Nowadays, it is more important than ever for brands to think of new ways to raise brand awareness and promote their products to a greater audience through social media. It’s no longer enough to repeat the same influencer marketing strategies that were successful last year or even the ones that were successful just a few months ago. This last summer alone, we’ve seen a lot of changes and interesting trends emerging in influencer marketing. So you better get a paper and a pen, because it looks as if some of them are here to stay!

1-Short Video Content

If you’re looking to grab the audience’s attention in 2020, then video content is the way to go. Video content is easy to view, quick to share, and gives people all the information they need to make purchasing decisions. Moreover, platforms like TikTok and new alternative features like Instagram Reels and YouTube shorts gives content creators the tools to record, edit, and publish videos all in one place. So whether through How-To videos, Q&As, product reviews, or live streams, brands can collaborate with influencers on these platforms and integrate their message in just a few seconds.

2. Investing in Micro-Influencers

Now all eyes are on micro-influencers! Those with fewer followers, but who are of great importance and are already an authority in their niche market. Micro-influencers are considered relatable, trustworthy, and have tighter personal connections with their audience, which means higher engagement and more cost-effective influencer marketing campaigns.

Thinking about working with a Micro-Influencer? Take a look at our Rise of Micro-influencers article for more insights.

3. Exploring Niche Platforms

Although Instagram has been dominating the influencer marketing campaign scene for long, it doesn’t mean that it’s always the best platform to reach your desired target audience and achieve campaign success. Ever since the Covid outbreak, we have been watching several alternative platforms gain popularity among niche communities.

So if your brand’s target audience is primarily Generation Z, then you need to plug into platforms like TikTok or Twitch. But if you’re targeting a quality audience in a professional context then you can achieve better results on LinkedIn.

So do some research about where your ideal customer exists because the right platform can connect you directly to your target audience.

4. Experimenting with Virtual Influencers

Virtual influencers have become a tempting alternative to the typical influencers and are becoming a real force to be reckoned with in the influencer marketing industry. Brands can make use of the latest advances in visual technology in order to reach out to the audience in new and creative ways.

Read more about the virtual influencers, on our recent article Could virtual influencers take over the internet?

5.Long-Term Relationships over One-Offs

For long, most influencer and brand collaborations have been on a campaign by campaign basis. However, we are recently seeing more focus on brands and influencers growing together through mutually beneficial and purpose-led initiatives.

This is mostly due to the marketing budget cuts brands have had during the pandemic, which forced many to consider the previous meaningful and successful collaborations they’ve had with influencers, and pursue only those that are guaranteed to translate into repeated sales.

With Long-Term Relationships, influencers will be encouraged to create higher-quality content and will be able to re-create content based on the audience’s response to the brand and product leading to more successful and persuasive influencer marketing campaigns.

Moreover, since the logic of becoming an influencer is built on the long-term relationships one has with their followers, it only makes sense that the same principle applies to partnerships with brands.

So the next time you’re working on an influencer marketing campaign, remember that Influencer collaboration is a marriage, not a one night stand.

Have you noticed any interesting influencer marketing trends this summer? Connect with us on social media and let us know all about it!