In the ever-evolving landscape of influencer marketing, one thing remains crystal clear: its value continues to soar. With a projected value set to hit $22.2 billion by 2025, following influencer marketing trends stands tall as a powerhouse strategy for brands looking to captivate audiences and drive engagement. 

With great power comes great responsibility…and the need for adaptation! As we dive into 2024, it’s essential to stay ahead of the curve. Embrace the latest trends shaping the industry to ensure you stay on everyone’s FYP.

AI Influencers

The influencer marketing playbook is undergoing a profound transformation this year. TikTok will remain the brand powerhouse that it is, while another platform, LinkedIn, comes to the forefront.  

However, one of the most interesting developments on the horizon is the advent of AI influencers, blurring the lines between virtual and real-world personas with a scary amount of accuracy.

Brand, Platform, and Influencer Transparency

As brands explore innovative avenues for engagement, we’ll also witness the rise of “employee influencers.” Additionally, exclusive content and the promise of new affiliate marketing programs are set to reshape the influencer landscape. These program offerings will give influencers new avenues for collaboration and revenue generation.

It’s not just about the platforms and partnerships; transparency will continue to rise in 2024. Authentic discussions of pay transparency are hot ticket items right now, along with long-form content. This goes to show that the influencer marketing industry evolves but also ebbs and flows.

Brands and influencers alike, there’s never been a more exciting time to forge your path through the influencer marketing industry.

Ever wonder if a transparency report could help your brand? Check out how it helped this brand here!

6 Influencer marketing trends to look out for in 2024

1. LinkedIn influencers on the rise

LinkedIn is just a platform for professional networking and finding jobs, right? Prepare to be shocked, because in 2024 we predict that there is going to be a significant rise of creators using LinkedIn to leverage their company’s platform and gain traction. 

This new concept refers to creators that act as ambassadors, AKA “Linkedinfluencers,” for a certain company to promote their product, highlight conferences, or recruit potential employees. Companies such as Intel, Microsoft, Teel, and Hootsuite are taking advantage of this less popular platform to partner with creators to share knowledge and insight.

Source: Fast Company

This type of creator does significantly well at content strategy to gain more connections and spark engaging conversations among the app. Gone are the days of people simply just promoting their own personal achievements with a new surge of Linkedinfluencers!

2. Transparency in pay

Historically, determining the earnings of influencers and content creators has been challenging. Companies often kept brand deal details under wraps, while creators hesitated to disclose their platform income due to a lack of clarity regarding their monetary worth. However, in recent times, creators are increasingly pushing for transparency in pay and value assessment for various partnerships.

Following creators addressing this issue, individuals began establishing platforms dedicated to sharing authentic information about influencer earnings. Notable examples include Clara for Creators, Creator Stash, and FYPM. With influencers increasingly advocating for transparency, we foresee more financial disclosure platforms emerging in 2024 to meet this demand.

3. Exclusive content 

Certain platforms, such as TikTok and Instagram, have introduced the “close friend feature,” enabling users to share content exclusively with select individuals. Brands and creators are beginning to utilize this feature by offering special giveaways and engaging with followers to provide incentives for joining their exclusive circles, offering sneak peeks, discounts, or giveaways.

We expect brands and creators to increasingly leverage this feature in 2024. This trend is still relatively new and presents a prime opportunity to capitalize on before it will gain widespread popularity. 

Source: LinkedIn

By utilizing this feature, brands can establish “exclusive clubs,” fostering a deeper sense of loyalty among their followers. This strategy enables brands to maintain interactivity and cultivate a steadily expanding audience.

4. Leveraging influence to create brands

In the past, an influencer was primarily someone who shared knowledge or tutorials online. However, in recent years, there has been a significant increase in influencer partnership deals, with creators expanding into podcasts and even launching their own brands.

Looking ahead to 2024, we anticipate a major shift where mega influencers will transition into entrepreneurs, building large companies centered around their personal brand. This trend is already underway, exemplified by influencers like Paige Lorenz and Alix Earle.

Paige Lorenz initially gained attention on TikTok, where she shared her daily outfits and snippets of her horseback riding adventures. Building a strong personal brand, she capitalized on her influence to launch her own clothing line, “Dairy Boy,” focusing on outdoor-themed apparel.

Similarly, Alix Earle found success early on during her college years, quickly leveraging her platform to become an entrepreneur at the age of 23. She launched the podcast “Hot Mess” under another company “Unwell,” and sells merchandise featuring its logo.

These examples highlight how creators are expanding beyond traditional influencer roles, transforming into entrepreneurs. We anticipate this trend will continue as more influencers explore alternative avenues for monetizing their content and making a full-time career out of their passion.

5. Employee influencers 

For the past few years, brands have spent tons of money on partnership deals with influencers and ambassador programs. In 2023, we began to see a shift in this concept. More companies began to utilize their own employees to become ambassadors for the company and create content revolving around their work. 

In the next year, we predict that more companies will encourage their employees to cultivate personal brands, aiming to establish both themselves and the company as thought leaders and to attract high-caliber talent. 

Utilizing employee influencers can greatly benefit a company by diversifying engagement opportunities. For instance, Adobe’s 900+ employee influencers, each with an average of 4,000 connections, ensure broad reach and influence even if a particular social media figure leaves. 

By empowering various types of employee influencers, the company mitigates the risk of relying on specific influencers for brand engagement, and instead fostering stronger connections with the audience and driving business growth.

6. Artificial intelligence

AI is rapidly advancing to create virtual influencers, mimicking the personas of real influencers online. These virtual personas, powered by sophisticated algorithms, aim to make AI interactions more relatable and engaging for fans and followers. 

By copying the characteristics and behaviors of popular creators and celebrity personas, these AI avatars offer unique opportunities for interaction, blurring the lines between virtual and real-world experiences.

As technology continues to evolve, the rise of virtual influencers represents a fascinating development in the realm of AI-driven content creation and engagement. We believe AI will create an even larger platform for itself in this realm by the end of the year. 

Additional noteworthy influencer marketing trends expected in 2024 include:

• The emergence of “stock” and finance-related influencers
• Embracing natural appearances and moving away from excessive filters
• The increased prominence of micro-influencers
• Continued focus on diversity and inclusion efforts.

Closing Thoughts

As we gaze into the future of influencer marketing in 2024, the landscape promises an array of exciting influencer marketing trends and opportunities for brands and influencers alike. From the rise of LinkedIn influencers to the push for transparency and the emergence of employee influencers, the industry is evolving rapidly. 

By embracing these trends and staying authentic, brands can forge stronger connections with their audiences and drive impactful growth in the digital age. As we move forward, the influencer marketing revolution continues to offer endless possibilities for innovation and collaboration, making it an exciting time to be part of this industry.