Social media has had its fair amount of time in the limelight, but recently coming to the forefront, is influencer marketing.
Most would say these online personalities are more influential and trustworthy than celebrities. Personally, I agree. Thinking about who I follow on Instagram, it’s normally based on my interests, and these bloggers have turned their interests into brands. While singers and actors seem private and out of reach, micro to mega social stars post relatable, authentic content and connect with their loyal followers as if they’re friends.
As our social platforms update every day, there is more opportunity for bloggers and vloggers to grow, thus creating more advertising options for companies. In the last year especially, brands have realized this essential piece of social advertising.
What is the future of this industry? Check out the top influencer marketing trends I expect to thrive in 2018.
To work with a lot of micro-influencers or a few macro-influencers? This question isn’t easy for brands to answer. It’s essential to decide the goals of a partnership strategically, analytically, and creatively. While each strategy has its pros and cons, we predict brands will begin choosing micro-influencers for content creation. Recently launched brands, with little to no assets heavily rely on micro-influencers for beautiful content. We’ve seen success with this strategy in the past with companies such as Daniel Wellington. They used this strategy, and eventually partnered with macro-influencers and increased sales to over $200 million. The high engagement and trusted following of micro-influencers leads to high-quality content, awareness, and sales.
With more than a million followers on Instagram, macro-influencers are shaking up every industry by partnering with brands for product lines. Recently, Arielle Charnas of @SomethingNavy launched Treasure Bond x Something Navy at Nordstrom and drove over $1 million dollars in sales in less than 24 hours! Brands should take note of the success of these capsule collections with influencers to drive sales in 2018.
Creatives must continue to innovate if they want to get ahead. As influencer marketing continues its rise, we’re becoming more data-driven. To stand out, you need to capture attention, and nothing does that better than video. An article by Business Insider details the impact video has on social platforms. Their findings explain video is the most effective influencer content for driving sales and respondents are “willing to spend more on a product after watching a social media video.”
Online personalities are capable of more than creating Instagram #ads. Influencers are being contacted to appear on billboards, act in movies, star in commercials, and more. As they continue to prove their talents stretch beyond our Instagram feeds, we predict the partnerships and media opportunities will only increase in size.
In April 2017, the FTC sent letters to over 90 influencers, celebrities, and brands that did not use the correct disclosure regulations. Until now, many of them have failed to communicate sponsored content online, which is deceptive to their followers. This was the first year the FTC started cracking down with warnings. Going forward, it’s important for brands and influencers to make sure they’re following the guidelines and staying up to date on changes, or suffer possible lawsuits in the long-run.
What trends do you see for 2018? Tweet your predictions to @socialfly!