As the year came to a close, we spoke about the influencer marketing trends creators should look out for in twenty-twenty. Then we realised that the muse ditches creators at most crucial of times. So, to get the creative ball rolling, we gave you five social media trends that make sense for 2020.
But growth is not merely keeping up with what is to come. It is learning lessons from what has been. With that in mind here are five influencer marketing trends of 2019 that teach valuable lessons to creators
5 Thngs Creators Should Learn From Influencer Marketing Trends 2019
Lesson 1: Your Follower Size Doesn’t Matter.
A creator stepping into the influencer space is always worried about follower numbers. 2019 made it crystal clear that the size of your audience is not as important as how engaged it is. At Do Your Thng, we’ve seen first-hand the massive influx of brands hoping to partner with micro-influencers rather than mega- influencers.
The influencer marketing lesson here is to not focus on getting a higher follower count. Pay attention to creating a loyal community that comments, likes and shares everything you post. How do you do this? Stay authentic, be genuine and share content that matters to your audience.
Lesson 2: Video Content Works Best
Surveys say consumers love to binge on video content. The order of preference is:
- 38% of text content
- 61% of image content
- 68% of video content
The lesson here is to invest in short-length videos like parodies, challenges, contests, and dancing. What type of videos should a creator post? That runs the whole gamut of:
- Tutorials
- How-to
- Daily routines
- Live updates
An easy trick when brainstorming YouTube or IGTV content is to ask: is the video informative, is it entertaining and does it educate?
Lesson 3: Time To Get On TikTok
The one big influencer marketing moment of 2019, besides the fiasco of Fyre Festival, was the meteoric rise of TikTok. The social media platform took Gen Z by a storm. It was a breath of fresh air with its lip-sync and dance videos. The creativity and the video-format combined to make it’s content highly viral.
The influencer marketing lesson is to start using TikTok, especially if your audience falls within the Generation Z bracket.
Lesson 4: Brands Now Look For Long-Term Partners
When influencer marketing exploded, brands collaborated with creators just once. After that one-off, they moved on to new creators. 2019 proved that brands are now looking for a more long-term partnership. Take a look at Chrissy Teigen and her Target ambassadorship.
This is good news because every creator knows that one-and-done posts seem inauthentic, even when you firmly believe in the brand’s product or service. The influencer marketing lesson is to guide any brand you are collaborating with towards a more extended partnership. Show them how it increases the trust and engagement of your audience in their product/service.
Lesson 5: People Are Calling Out Cyber Abuse And Bullying
No matter how incredible #influencerlife is and how much you get to #doyourthng, all it takes is one troll to post a hate comment to spiral your thoughts. The past year proved, beyond a shadow of doubt, that creators will not sit back and take online hate, abuse or bullying anymore.
Take, for example, Jameela Jamil, the woman who gained popularity after The Good Place, is proudly vocal about it. If you need an even bigger example of an influencer taking drastic steps against online trolling, look no further than Meghan Markle.
The lesson here is to take active steps against cyberbullying. Unfriend, block, and report any that account spews hate or abuses the power of social media. More than that, educate other creators on what they can do to turn the tide.
Use 2019’s Influencer Marketing Trends To Grow Your Power
The power of influencer marketing comes from social media, and the inherent nature of social media is change. With each year it alters, sometimes drastically. Case in point: Instagram’s decision to remove likes, something that was beyond the realm of imagination.
How does a creator keep up with this constant change? Arm yourselves with influencer marketing lessons from 2019 and be aware of new insights of 2020.
