In just three years, Khabe Lame became the most followed creator on TikTok with 2.4 billion likes and 162 million followers. And get this, he’s never uttered a single word in his videos.
There’s more than meets the eye when it comes to the impact influencers have. Investing in influencer marketing for your next campaign might just be the game-changing move your brand needs.
Khabe Lame shows off his signature deadpan humor in this hilarious TikTok, bringing in a whopping 22.6 million views.
Let’s dive into the top influencer trends predicted to change how brands strategize their marketing efforts in 2024. Here they are at a glance:
Top 5 Influencer Marketing Trends for 2024
- Micro-influencers take the lead
- Authenticity reigns supreme over polished content
- Money is moving from paid advertising to influencer marketing
- Say yes to long-term relationships
- Video will become the dominant format
Key takeaways from this blog
- Micro-influencers are taking the lead in influencer marketing, so paying them more attention is worth it.
- Build trust and engagement through genuine and personal content.
- 63 percent of brands are increasing their influencer budgets for 2024 with a higher ROI than paid ads.
- Long-term relationships with influencers allow for consistent brand messaging, increased visibility, and deeper trust with your audience.
- Video is becoming the go-to format in influencer marketing—and you get higher engagement.
#1. Micro-influencers take the lead
Micro-influencers, with follower counts ranging from 15k to 75k, truly shine in their chosen niches. They combine their passion and expertise, providing credible endorsements that resonate with their highly engaged audience. These personalized interactions lead to higher engagement rates and foster strong relationships, resulting in increased conversion rates. Moreover, brands find their cost-effective partnerships incredibly appealing.
Watch the full customer story with Julia Salume from IG.com here.
You may be scratching your head, wondering why these smaller players are making such a big splash in the influencer marketing scene. It’s pretty simple: micro-influencers are masters of their niches.
They’re passionate experts, enthusiasts, and thought leaders who have built highly engaged audiences. And when they endorse a product or service, their followers listen. It’s like getting a recommendation from a trusted friend.
The numbers don’t lie. Micro-influencers achieve higher engagement rates and personalized interactions (according to Hubspot). They strike up conversations, respond to comments, and build relationships that increase conversion rates. That’s the kind of authentic engagement you can’t buy with traditional advertising.
Example of a micro-influencer campaign in action
The influencer-managed services team at impact.com partnered with luxury brand Coach to amplify the promotion of their newest fragrance, Coach Dreams Sunset. To generate engaging content, impact.com collaborated with 40 micro- and macro-influencers who received complimentary products in exchange for creating user-generated content (UGC). Coach then reposted this captivating content across their channels, further enhancing the brand’s reach and impact.
Samantha McClendon, one of the micro-influencers recruited for the Coach campaign, gained nearly 60k impressions on her posts alone.
The team recruited 16 influencers from various tiers to produce engaging content. The campaign resonated with the intended audience, reaching an impressive 2.3 million people, while boasting an engagement rate of 4.5 percent and generating 211 pieces of user-generated content.
Micro-influencers like Kevin Heimbach aren’t limited to just Instagram or TikTok. This YouTuber has gained quite a following of 62k subscribers. Kevin takes his viewers on captivating virtual tours of theme parks through his specialized channel. From thrilling rides and must-see shows to delectable food and enticing merchandise, he offers an immersive experience to his audience. When it comes to online entertainment, Kevin always delivers.
In this video, Kevin lets viewers into SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration 2023 in Orlando. The passionate YouTuber shows off exclusive Christmas merchandise (with prices) and highlights key activities, including a Christmas musical, Winter Wonderland ice-skating show, and let’s not forget: fireworks!
Recruiting the right micro-influencers [4 steps]
Now that you understand micro-influencers’ power, the next step is finding the right ones to work with. Follow these steps:
- Use the right social media analytics tools. Before signing the dotted line, you should understand a potential partner’s demographic and reach. Ensure they align with what you’re looking for before reaching out.
- Join an influencer marketing platform, like impact.com / creator. Here you can access a global creator marketplace, filter creators by following, niche, and much more. You can also handle everything from automated contracts to compensation and campaign tracking.
- Search relevant hashtags. This is a great way to find creators that match your niche in a sea of influencers.
- Contact micro-influencers directly via DMs. More than half of micro-influencers prefer this method of contact.
#2. Authenticity reigns supreme over perfectly polished content
Recently, brands witnessed a rise in cynicism and skepticism regarding advertising. Digitally savvy consumers see right through inauthentic endorsements. Authenticity is a brand currency as consumers seek transparency, integrity, and consistency when trusting influencers.
An excerpt from The state of influencer marketing for consumers in 2023 infographic.
