There has been much speculation as to how brand deals are becoming less believable as influencers are starting to trade in their voice for larger cash payouts.
But the question arises: Are people seeing right through the brand advertisements and naturally reacting to the authentic posts of the influencers just by default?
We’ve highlighted some of the news stories circulating today about the topic below and had our Entertainment branding and marketing specialist, Jacqueline Jax guest post some amazing 2018 forecasted trends in influencers marketing for 2018:
Question:
What do you think will be the trend in 2018 influencer marketing?
I’m seeing huge growth among our top influencers as we go into 2018 and things that I’m pushing them towards are learning the newest content creation tools and becoming much better story tellers through the tools available.
I also think it’s much more important to find a way to become part of the community on a daily basis rather than just publishing video content weekly. Live streaming offers that connection people are craving and increases the amount of face time influencers have. For some, it will be really hard to adjust their content to this trend but in the long run it’s well worth the effort to stay current.
Story telling was popular in 2017 but even more important this next year as more people start creating video. The space was more open previously but with cable shows moving to youtube, video creators will need to work hard and find their niche quickly to stand out.
A good rule of thumb, if you’re content isn’t highly interesting and engaging to the people who regularly follow you, then it’s probably not going to be effective even if you heavily promote it. I think it’s better to test out your content in a smaller arena so you know where your sweet spot is and then go full force with that.
#1 Highlighting the Customer : word-of-mouth strategies such as Loyalty, Advocacy and Referral rewards will be a defining way that you can excel in 2018 as brand collaborations become a bit more diluted based on the average influencers business model.
#2 Brand awareness will be more important than ever to ensure that manufacturers of the products don’t get cut out by Amazon’s decision making process. With voice activated shopping referral programs like Alexa, you’ll need to be really specific when you search and shop so brands will need to get better at making their names stand out and become known for filling a specific need.
#3 Influencers should be very vocal about their affiliate links both to avoid social media blocking of their content and also to encourage their own community to support them. I think being authentic about your affiliate links will encourage people to make more of an effort to shop as often as possible from the people they like. It boost community support and allows the subscribers to cheer on the content creator by giving back on every sale.
Jacqueline Jax
Host and music journalist of www.AVALiveRadio.com
Creator of the www.Musicmarketinginsider.com
Music marketing resources: www.Jacquelinejax.tv
Twitter: @JacquelineJax
E-commerce platforms like Amazon and Shopify are offering new services to help these influencers grow and scale in e-commerce.
Amazon Spark – Amazon Spark is like an Instagram feed and quite a number of influencers are already using the feature to post photos and highlight products from sponsoring brands.
Shopify VIP – Shopify VIP provides infrastructure and customer management support for e-commerce. Influencers will be able to launch their own multi-channel store, receive guidance from a dedicated personal concierge, and have access to applications, like embeddable buy buttons, which allow them to sell and cross-promote their own brands across various digital channels.
Forbes:
“A recent survey revealed 84% of marketers plan on executing at least one influencer marketing campaign during the next 12 months.
But what exactly is “influencer marketing”? Well, it’s the grey territory between an official testimonial and a subtle product mention, which is done almost in passing.
The best example is to imagine that you are back in high school. You walk down the hallway, backpack straps pulled tight. And suddenly, you stroll past the “popular crowd” of girls—who, metaphorically speaking, would be Kylie Jenner on Instagram.
You hear Kylie say in passing, “I love my Fashion Nova jeans.” Instantly you feel as though you know something no one else does. You know what she wears, and what she considers to be cool.
This is exactly what has happened. Kylie Jenner partnered up with affordable clothing brand, Fashion Nova, and in one Instagram post made this clear point (the photo gathering a stunning 2.2M likes)…”
Why Influencer Marketing Will Exploded In 2017 and is making a strong leap into 2018 https://www.forbes.com/sites/ajagrawal/2016/12/27/why-influencer-marketing-will-explode-in-2017/#3fe06af220a9
“.. amid Jenner’s ordeal and the internet storm it created was another part of the story few seemed to notice. It was Cartier’s part of the story: the tale of free advertising. Seemingly overnight, Kylie fans besieged the web and made the Love bracelet the most-searched jewelry item online—353,000 searches in a month, to be exact. Indeed, thanks to Jenner, Cartier even unseated the preeminent Tiffany. Cartier doesn’t release sales figures, so we don’t know how many Love bracelets the storied jewelry brand actually sold in the weeks after the event, but odds are it was more than would have sold otherwise.”
“The link between a celebrity nod and a brand’s performance is well established. A 2012 study by the Harvard Business School revealed that celebrity endorsements generate a 4 percent increase in sales on average for brands. The 2013 book Contemporary Ideas and Research in Marketing found that 85 percent of consumers admitted that a celebrity endorsement upped their confidence in a brand, and 15 percent said endorsements affected their purchasing decisions. In addition, a study released by NPD last year revealed that fans of a given celebrity are 50 percent more likely to buy and use the products that celebrity does.”
Are the Most Valuable Celebrity Brand Endorsements the Ones Brands Don’t Actually Pay for? http://adweek.it/2h6abG7
