The proliferation of platforms and formats like short-videos have changed the influencer marketing game for marketers, brands and creators. In this fast-evolving space, keep up with the big trends and hot topics that matter in Storyboard18’s Weekly Shorts in collaboration with affable.ai, an end-to-end AI-powered influencer marketing platform. Track how creators, communities and brands are engaging with users and disrupting marketing to get a sharp and fast insight into present and future trends.
Authenticity, relatability, and personalization—the three components pilot the influencer marketing trends in 2023. Social media users today crave human experience and emotional bonds with the content creators they follow. They trust influencers who aim for relatable content instead of polished perfection.
Brands, too, realise the power of meaningful bonds in driving customer purchase decisions. Pizza Hut, Muddy Bites, Canon, and Budweiser are some big-name brands prioritizing authentic influencer content. Be it capturing influencer’s journey using products, organizing influencer brand trips, or executing bizarre YouTube stunts, the journey toward meeting consumers’ demand for authenticity has already commenced.
In the second quarter of 2023, brands doubled down on authenticity, meaning, and personalization in their content. Here’s a list of the top influencer marketing trends of quarter 2, 2023:
Trend 1: Authenticity over polished perfection with influencers’ GRWM personal sound bites
The GRWM (get ready with me) TikTok videos have become more than just makeup tutorials. Influencers create such videos to share personal stories with their community, and build genuine relationships.
Trend 2: Is investing in brand trips with influencers worth the hype
Influencer brand trips are excellent for capturing the attention of millions. By organizing vacations to exotic destinations, brands can document the influencer’s journey and gain massive engagement.
Trend 3: Extend NIL Influencer Deals Beyond Star Athletes to Other College Students
Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) is a great way for brands to leverage student-athletes for product promotions. But it is time to go beyond that by partnering with college students from different disciplines.
Trend 4: Make way for branded stunt videos powered by YouTube influencers
While engagement remains an important goal for brands, so is generating awareness. YouTube stunt videos are the perfect way to engage thousands, even millions of people. And while you’re at it, you might break some world records like Muddy Bites and Pizza Hut did!
Trend 5: Let content creators use your products in real-life situations
When it comes to creating authentic content, influencer brand ambassadors are the way to go! Influencers who have previously used and talked about your products provide a more honest point of view. Canon used this approach when it hired Emma Chamberlain to showcase her creator journey using its cameras.
Trend 6: Hiring content creators as full-time employees
Hiring influencers as brand creative directors enables you to create captivating content on social media. You can tap into their expertise and connections with the followers to create resonating content for your target audience.
Trend 7: To edit or not to edit? Assessing the significance of influencer content
The authenticity of influencer content has its limits, which raises the question of whether brands should edit creator content. And how much creative freedom they should provide to the influencers. It all boils down to maintaining a balance between editing and reducing the content’s effectiveness.
Trend 8: Rise of incubator programs to cultivate influencer talent
Influencer incubator may not be a new concept, but it has certainly picked up pace in the last months. Brands like Sephora and L’Oreal are utilizing these programs to improve content quality.
Trend 9: Leverage influencers for effective sound marketing
Making content memorable for their audience is a big challenge for brands. This is where sound marketing comes in. Brands launch music videos to increase brand recall and win the younger generation.
Trend 10: Growing emphasis on sales-based payment model ior influencers
The sales-based payment model or affiliate program for influencers is a smart move by marketers to navigate the influencer marketing landscape during an economic downturn. It is a cost-effective method to incentivize influencers.
The creative approaches above allowed brands to capture their values while aligning their USP with the latest trends in influencer marketing.
This Weekly Shorts is written by the editorial desk of affable.ai