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As digital influencer marketing continues to rise it may feel like it is harder and harder to be innovative. As the saying goes “nothing is original,” and the same can be said for marketing. The average person encounters 6,000 to 10,000 ads every single day compared to 500-1,600 ads in the ’70s. So this begs the question, how many of those advertisements are original ideas? While it may seem new ideas are few and far in between, some trends in digital influencer marketing are more important now than ever.
Expanding Content Platforms
With digital influencer marketing becoming the number one use of marketing for brands today, these companies have to be creative when and where they market. Some of the most popular platforms brands use are:
These platforms are extremely common and rightfully so since the average millennial and Gen Z have at least two of these apps downloaded on their phone right now. However, with the competition of digital influencer marketing becoming more and more overwhelming each day, brands and marketers are understanding the importance of expanding their reach. Instagram and Facebook are an absolute given but what about the audiences on other platforms?
A new trend we have been seeing and are going to see more of is expanding your content amongst a plethora of platforms. LinkedIn, Clubhouse, Twitch, and Tiktok are all budding brands that have emerged into mainstream popularity within the last five years. Twitch has an average of 140 million users monthly, that is 140 million people brands have access to market to. Elf recently became the first cosmetic company to create a Twitch account. Elf is now able to cater to streamers and interact with people in real-time as it feels more natural. They can now promote their new products on live streamers and even sponsor influencers on the app to promote for them.
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Still not convinced about Twitch’s major impact? Check out this blog to see how one influencer raised $250k for a small streamer in only 15 minutes.
Marketing in Messaging Apps
While text message alerts from brands are nothing new, they are effective as Whatsapp is a messaging app that is used in over 180 countries and garners over 1.5 billion monthly active users. Messenger is another messaging app that originally started as a feature in the Facebook app and is now a stand-alone app that brings in over 1.3 billion monthly users.
Newsletters and emails are quite common with every brand but companies are finding that people are more active on instant messaging apps. Yoox, an Italian online luxury fashion retailer merged with Net-A-Porter, has become a global e-commerce player that serves more than 180 countries. The online retailer has designers ranging from Saint Laurent to Balenciaga to Prada. Yoox often uses personal shoppers and decided to partner with Whatsapp to communicate with their most valued customers for a more personal and intimate experience.
This all happend when the personal shopping team realized that their most valued customers were constantly on WhatsApp and preferred to receive product suggestions and complete transactions via the app, rather than to check their emails or log in to the website. Through Whatsapp, Yoox made $80,000 off of sales without customers even entering the store. This is a great example of how a company used a messaging app to reach interested consumers an give them a highly interactive shopping experience.
Activism will become more necessary
If 2020 has shown us anything, its that consumers want to shop at brands with a moral conscience. Consumers want to know they are shopping at a brand that stands for something, they want brands to be inclusive and also care about issues that are affecting people all around the world. SavageXFenty is an inclusive lingeire line by Rihanna that features women of all races, with sizes ranging from XS to 3X and bra sizes ranging from A cups to H cups. The lingeire brand saw 200% growth last year as people became more dedicated to supporting business that were black owned and included all shades and size ranges; making it now a billion dollar company.
Companies that were not inclusive before 2020 definitely felt pressure to up the inclusion not just in their campaigns but behind the scenes as well. Glossier, a beauty brand, noticed that their team was very much exclusive when it came to race and decided to make a commitment to hiring more people of color as well as starting an initative to help fund black-owned beauty brands.
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Nano-influencers will become more popular
Now more than ever audiences are appreciating genuine connections to influencers. Because of their smaller followings, nano-influencers are able to get to know their audience more. Nano-influencers are considered to be the most powerful influencer marketing level because of their low follower count. Studies show that nano-influencers have a 60% higher campaign engagement rates than any other influencers and are 6.7 times more efficient per engagement, meaning nano-influencers are more cost effective.
Dunkin Donuts has been working with influencers with 50,000 or less followers and have found that the nano-influencers generated higher engagement rates. One of the smallest nano-influencers that had 3,000 followers at the time achieved 26.1% engagement rate, an accomplishment that is five times the campaign average. In return, Dunkin Donuts have been experiencing growth with the younger generation with their digital influencer marketing.
Want to learn more about the state of the Creator Economy? See all the trends and statistics from the Creators themselves in this report.
Video content will continue to rise
Although video content is nothing new, we are expected to see a rise in videos for campaigns across many social media platforms. IGTV, IG reels, and IG stories are usually a part of the sponsorship deals on Instagram. Additionally, Tiktok and YouTube continue to elevate and increase in popularity – and not just as an increase in digital marketing influencers but marketing as a whole. People love videos, they are more engaging and allow the consumer to not only hear or read what is being advertised but also see it.
This is why Instagram announced IGTV ads last year, an on-trend feature to help brands and influencers easily promote to their followers and beyond. IGTV ads are vertical videos lasting no longer than 15 seconds long. Even though brands can advertise on their page with IGTV videos as long as an hour, this still gives companies an avenue into exposing their products to those who do not follow them.
Chipotle was one of the first brands to use IGTV as an advertisement featuring a video just over one minute long. The ad showed a man pulling endless assortments of Chipotle burritos, guac, chips and other menu items from a Chipotle bag to play off the idea that customers can create limitless combinations at Chipotle amassing more than 10,000 views.
As the creator economy continues to skyrocket, brands must adapt to what consumers want to see and these notable trends could be the blueprint for companies to standout all 2021.