Authentic content leads to deeper connections between influencers and their audience, helping influencers gain trust over time. This trust ultimately increases engagement, and when brands partner with these influencers, that trust gets transferred to them.
When impact.com partnered with the online education platform GetSmarter, they aimed to create excitement around its courses. A collective 16 South African influencers within various niches were asked to create authentic and inspirational content with a 20% promo code. The influencers’ authenticity translated into impressive results, with over 8 million impressions, 620k+ clicks, and $0.01 cost-per-click (CPC).
These top performers brought awareness to GetSmarter’s online education platform, encouraging users to sign up.
Brands associated with authentic influencers can boost their image and reach a broader demographic. In this case, BBQGuys, a major online retailer for all things grill-related, partnered with impact.com to expand their audience beyond the typical griller. The brand reached target audiences, including the LGBTQ+ community, couples, urban dwellers, and female campers. By leveraging authentic recommendations and UGC, the campaign successfully boosted BBQGuys’ brand awareness. They reached over 636k individuals, with an impressive 60 percent of the audience being female.
Caitlin Palumbo was one of the creators who helped BBQGuys expand their demographic beyond the typical griller.
How to brief influencers to create authentic content
Crafting authentic content is all about letting your influencers have the freedom to express their creativity. You’ve chosen them because their style aligns with your brand, right? So trust them to know their audience. Give them clear goals, but don’t micromanage their process. Authenticity shines when creators are allowed to be themselves.
- Provide clear goals, but allow creative freedom. Share the objectives and key messages you wish to convey to the target audience. However, let the creators adhere to their unique style and explore creative ideas. Remember, you selected them for a reason.
- Encourage personal storytelling. Allow creators to share their authentic experience with the product. They can elaborate on how to use the product and why it should be the audience’s go-to choice. You can also include examples of product reviews.
- Provide product knowledge, but let them express their product experience. Engage in a comprehensive discussion with the influencer regarding the key features. Afterward, graciously step back and allow them to experience the product independently. Viewers possess an innate ability to discern authenticity from a considerable distance. Hence, it is imperative for influencers to convey an authentic and genuine opinion.
- Request UGC from creators. UGC focuses more on the audience’s experience of the product or service. Build a content bank for future use by licensing creators’ content. This differentiates it from influencer channels, where videos and photos are tailored to their audience.
This excerpt from The state of influencer marketing for consumers in 2023 highlights the importance of sharing one’s experience with a product and how it creates authenticity with audiences.
#3. Money is moving from paid advertising to influencer marketing
If you want proof of what’s working, follow where the money goes: 63 percent of brands allocate more budget to influencer marketing in 2024. This shift occurred as paid ads became more expensive and less visible. Influencer marketing also offers reduced customer acquisition costs (CAC) and 11x higher return on investment (ROI) compared to traditional marketing.
According to impact.com’s research, 64 percent of consumers repeatedly purchase products or services at least some of the time based on an influencer’s recommendation.
How to calculate your influencer marketing budget
- Define clear goals for your influencer marketing campaign. Don’t leave influencers in the dark. They should understand what to focus on to hit brand goals.
- Choose influencers based on those goals. You can choose between nano-, micro-, mid-tier, macro-, and mega-influencers or switch things up with UCG creators. Find what fits your brand and decide how the reach, engagement, and cost will influence your campaign.
- Understand market rates and compensate creators fairly. Creators provide your brand with expert content creation skills, and in return, should get paid fairly—especially if you want to build a long-term partnership. Assess audience size, media quality, and different payment models to determine an appropriate offer. To learn more about what influencers charge, read our blog here.
- Identify which platform your target audience will be most active on. Then, calculate the cost per post or pay for performance rates accordingly. For example, a post for a video from a TikTok nano-influencer starts at around $500, but sponsored content for a similar-sized YouTube influencer starts at around $1,000.
- Easily track your ROI with impact.com / creator to determine where to invest your budget. The full-funnel management platform can help you analyze your data and optimize specific touchpoints all in one place.
#4. Say yes to long-term relationships
Brands focusing on developing consistent brand messaging through increased visibility with longer, more frequent exposure are coming out on top. This messaging should flow into organic endorsements fitting into the brand’s natural narrative. 29 percent of consumers say a promotion feels more authentic when an influencer posts about them several times.
Sarah Menanix, AKA @snixykitchen, whips up delicious recipes from scratch. She partners with many brands, using their ingredients and tagging them as an endorsement. One partner she frequently partners with is Andronico’s Community Markets.
