Infographic: Top Influencer Marketing Trends for 2020

Staying on top of the latest influencer marketing trends is crucial to the success of any influencer marketing strategy. The issue is that it's outright hard work - analyzing data (often data you don’t have), reading into accounts (you can’t access) and drawing insights with time you don’t have. It’s tough.

Great news! IMA is here to help you out. We’ve got a game plan to help you get ahead in 2020. We have analyzed the top influencer marketing trends that you need to be aware of, and more importantly, adapt to in order to stay on top.

The underlying key to these trends? Authenticity in marketing. Let’s take a look.

Feel free to share this infographic on your website and credit us with the following link: IMA Influencer Marketing Agency.

Do you want to know more? Here is a full overview of what’s summarized in our infographic:

Content Over Vanity

“Hiding the number of likes is designed to put the focus on photos and videos you share, not how many likes you got” - Instagram

See, here’s the thing. 

It’s going to be less about the number of comments and how many hearts you collect. We’ve seen how these vanity metrics can be manipulated, and the damaging effect they can have on a user’s mental health. Focus on creating quality content instead. Create content that the user actually wants to consume, content you can be proud of, not just something that fills your feed.

Invest more in the content you are creating, not just from a production level, but the message it sends out to your audience. 

Hone in On Quality

Quality content will be determined by the Instagram algorithm and the Explore section, and not by your follower count. 

It’s one thing to have 1 million followers on Instagram, but what really matters is which percentage of your audience will take action when you ask them to ‘check something out’.

Not all influencers and followers are equal. 2020 will see more focus on true quality, over follower counts. What’s the best way to grow and maintain an audience that has trust in you and a willingness to act on your recommendations? By offering content that is extremely valuable and of a high quality to your target audience. Offering content which is relatable, inspiring and actionable should be at the forefront of the messaging that you’re trying to convey. Genuinely getting followers to engage with content will be rewarded two-fold.

Firstly, you are improving the willingness of your followers as they become more loyal and you can better capture their attention. Secondly, the social platform you’re using is going to reward you also, as you are showing content that gets users to stay on the platform. You are effectively turning up the dial on both sides, your content is reaching more people and they are becoming more engaged with what you have to say.

Authenticity is Key

“90% of marketers say proving authenticity is critical to the future of influencer marketing” - Econsultancy

Users are looking for more genuine and authentic content. Consumers are starting to rebel against picture-perfect content. Content that is too photoshopped or facetuned will not perform in 2020.

Influencers who share their real lives with their followers will build a closer connection with them, increasing loyalty and willingness to act on their recommendations. This authenticity not only applies to influencer content, but also to how influencer marketing is measured and how paid partnerships are disclosed.

2020 is the year we stop paying influencers based on their follower count, and start focussing on real results.

Partnership Disclosure Doesn’t Impact Brand Sentiment 

Some brands are still reluctant for influencers to disclose their paid partnerships. Some brands believe that influencers disclosing sponsorships results in negative brand sentiment. This is not true.

First things first, influencers and brands are legally required to disclose partnerships. Luckily for all parties involved, it has been shown that partnership disclosure does not affect brand sentiment.

A study by the Harvard Business Review indicates that influencers and brands partnering up and disclosing this partnership does not bring a negative connotation with it. In fact, disclosing a partnership is seen as being authentic.

Instagram Still Claims Superiority

Instagram remains the top social media platform when it comes to Influencer Marketing. Of course, it’s still good to be aware of other platforms and which audiences they attract. The most recent wavemaker is TikTok, especially popular with GenZ. While audiences are extremely engaged with content on the platform, influencer marketing activities are less sustainable at this point.

When working with influencers, there are two key factors that come into play when determining your channel strategy. One. Where is my audience active? Two. Where are my preferred influencers active?

Instagram will remain on top in 2020 when it comes to Influencer Marketing activities.

The New Form of Consumerism

“Generation Z spends 2-3 times more shopping on social channels than the average consumer, with Instagram and Snapchat taking the lead, while Generation X prefers shopping on Facebook” - BigCommerce 

It’s becoming clear that social media and influencers are changing the way people shop. This should directly influence your 2020 marketing strategies and marketing mix. Younger generations are truly digital and social media natives, and the way we communicate with these consumers needs to be tailored to their preferences.

It pays to play in influencer marketing trends and stay one step ahead of the game.
Let IMA help you do just that. Don’t hesitate to get in touch!