Take a look at our point of view on 2020 influencer trends written by our Creative Strategist, Monica Makropoulos.
Have you purchased something on social media because someone you admire posted about it? I have. In fact, I bought myself a new flannel all the way from a boutique in South Dakota after an influencer posting about it caught my eye. Couldn’t resist! Can you relate?
The takeaway, Influencer marketing works. For small boutiques in South Dakota to big Fortune 500 brands, it’s proven its success time and time again. Despite some hiccups in the industry–fake followers, lack of transparency in posts, changing algorithms–a survey revealed that 39% of marketers plan to increase their influencer marketing budget in 2020. Influencer marketing is positioned to become a $10 billion industry.
Now that we’re leaving 2019 behind, let’s look ahead to our predictions for 2020 influencer marketing trends.
Niche Communities & Micro-influencers
Celebrities are not that engaging on social media–There, I said it! Phew. The success of influencer marketing doesn’t have to rely on a follower count. Sometimes you have to go small to go big, and that’s where 2020’s trending.
Here are a couple benefits of micro-influencers:
- Micro-influencers might have small followings (40,000 or less), but they make up for it with high engagement rates. Influencers with 5,000 to 10,000 followers have 6.3% engagement.
- We’ve learned that these communities invest more time into fostering a meaningful community, which is ultimately what brands want.
As a result of fake influencers, brands are putting more emphasis on engagement moving into 2020. That being said, finding the right niche communities and micro-influencers to partner with will be a crucial element for success for influencer marketing in 2020.
Data-driven Influencer Partnerships and Paid Amplification
Organic and paid initiatives are important, but play different roles for all marketing initiatives.
In 2020, we’ll see brands move away from one-off organic influencer marketing campaigns and use data from the first to inform the next. We’ve seen organic engagement and views for Instagram Feed posts decline, so paid amplification is crucial to ensure brands are hitting KPI goals.
My two cents? Metrics matter. Take a hard look at where and how your top organic content is performing. Hone in on those tactics and use paid amplification to drive the brand’s message home. Learn more about influencer strategy recommendations here.
Content, Social and Influencer Marketing Strategies Will Intersect to Become One
Influencers play an integral role in social media marketing as vehicles for discovery, inspiration and awareness. The idea of having separate content strategies, social strategies and influencer strategies is a thing of the past.
Influencer marketing isn’t a “fad”–but a complete and necessary part of a holistic marketing strategy.
2020 will be the year when all strategies intersect to become one. And, with tools like Threads, brands can bring influencers into the strategic process–Glean insights, opinions and brainstorm ideas as a true team. Our partners at Method agree–they see influencer marketing as a true partnership with creators.
“The ease of communication directly with content creators means that we can make work together that all parties can be proud of,” said Halee Edwards, Social Media Associate at Method.
Generation Z will be viewed as real customers
There’s a lot of talk about TikTok as an opportunistic platform, but not enough talk about the consumers who fuel it with content: Gen Z.
“2020 will be the year marketers start truly thinking about Gen Z as real customers with buying power,” says Jane Simon, Popular Pays Associate Director of Partnerships. “As the first generation who doesn’t know a world without the internet, advertisers will need to be hyper-focused on their online advertising strategies.”
Here’s why brands should pay more attention to Gen Z:
- 77% of Gen Z said they like ads that show “real people in real situations”
- They’re all about YouTube and spend a lot of time watching their favorite stars
- 81% of Gen Z’ers said they prefer to purchase in stores as a way to “disconnect” from the stress of social media
I don’t need to bore you with more details on why influencer marketing works, but if you want to sit down for a cup of coffee to discuss, you know where to find me–I’d love to chat!
At the end of the day, influencers aren’t going away, but the way in which we partner with them is evolving, so it’s important to be open-minded and willing to test and learn until you find a strategy that works. With a dollop of best practices, and a splash of the right data, you’ve got yourself a recipe for success!