37 percent of consumers also look to influencers for inspiration, meaning their recommendations can directly translate into conversions. Trust and authenticity matter to consumers above all, and long-term partnerships between brands and influencers facilitate these qualities.
Think of influencers like partners rather than freelancers. Create a strong feedback loop, sharing performance metrics so you can strategize going forward. The cherry on top—having go-to partners reduces the need for outsourcing content creation and takes the pressure off your internal teams.
An excerpt from an interview with creator Ashley LeMieux on the importance of building long-term partnerships.
How to cultivate long-term influencer partnerships for greater campaign success
Think of building lasting relationships as a marathon, not a sprint. Consistent collaboration leads to a unified brand message, increased visibility, and a deeper connection with your audience.
It’s like having a trusted friend recommend your product or service, rather than a distant acquaintance. So, invest time in nurturing these relationships, understand their creative process, and work towards shared goals.
That’s what a successful partnership looks like.
- Create a strong communication cadence and feedback loop. Invest in building a positive partnership through regular check-ins, personalized messages, positive messages, and acknowledgment of the creator’s efforts.
- Start with a test project before moving into a longer contract. Implement A/B testing or a once-off project and measure the campaign results, including click-through rates (CTR), engagement, impressions, and conversions, to gain insight into the potential partnership.
- Offer creators performance incentives. Provide bonuses based on key performance indicators (KPIs), like the amount of conversions their content generated. This motivates creators to perform better and creates a mutually beneficial partnership.
Determining the value of the partnership is dependent on how their audience aligns with your brand’s demographic, how well they engage with their audience, how consistent they are with their publishing, and how creative their content is.
#5. Video will become the dominant format
Videos achieve higher engagement rates due to their ability to capture the audience’s attention better than static images. In turn, this encourages viewers to spend more time with your brand. According to Statista, in the second quarter of 2023, video content reached 92.3 percent of audiences worldwide, with music videos being the highest category reach with 49 percent, followed by comedy or viral videos and then how-to’s.
A video’s versatility in length and style allows brands to tailor content to specific needs, making it easier to create content for different audiences. Applying storytelling to product demos can evoke emotions, and creators can also add sound effects and music to create an immersive experience or behind-the-scenes shots to make it more authentic. Interestingly, search engines favor video content as it increases web traffic and generates more visibility.
What to consider when creating a video campaign
- Define clear objectives. Ask yourself, what is the outcome of the campaign?
- Find the right creator. This can elevate your campaign, so consider an influencer’s values, style, and audience that align with your brand.
- Decide on the content style and format, like:
- Short-form video
- Day-in-the-life vlog
- Classic Q&A
- Behind-the-scenes
- A product review
- Consider legal and FTC guidelines. Always stay updated with the latest policies to protect your brand and creator. You can learn more here.
FAQs
impact.com / creator is a full-funnel performance management platform that connects brands with creators to collaborate and grow. The platform helps you find the right partners, collaborate on campaigns, and give insight into data analysis—all in one platform. Alternatively, you can search for influencers in your niche by using social media, searching hashtags, or searching for bloggers or YouTubers that align with your audience demographic.
Finding the right partner and building a solid foundation is key to a long-term partnership. The relationship can continue to build from a solid foundation. Invest time and effort through continuous communication, regular check-ins, a positive compensation plan, and valuing the collaboration. This will solidify your brand messaging and visibility. If you’re more invested in how to build successful relationships as a creator, check out this research report: What brands want: building successful creator partnerships in 2023.
Authenticity is important in influencer marketing because digitally savvy consumers can see through inauthentic endorsements. Consumers seek transparency, integrity, and consistency when trusting influencers. Authentic content leads to deeper connections between influencers and their audience, increasing engagement. When brands partner with authentic influencers, that trust is transferred to them.
Micro-influencers (15k-75k followers) excel in their chosen niches and have highly engaged audiences. Their ability to resonate with their followers and build relationships translates to higher brand conversion rates. Additionally, their cost-effective partnerships make them an attractive choice for brands.
Future-proof your influencer campaign
Influencer marketing is a rapidly evolving field, and as a brand, it’s crucial to remain adaptable and refine strategies that will elevate your brand. Investing in the right partnerships and cultivating long-lasting relationships is key. Keep a close watch on micro-influencers, and explore ways to incorporate them into your marketing strategy to foster trust and engagement with your audience through authentic content and UGC.
Cultivating long-term relationships with influencers enables consistent brand messaging, greater visibility, and deeper trust with the audience. Additionally, you should prioritize video for your campaigns as it’s the dominant format in influencer marketing and will help you see better engagement.
Want to learn how impact.com can help you build your best influencer campaign yet? Contact grow@impact.com.
