Who knew social media influencers would pay such a dominant role in marketing this year? Well, based on several 2017 marketing trend lists, the majority of digital marketers in both B2B and B2C industries did. In fact, 66% of marketers already planned on using influencers in their marketing strategies in 2016, according to Chute. If the trends continue, we expect the B2B and B2C industries to hit complete adoption of influencer marketing in the next two to three years.
This article will explore some of the top influencer marketing trends that will keep you ahead of the competition and increase customer engagement.
1. Increased Transparency
The FTC cracked down in 2017, making it necessary for influencers to reveal when they are involved in a paid brand sponsorship. Influencer programs will make greater efforts to be more transparent, and let audience members known about posts that involve a brand sponsored partnership. Count on this in 2018, and make it a priority to avoid any potential legal problems.
2. A Boost in Influencer Marketer Tools
As marketing influencers become more popular, so are the ways to make influencer marketing processes easier. We already have tools like Onanalytica, Upfluence, BuzzSumo, and Traackr. These programs make it easier for brands to find influencers and enable them to create partnerships that work.This year, expect to see more innovative technology that helps you fine-tune your influencer marketing campaigns. Measure the success of your marketing influencers strategy by closely analyzing your campaign analytics and KPIs.
3. More Measuring of Influencer Marketing ROI
You may have already invested a large portion of your marketing budget to influencer programs, but how do you know it’s actually paying off? Take the time to prioritize measuring the ROI of your influencer marketing. These analytics will help tell you which partnerships are working, which are not, and how you can get the most engagement out of your strategy.
4. YouTube Influencers Making a Comeback
Recently, many big brands have pulled their advertising dollars from YouTube. The reason? Brands had little control of where their ads actually appeared. However, a more popular approach may be to partner with a YouTube content creator. After all, 70% of teenage YouTube subscribers say they relate to YouTube content creators more than celebrities. Focus your efforts not on traditional advertisers, but in hiring YouTube creators to work as your brand advocates.
5. Influencer Marketing WIll Reach More Platforms
When you think of influencer marketing, the first platform that comes to mind is probably Instagram. Instagram is widely successful because, like YouTube, it contains both micro influencers with followers from 2,000 to 100,000 and macro influencers with followers above 100,000. While Instagram is the number one platform for influencer marketing, it isn’t the only one you should consider. Branch out this year and see what is happening on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, SnapChat, and Pinterest. This is especially important if you find your audience is more active on one social media platform over another.
