nano Influencer

Nano influencers are the new micro-influencers.

Nano-influencers have a smaller audience than micro-influencers, but their smaller size makes them more affordable and easier to manage. If you are looking for an effective way to increase brand awareness among younger consumers or gain exposure for a new product launch, nano-influencer campaigns can do the trick!

Nano influencers are a great way to reach new audiences and expand your reach. They have a smaller following than micro-influencers, but their smaller size makes them more affordable and easier to manage. If you are looking for an effective way to increase brand awareness among younger consumers or gain exposure for a new product launch, nano-influencer campaigns can do the trick!

Instagram Stories Will Rule

Instagram Stories are a great way to connect with your audience, showcase behind-the-scenes content, and share exclusive content.

The beauty of Instagram Stories is that it’s so easy to create them. All you need is a smartphone or tablet, which almost everyone has these days. If you are not already using this feature in your marketing strategy, now is the time to start!

Instagram Stories are limited in length, but they are perfect for sharing videos and photos from events like product launches or fashion shows. You can also use them to promote new products on sale or highlight promotions like “buy one get one free,” sharing information about your business through text overlays and stickers, as well as images of your products or services offered by your brand.

The best part about Instagram Stories is that they are ephemeral. What does this mean? It means that once they expire, they are gone forever! This makes them a great way to promote new products or services or simply showcase your brand and what it’s all about.

Long-Form Content Will Embrace Influencers

There is a lot of talk about long-form content these days, and for a good reason. Long-form content is more engaging than ever and is more likely to be shared. In fact, HubSpot reports that the average time spent on a blog post is 2 minutes and 35 seconds. 

If you can get people to read your full blog post (which will be long), they will spend almost a whole minute reading it! That means they are highly engaged with your content. Also, if someone shares your long piece of content on social media or via email marketing campaigns, it has greater potential to reach new audiences than short posts.

But what if you are not a writer? What if you want to create long-form content but don’t have the skills or time to do so? In this case, it might be better to outsource your writing. That way, it won’t take up your valuable time while still giving you access to all of the benefits of long-form content.

There are a few other reasons why outsourcing your writing can be a good idea. For one thing, it will make things much easier if you are strapped for time or simply don’t want to write all of your content yourself. Also, if you choose a writer with experience in creating long-form content, they will know how to create engaging pieces that are also highly shareable.

Transparency and Disclosure Are Vital

As a result of FTC enforcement, disclosure of sponsored content is now a legal requirement. Influencers need to disclose their relationship with brands, and as part of that, they should be transparent about how they choose which products or services to promote.

The FTC has issued new guidelines for influencers and brands, outlining the steps each party should take in order to comply with these regulations. For example:

• The FTC recommends using “clear” language in disclosures (such as “ad” or “sponsored”) so that it’s obvious that an endorsement is not objective.
• Influencers should also include specific information about the nature of their relationship with the brand they are promoting. For example, if there was no direct exchange between them but instead a sharing agreement involving money made from views generated from videos posted on YouTube channels belonging only partially controlled by creators themselves. In contrast, others were created entirely by outside companies paying players directly without any form of transparency between the parties involved.
• The FTC’s guidelines also state that influencers should disclose any free product or service they receive from brands, including travel expenses and event tickets. The commission recommends this information be included in tweets, Instagram posts, and other social media posts promoting a brand or product.
• The FTC also advises influencers to disclose if they are endorsing a brand that competes with one of their existing partners. If you have multiple businesses, it’s important to be transparent about where your loyalties lie when recommending products or services.

Sponsored Branded Content Campaigns Will Rise in Popularity

Branded Content campaigns are when brand partners with a content creator to create sponsored content for their audience. This can range from a video series on YouTube to an entire blog post series or even just one piece of content. Branded content campaigns aim to promote your brand while also providing value to your audience.

Brands like Netflix, Amazon, and HBO have previously used this technique to promote new shows by creating videos that show the characters watching their shows (which they paid for). Still, there are many other ways to use branded content in your marketing strategy. 

For example, instead of just showing photos of people using your product and claiming how awesome it is, think about creating an engaging video where you demonstrate how easy it is or show off some features that users might not know about yet. There is no reason why every piece of branded content has to be bland or boring; if anything—it should always be entertaining!

Bloggers and Vloggers Will Continue to Be Mainstream.

Bloggers and vloggers will continue to be mainstream. Nowadays, more marketers are using bloggers and/or vloggers as part of their social media marketing strategy.

These influencers have expertise in their respective fields, they have a loyal following (which they can build organically or by paid advertising), and they are trustworthy because you know that the company has vetted them before being promoted as an ambassador for them.

And the trend isn’t going away anytime soon. 

In fact, we expect it to become even more popular in the coming years as brands look for ways to reach consumers who are getting increasingly savvy about advertising.

Social Issue Advocates

Another trend is social issue advocates. Influencers can be used to spread awareness about different social issues, raise money for charity, and promote certain social causes or issues. The latter has been a hot topic recently since influencers are some of the most trusted sources of information people turn to when they want to learn more about topics like politics, healthcare, and education.

Video Content is King

YouTube and Facebook are the two most popular video platforms; no wonder people spend more time with them than ever before. On social media, over 75% of brands use video to engage with their audiences. Video has become the most engaging type of content—far more so than text or images—and it’s easy to see why: because of how we are wired as humans, we can comprehend information faster through visual cues than written ones (we have known this for years). A picture might be worth a thousand words, but a moving picture is worth even more!

Video also helps you stand out from the crowd when you are trying to build trust with your audience by demonstrating expertise or authority in your field; after all, if an audience member can’t tell what they are looking at on screen (i.e., there is no narration), then they won’t know whether or not they should trust what they are seeing! 

This means that companies with no video marketing strategy will soon fall behind their competitors, who have one in place right now.

UGC is More Important than Ever

UGC (user-generated content) is more important than ever.

Why? Because it’s a powerful way to build trust and connect with your audience. It also allows you to create authentic content that will resonate with your followers so they feel like they are part of something special. This can lead directly to brand advocacy.

Social Commerce Is On the Rise

Social commerce is a trend that won’t be going away anytime soon. In fact, it’s only growing stronger. Social media is the first place people go to make purchase decisions, and it’s driving sales in a major way. As more consumers move their shopping onto social channels, brands must adapt their strategies accordingly. We will see more of this in coming years when influencers take on even more responsibility for generating sales and driving traffic to retailers’ websites (which may or may not be owned by the brand).

Influencers Are Becoming More Influential in the B2B Space Too.

If you are a B2B marketer, you might have noticed the rise of influencers. That’s because they are becoming more influential in the B2B space too. Influencers can help you to:

• Improve your brand awareness
• Increase website traffic and conversions
• Generate leads from new audiences
• Create a sense of urgency in your marketing campaigns.

These are all things that B2B marketers have been looking for. And now they are becoming more important than ever before.

The Influencer Marketing Industry Continues to Grow at a Rapid Pace.

Here are some other interesting facts about social media and influencers:

• Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram have made it easier for people from all walks of life to build their own brands by sharing content online.
• More than half (56%) of influencers say they have increased their reach thanks to social media platforms; there are now more opportunities for people with no formal training or background in photography or video production than ever before!

Conclusion

We are expecting the coming year to be another big year for influencer marketing. The industry continues to grow rapidly, and this trend will continue. With the rise of social media networks like Instagram and Snapchat, as well as many new platforms, there are more opportunities than ever before for brands to reach their target audiences through influencers who understand their audience better than anyone else could. 

We hope this post helped you understand some of the biggest trends in influencer marketing today so that you can take advantage of them in your own campaigns!