Influencer Marketing Trends to Watch Out For in 2022

The landscape for influencer marketing is changing in 2022. Instagram has made some changes that could have been developed with the influencer community in mind. And brands are changing the ways they work with influencers. The CMA won’t always respond to calls to investigate social media platforms or the brands that use them for influencer campaigns and unusually the responsibility for best practice, authenticity and accountability remains with the influencer, not the brand, as it does for advertising.

Influencer marketing is arguably more responsive to its environment and audience than any other digital marketing discipline. In this fast-paced world, what are the trends digital marketers and brands need to be aware of this year, in 2022?

TREND 1: Micro-Influencers

As the name suggests, we’re not talking about global celebrities or household names here.

Brands are using micro-influencers more and more because they provide a straightforward and relatively cost-effective way to build relationships with longer-term customers; both before and after transactions.

Customer loyalty, meaningful, authentic messaging and ROI continue to be a huge focus for brands of all sizes. With access to better tools that make campaign planning and delivery – and also the all-important measuring – easier for small agencies and brands, influencer marketing has found a much wider playing field in which to position itself.

Micro-influencers are often more flexible than ‘bigger’ celebrities and can be very willing to grow a long-term relationship – especially in current times when personal brand is increasingly important. This is the most exciting example of brands and creators collaborating innovatively in recent years. Yes, the opportunities for cost-effective campaigns and content is driving this, but a growing desire for community means brands want to foster longer relationships with the people they work with, and that includes their own influencers.

This is hugely exciting for micro and local brands because as human beings we are hard-wired to establish and maintain personal connections. Everyone, regardless of age, location, gender or economic stature has someone in their network that inspires them and when a small or local brand finds someone that naturally and authentically speaks to the audience they are targeting, relationships can flourish that is rewarding for everyone involved: brand, influencer and customer.

TREND 2: An authentic customer journey

More than 60% of millennial consumers have purchased from a brand that has been endorsed by an influencer they follow. Influencer marketing relies on direct-to-consumer communications and is a really powerful marketing tool when the timing, placement, and audience is right. 

Some 50% of Gen Zers want influencer content to be more trustworthy  (according to 2021 research from Influencer Hub) and trust is the most important factor influencing purchase decisions for this customer group.

Gen Z is also the generation who feel most let down by fake influencers - so no surprises here as some key influencers to this age group were found guilty of misleading behaviour or breaching guidelines. The warnings were given to Rihanna and Bella Hadid are good examples.

Customers are becoming highly skilled at identifying the tactics that digital marketing uses to capture their attention. And as we become more digitally literate, we are learning to filter out the sales messages and the spam. Even if influencer marketing isn’t part of your digital mix, the way that we respond to influencers is a powerful reminder of why we need to keep our customer funnels filled with authentic content.

TREND 3: Trust the small numbers

It’s not just about micro-influencers: niche creators are on the rise. And as brands learn more about data and trust their digital marketing departments that good results are not always about high volumes, some brilliant brands are choosing new agencies and independent creators who are breaking the creative mould.

As marketers, we know that trust and authenticity are hugely important to consumers, and we are clear that storytelling is one of the hottest trends that simply will not go away. Personal, authentic storytelling can reach target groups and have a powerful impact – even when the audience is relatively small.

For 2022, the most powerful influencer marketing trend that we expect to see is a move away from tying influencers and content creators to CPM - or the gigantic cost-per-thousand-impressions metric. For the brands – large and small – who will win at influencer marketing, 2022 and beyond is all about the niche. And the story that is being used to communicate to this niche is as important as the channel and influencer they are choosing.

It’s important to note that platforms are constantly changing and this is also impacting influencer marketing trends. Influencers with the highest follower volume are not automatically being placed in feeds. This has opened up the possibility for micro-influencers and indie creators to go viral – and we’re seeing this power shift is already happening.

For now, as we move into the second half of the year, the power of influencer marketing is firmly in the hands of today’s digital consumer. Right where it should be.