It is no understatement that influencer marketing is a rapidly evolving channel, and this year is no different. To remain competitive, brands must stay current on the latest influencer marketing trends and understand what is effective and what is not.
To help you navigate, this blog post outlines five of the most important influencer marketing trends for brands to be aware of in order to succeed with their marketing efforts in 2024.
What’s trending in influencer marketing in 2024?
As influencer marketing remains a vital aspect of our industry, we have plenty to discuss concerning the current happenings in the influencer marketing scene. While most influencer marketing trend reports out there mention the growth in ad budgets, the increasing interest in TikTok, the rise of micro-influencers, and the importance of authenticity, we want to delve deeper into the less obvious influencer marketing trends that we anticipate will dominate the upcoming year.
1. Tap into relevant pop culture trends & events
Influencer marketing has become very much about the here and now. People follow influencers to get inspired, to be entertained and to stay up-to-date on everything from fashion and beauty tips to social issues and politics, and this is where you as a brand can really engage with your audience on a new level. By keeping a finger on the pulse of what your target audience is into at the moment, and leveraging these insights in your influencer marketing strategy, you can break free from the generic collaborations that get mindlessly scrolled past. Think about it; what are the hottest movies and music right now? What events and festivals are buzzing among your target audience? By staying current, you can make a real impact.
Let’s take a peek at a couple of examples. This summer, we saw how creators embraced the Barbie movement with trendy outfits and makeup looks on TikTok. And when Lollapalooza Stockholm, a massive global music festival, rolled around, we helped our customer H&M partner with local influencers to showcase the best festival looks. Not only did we create a buzz leading up to the event, but we also had influencers taking followers behind the scenes in real-time throughout the day. Exciting, right?
2. Focus on brand metrics and avoid using discount codes
Historically, the effectiveness of influencer marketing has often been measured by using discount codes.This has also been considered a good way to drive traffic and ultimately sales. The problem is that these results are often quite short-term and you may not get an accurate picture of the channel’s value. Even so, it can hurt your brand image and decrease the perceived value of your products or services in the long term.
Our own research shows that discount codes significantly reduce impressions and engagement on social media platforms. Data from 1000 activations on Instagram showed that posts without discount codes get 75% more engagement than those with codes, and Reels without discount codes get as much as 97% more views. With this in mind, our best advice for 2024 is to focus on creating an attrac