Top 10: Trends for Influencer Marketing

The topic of influencer marketing has become an integral part of social networks. Almost everywhere one sees advertising mail for toothpaste, watches and jewelry or even furniture for the children's room. The influencers usually pick the best collaborations for their channels - and thus increasingly set real trends.

There is therefore, unsurprisingly, a number of trends around Influencer Marketing that you should keep in mind year after year. These include, for example, those that make up our Top 10:

Trend 1: Micro influencers gain relevance

To get advertising jobs on Instagram and Co., you do not have to have millions of followers today. In the year 2019, more and more micro influencers will gain in importance and often present certain products in their niches.

Be it biodegradable baby nappies, patterns for the sewing machine or even normal household appliances. There is a corresponding market for almost every niche.

The target group is there, the success for companies as well. In short, it's worth it to stay on the ball here!

Trend 2: Brands increasingly rely on long-term partnerships

Looking for new partners for every cooperation is laborious. This is also recognized by more and more companies - and therefore they are looking for long-term partnerships with influencers. An example: YouTuber Proownez, who was able to fix a long-term cooperation with ALDI Nord and ALDI Süd .

For the company itself, this has the advantage of having a familiar face - almost comparable to the status of a celebrity - on the side. And the influencer? In the best case, he can benefit from continuous income.

Trend 3: Videos are becoming more important

Simple picture posts to put shampoo and Co. in scene are often no longer enough. The Instagram Stories and IGTV (Instagram TV) videos are also increasingly in the advertising focus - and the influencers can tell something directly to the advertised product here.

This increases the added value for the applicant company, but also for the target group.

Trend 4: Less Facebook ...

While Instagram continues to enjoy great and growing popularity as a Facebook company, interest in Facebook is stagnating. The data scandal of the past is still the reason for this. As a result, the trust in the network also sank.

Likewise, the younger target group also loses interest in Facebook and turns to other services. An aspect that you can definitely benefit from.

Trend 5: ... more Instagram

At least if you turn to the corresponding other networks and place your advertising here. The usage figures on Instagram are increasing, the potential of the platform has not yet been exhausted. So here you can actually improve something on your own success.

Trend 6: Instagram TV is gaining importance

As mentioned above, IGTV has also become an important factor in influencer marketing. Longer videos can easily be distributed and marketed here, which increases reach and success. For influencers, but also their followers Instagram TV is becoming more interesting. An aspect that advertisers should also address.

Trend 7: Interactions are more important than follower numbers

The Instagram Insights provide an easy way to not only learn about followers, but also their interaction rates. And for more and more advertisers, interactions become more important, while the sheer numbers of followers lose relevance.

The ability to buy followers has left the sheer numbers behind. Therefore, the measurable share of reactions in the form of comments has long been more important. Here are the "fake opportunities" also significantly lower.

Trend 8: Influencers are increasingly becoming entrepreneurs

While influencers sometimes introduce product by product, they are becoming entrepreneurs more and more. The private moves into the distance, at least during the cooperation.

For many influencers, it is still important to build and maintain a private base to their followers - after all, this also arouses their interest and stirs the trust. It is important - especially for the influencers themselves - to create a suitable middle ground between entrepreneurship and trust.

Trend 9: Official cooperation gains the upper hand

Advertising mail that is not labeled as such is becoming less and less. Social networks now have clear rules on how advertising mail needs to be labeled - and more and more influencers are sticking to it.

This goes even further: unmarked collaborations are usually quickly exposed and as an influencer you can then be discredited. Thus, companies and brands should focus on advertising slogans being professionally labeled.

Trend 10: Fake followers fight together

By focusing on engagement rates rather than follower numbers, brands and companies are also actively fighting fake followers. Instagram is also active in this regard and ensures that fake accounts and Co. are blocked faster and faster. This also shows in actions that operate fake profiles - as recently in the case of the actress Nathalie Bleicher-Woth. A fake profile collected donations on their behalf .

For influencers, this means that the purchase of followers is less and less worthwhile and thus no potential is increased. Honest cooperation with real followers becomes more important. And that's just as well.

What trends in influencer marketing have you noticed? In which direction will the social networks develop in the coming year or in the next few years?