5 Top influencer marketing trends to watch out for in 2022

As we enter into a new year filled with ambition, creativity and a knack for innovation, brands and influencers are constantly striving hard to position themselves as the drivers of their niche. Since newer platforms and more diverse marketing strategies are in play this year, it is important for brands to think and plan ahead. 

Instagram is the new high-end playground for influencers. How are brands leveraging its new features? Which content format should you rely on the most in 2022? Why are nano and micro influencers winning major brand collaborations? Time to get answers for all these interesting questions as we dive into the top influencer marketing trends to watch out for in 2022.

In this article, we’ll cover the following topics:

1. Why is it important to follow trends?

2. Watch out for these 5 influencer marketing trends in India

   • Video content partnerships

   • Focus on Inclusion and Diversity

   • Popularity of Nano and Micro influencers

   • Long-term influencer partnerships 

   • The Metaverse dream

Why is it important to keep track of digital trends?

A lot of times, brands are in an odd space where they have to decide whether to keep following predefined trends or carve a path of their own. While it is a bold effort to stray out of the line and think outside of the box, it is equally important to keep track of market opportunities and consumer preferences in terms of content reception and general user sentiment. 

In this world of endless distractions, trends help you to streamline your brand messaging and cater to a wide range of audience through newer marketing models and popularly accepted strategies. For instance, your brand promotion strategy only includes Instagram as a platform to integrate your product. But if you dig deeper and watch the latest influencer marketing trends, you’ll notice the increased popularity of Tik Tok as a platform for higher engagement and Youtube as a platform to drive more conversions. Hence, utilising knowledge about latest trends can significantly benefit your vision of positioning your brand in line with your vision.

Watch out for these 5 influencer marketing trends in India

Video content partnerships

Video content has witnessed the greatest growth with the new features of Instagram. If you are a brand or creator using Instagram, you probably know what we’re talking about. REELS!!! 

As soon as the Instagram reels feature entered the market, the majority of the brands started leveraging the vertical video format to fastrack their influencer marketing. And rightly so!! What’s better than 60 seconds of pure, personalised interaction that educates more than it appeals. Moreover, you can also use the Instagram Collab feature to partner with the right suite of influencers to engage your community on a deeper level and enhance brand visibility.

Focus on Inclusion and Diversity

While we won’t call for inclusion and diversity in the influencer marketing space a “trend”. But brands, nowadays, are understanding and embracing these ideals to deal with a larger issue. Representation is paramount. And so is its presentation that doesn’t turn to tokenism or a playground for brands to plug in their promotional strategies. If a brand believes strongly in the role of inclusion and diversity, then their practices should suggest the same. For instance, collaborating with a diverse set of influencers is good but your internal work culture should also be diverse enough to justify your actions in the public spotlight. 2022 is all about embracing the different versions of oneself and flaunting it in your most stylish self.

Popularity of Nano and Micro influencers

The demand for authenticity and a friend-like voice in the virtual world is something that will never go out of style. This ideology has propelled the rise of nano and micro influencers in the creator space. Even if these creators have a limited following, don’t mistake the potential of their reach and influence over their loyal bunch of followers and supportive communities. 

In recent times, brands have realised the profitability and impact of collaborating with nano and micro influencers in personalising the brand owing to their higher engagement rates and credibility. Brands and influencer marketing platforms are now willing to work with micro influencers as they move onto a comprehensive and data-driven approach to steer campaign performance in 2022. 

Learn more: How influencers affect business’ growth in 2021?

Long-term influencer partnerships 

With the rapid growth of different platforms, the collaboration formats are also diversifying. Brands are finally seeing the potential of influencer marketing in driving an impact. Be it in terms of conversions, engagement or higher brand recall value, influencers are proving to be more than just pretty faces. These creators are turning into brand advocates that have a proactive role in brand-building. This is the reason why both the parties are getting actively involved in long-term brand deals to bring more legitimacy to the partnership.

The Metaverse dream

If we explained to you the concept of Metaverse a year ago, you would probably laugh it off with a joke or two. But today, Metaverse is not a dream anymore. It is as real as you and us. This virtual reality ecosystem envisioned by some of the brightest minds will significantly alter customer experience in ways we haven’t even imagined. In 2022, we will witness more and more brands investing into the Metaverse technologies such as AR/VR with content creators in the centrestage to get a headstart in this futuristic league of innovations.

Learn more: How AI is influencing the aspects of Influencer Marketing?

The thing about trends is that they come and go rather quickly. But some trends stay and change the game forever. So, if you are someone who dreams of being the ultimate trailblazer in devising the most stupendous content strategies, then keep looking out for influencer marketing trends like these!!