Influencer Marketing Trends in Ecommerce 2022
Influencer Marketing is a term that has picked up recently with the rise in social media and social eCommerce. Surely with the lockdown digital means of businesses took the centre stage. Influencer marketing is one of the sectors that boomed during this period.
Understanding what influencer marketing is – it is a form of content that social media influencers create in the form of interactive videos focusing on a product or service. The ‘influencer’ is the individual who has enough presence and following on social media or other channels to impact the purchase decisions of their followers. Brands use this as a marketing tool where they partner with “influencers” to endorse their products. Traditionally, film and music celebrities and sports personalities have made up a large share of influencers. But now, with the rise of a new age of influencers, eCommerce influencer marketing has taken a new turn.
Types of Influencers
Influencers are now broadly categorised into five known types:
- Mega-Influencers: These influencers have above one million followers, the highest reach among all types of influencers. They can be celebrities or bloggers in any niche product or service category who have a “mega” impact on society and the marketplace. The most significant advantage of working with mega influencers is their massive reach, which gives brands incredible exposure on social media. Their reach is broad, and thousands of people see their stories and posts each day.
Macro-Influencers: These categories of influencers have 500k to 1million followers. Unlike ‘mega influencers’, the popularity of macro-influencers on social media stems mainly from their expertise in a related field or presence on the web via professional blogging or vlogging. If you want a great mix of reach and influence at a slightly lower cost than ‘mega influencers’, macro-influencers are the best among all types. Plenty of celebrities, singers, and other public figures are macro-influencers. - Mid-Tier Influencers: These influencers have 100k-500k followers and usually have a following in a specific niche such as finance, marketing or cooking. They may not be celebrity status, yet they remain a powerful group of content creators trusted by their followers. They offer brands a broad reach and slightly more engagement than macro- or mega-influencers.
- Micro-Influencers: These influencers have 10k-100k followers and have specific and targeted audiences. They’re more like thought leaders. They are usually well-known in specified fields and are considered the knowledge leaders in a particular area, such as beauty, fashion, fitness, gaming, etc.
- Nano-Influencers: These influencers have 1k-10k followers in a product category and are often a cost-effective option for ecommerce brands. They are, however, very influential and active within their local neighborhood or communities and have the highest engagement rates. These local influencers aim to get regular people to share brand products or services with their family and friends.
Trends in Influencer Marketing of 2022
The market grew from $1.7 billion in 2016 to $9.7 billion in 2020. In 2021, it soared to $13.8 billion, indicating steady growth. In 2022, the market is projected to expand to a whopping $16.4 billion industry. However, globally, the influencer-marketing platform market size will reach $84.89 billion by 2028. So, it should be no surprise that 63% of marketers planned to increase their influencer marketing budgets in 2021.
As the popularity, demand and marketing spend increase for influencer marketing channels, it is vital to know the key influencer marketing trends of 2022.
1. Following preferred creators across multiple platforms
Many creators have a favorite social network. They typically operate across multiple platforms. The difference now is there are “super fans” among their followers who interact with them everywhere they appear. Successful content creators have captivated a large audience base with whom they interact seamlessly across their social accounts. They see themselves as specialist creators on social platforms.
2. Influencers will be vital in scaling affiliate marketing.
Influencer marketing and affiliate marketing are seen as two different activities, but actually, they are very much interrelated. Both channels involve an “outsider” promoting and encouraging their supporters to buy a specific brand of products. Most affiliates were traditional bloggers or publishers and would include product demonstrations, walkthroughs, and reviews on their sites. But now, Influencers themselves recommend products to their followers – but they endorse only those brands they use or trust themselves. They understand their followers and disagree with promoting products they don’t like. As a result, brands discover that influencers can be true champions of their products.
3. The transition from static visuals to dynamic & animated content
Bandwidth has improved worldwide in recent years. 5G is spreading across the globe, and fibre internet has also reached tier-II cities. With this deep internet penetration, people access more video and audio content. As a result, content influencers on Twitch, YouTube, and even podcasts are becoming more influential. Of course, text and images aren’t yet dead – Instagram is still one of the most popular social sites. But now on, there will be more emphasis on video and audio content over the next year.
4. Influencers will be crucial partners in delivering a seamless shopping experience.
Live shopping became famous in 2021 and is spilling into 2022. Using live video and interactive content, influencers and other key content creators promote products to their communities on their favourite social platforms. Amazon, Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram have developed Livestream shopping tools and partnerships. In addition, many of TikTok’s most prominent influencers have participated in shoppable Livestream events. Expect to see many more of these over the next year.
