WeAreTENZING

Top 10 Influencer Marketing Trends to watch in 2022

Over the past few years, we’ve seen growth in social media use that no one could have predicted. Two years ago, if you told us that millions of us would soon be watching videos of people dancing in their kitchens, lip-syncing and pointing at captions, we’d have thought you were bonkers.

Yet here we are – in 2022, over a billion people worldwide are actively using TikTok each month, Instagram’s reach has grown year on year, podcasting is becoming the norm and more videos are being streamed on YouTube per minute than Netflix. With consumers more active on social platforms than ever before, it’s essential for brands to authentically integrate into each platform.

This tells us that marketing has become more dynamic than ever before. Social media and influencer marketing, in particular, are essential sectors to wrap our marketing minds around.

So what does the future hold? What influencer marketing trends can we expect to see for the remainder of 2022?

We’ve compiled the research and have come up with our list of the “Top 10 Influencer Marketing Trends to Watch in 2022”:

Influencer marketing has become the norm
While there may have been some scepticism initially over celebrities promoting products and brands being mandated to include #ad in social media posts, we’re long past that. Consumers are now unfazed by brands and products being promoted via influencers on social media. Content creators have become one of the most credible sources of brand advocates, largely due to the rise in parasocial relationships, the increase in relatable content and strategic campaign management by agencies such as WeAreTENZING.
Influencer marketing will be part of the strategic growth of companies of all sizes
We’ve seen the use of influencer marketing by companies all over the globe, both large and small. Some of the most effective marketing campaigns of 2021 were executed by consumer brands such as Dunkin’ Donuts, Gymshark, Magnum (ice cream), Häagen-Dazs (more ice cream), Levi’s and PlayStation. Influencer marketing is not just for specific segments or particular demographics – it’s a key part of the marketing mix that all brands should be embracing. Influencer marketing is no longer just restricted to traditional consumer brands or FMCG. At WeAreTENZING, we work with a range of brands across all industries including helping Government Agencies and Investment Companies to execute successful influencer campaigns.
Ecommerce will continue to grow
Throughout the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021, consumers “stuck” at home or working from home took to online shopping like never before. Any hesitation or nervousness about buying without trying was soon eradicated. Businesses, in turn, were forced to improve their customer care and return policies. This behaviour change means customers have adapted to online shopping. To increase conversions, it’s important that brands perfect their online offering so that there is a seamless shopping experience when integrating with digital advertising such as influencer marketing.
Influencer marketing and ambassadorships are merging
Brands and their consumers are recognising that there is nothing taboo about paying someone to promote products and influence buying decisions. In the olden days, we used to call this sponsorship. No one blinked an eye when Richie McCaw earned over 1.5 million dollars per year from his work with sponsors. Paying a trusted, well-known celebrity or athlete to be an affiliate of your brand has been a widely accepted practice for decades. Consumers want to know what products their idols recommend. The transparency around this will continue to increase.
Storytelling is more effective than selling
Consumers love a good transformation tale. We are curious about before and after photos. And we love to hear first-hand how a product or service has changed someone’s life. Brands will continue to see impressive results when they engage through storytelling. Bringing your customers along the journey will continue to be more effective than traditional advertising that focuses on features and benefits. Influencer marketing can achieve this by authentically documenting a journey or experience with a product or service. Long-term influencer partnerships are more effective than one-off product posts as they build trust, authenticity and a positive brand affinity through showing products/services integrated into a creator’s everyday life. Brands should take a long-term view to influencer partnerships to maximise ROI, reach and engagement.
Marketing will involve even more visual and audio aspects
Storytelling gets the consumer involved in the brand journey. But storytelling isn’t just about words on a page. Social media takes storytelling to new heights through visual and audio involvement. Photos, videos, reels, stories, and any other snapshots in time that we can come up with will continue to grab attention faster than any other medium.
More brands will offer live shopping
We’ve already started to see a decrease in the use of #linkinbio when it comes to product promotions. Live shopping makes it easy for viewers to click on the shopping bag icon to browse and buy. The technology behind this is evolving, making it easier for brands and customers alike to transact through social channels.
Influencer marketing will represent “real people” more accurately
While diversity has been a bit of a buzzword in marketing lately, at WeAreTENZING we see this more as an improvement in how “real people” are represented in the media. In particular, we’re finding that our partners are having great success with campaigns that accurately represent real-world women. Filter addicts have been called out, and authenticity is being praised. We’re working hard to help the brands we work with leverage marketing to reach the female consumer in a relatable way.
Values-based relationship building
Social media has always provided a broad platform for people to promote causes and take a stand on issues they feel strongly about. Through influencer marketing, consumers choose to support brands that use their platforms to influence change and share their values. Social media engagement has made it possible to create relationships that go beyond the cash register. Organisations that manage these values-based relationships well will then see an uplift in brand loyalty and sales.
Influencer marketing agencies will work alongside marketing departments
The strategy behind influencer marketing, talent management and content creation requires a unique set of skills, experience and established relationships. To make the most of its social media strategy, an organisation needs to effectively coordinate all of the aspects that make up a successful influencer marketing strategy. An established agency like WeAreTENZING is leading the way in helping talented content creators forge successful careers while helping brands build rewarding relationships with their audience segments.