5. Micro and Nano Influencers Will Get More Preference
According to a 2019 report, micro-influencers, particularly those with fewer than 25,000 followers, have the highest engagement rates at around 7%. Considering that engagement rates on Instagram have been declining, influencers with an engaged following are getting a closer look from businesses, even with fewer followers. By focusing on nano and micro-influencers, brands will be able to stretch their influencer marketing budgets while still working with influencers who are strongly connected with their audiences. Influencers will benefit from partnerships with an increasing number of brands.
6. Brands opting for Ongoing Partnerships or Collaboration Instead of One-Off Projects
2022 will see brands and influencers join hands for long-term, ongoing projects rather than one-off sponsored posts. There are multiple reasons for this shift, but it ultimately comes down to this: it takes time to make a sale. Even influencers with the most engaged audiences will have trouble making any real contribution when commissioned for a single sponsored post. If a brand wants to capitalise on this influencer marketing trend, it is recommended to create packages that you can sell to brands seeking your services. The service package can include several sponsored posts over a period of time, much like what they would do when running Facebook ads or ads on other platforms. It can also help you join an influencer marketing network to give yourself some legitimacy.
7. Influencer Marketing Collaborations Will Increase
Influencer marketing trends indicate that 2022 will bring more connections and collaborations between influencers. We’ve already seen influencer houses become a thing, and there will likely be more of that as influencer networks seek ways to increase influencer marketing campaigns and earn more return on their efforts.
8. Planning and Data Will Rule
Because performance-based contracts and deals will increase, it is evident that planning and data will play an essential role in influencer marketing for 2022. Now that brands and influencers are more comfortable working together, there will be more collaborations between brands and influencers in planning campaigns and more interest in social media analytics that let brands know the influencer marketing is working. While influencer networks already have some analytics and reporting, solo influencers must understand that social media metrics are vital for delivering on promises.
9. New Social Media Platforms—and Types of Influencer Content
If the last two Covid-affected years (2020 and 2021) have taught us anything, we always have room for more social media platforms. TikTok had stellar years due, in large part, to the pandemic that swept the globe and kept people indoors with little to do. But TikTok isn’t the only new social app to come recently. The exclusive, audio-based social app Clubhouse (no longer invite-only) and Reels (Instagram’s answer to TikTok) came on the scene in 2020. In addition to the new social media platforms, we’ll start seeing new and experimental forms of media and a big push towards AI-driving influencer marketing platforms. CGI influencers have already begun to create a moment. As technology advances, influencers will come up with even more highly shareable content with virality potential.
10. Social Commerce Will Bring New Sponsorship Opportunities
In 2021, it was the need of the hour for brands to get creative in connecting with shoppers. Brick-and-mortar stores scrambled to embrace ecommerce. They found themselves amidst tough competitors and consorted to ways to offer shoppers a better shopping experience. The year forced brands to cling to new technology faster and forced the creators of new technology to fast-track their inventions. As a result, we see new opportunities for influencer marketing and brand sponsorships through social commerce. Shoppable videos and shoppable posts have created a seamless user experience from influencer content to brand channels and farther-reaching ecommerce solutions.
11. Video Content Will Increase (Even More) In Popularity
video content has been on everyone’s list of influencer marketing trends and marketing trends in general. And there’s a good reason for that. People love videos. With the increasing popularity of TikTok and the introduction of Instagram Reels, there will be more video content than ever. Additionally, IGTV (now Instagram Video) is waiting for Instagram to let loose the rain of ad revenue that everyone expects once ads go live on the platform. Creators can monetise their long-form content, and brands can reach audiences engaging with the long-form video.
12. Paid Advertising Will Be Key for Broad Reach
Paid ads are typically not used in conjunction with influencer marketing campaigns. However, brands and influencers will benefit from the paid amplification of the content created by influencers. Using the fine-tuned targeting available on Facebook Ads or through the advertising tools of other social media platforms, brands will be able to push out high-quality influencer content. It will engage people who care about seeing content without relying on social media algorithms to make it happen.
Conclusion
There you have it a few influencer marekting trends to be aware of. Influncer markting is the new talk of the town that is picking up and as a brand if you are or have not used it to your advantage you are losing out potential customers. So, don’t stay back and keep up with the infulencer marekting trends. and use them to the best of your advantage. If you want to know more about influencer marketing then check out this post.
