The State of Influencers in 2018
Influencer marketing has grown rapidly over the past few years and as 2018 begins, it is only going to grow more essential to the marketing plan of every business that wishes to connect. But with this massive growth and position in importance in every marketing plan drafted in 2018, the Influencer is now forced to grow up.
According to a survey done by Activate Bloglovin, 72% of the PR, Advertising, and Digital Media Agencies that were asked believe that the Influencer Marketing is a great way for us to grow awareness on various social media platforms and 67% of them believe that it has already helped them reach a more targeted audience.
The Personalization of your Audience:
In an age where every business is fighting for your metadata and your consumer habits online, it is obvious where the future of digital marketing is heading; customization and targeted marketing.
The Influencer Market is now at a point of change in 2018. Influencers can’t simply rely on their massive followings to attract the eyes of businesses. In the exponential rise of the Influencer Market, businesses would throw copious amounts of money for their product or service to simply be identified with a certain influencer, but now they are becoming more cautious with who and what they associate with.
With the massive controversies surrounding Youtube’s advertising and the volatile relationship the platform has with their creators, brands have become more cautious and will not hesitate to pull the plug when they believe they are at risk of controversy. Youtube, where where an Influencer’s personal lives and opinions can cause a company massive damage to their brand, has caused more business and brands to seek out more knowledge about who they are paying to promote their product. Who exactly are these Influencers influencing?
Growing Pains
With this in mind, the ROI, which has been huge for Influencers, will now be more closely monitored in 2018. The data will matter.
Companies will be more discerning with who they work with. Influencers cant rely on just their followings anymore. They need to provide a clear history of success and proven ROI.
In my opinion, brands will stop just handing out money to anyone with an Instagram following of more than 10k and beginning hunting for those that have a proven track record of success and authenticity.
It’s not only business and brands watching the Influencer Market and their campaigns; the Federal Trade Commission has issued more regulations and they are now warning these influencers and brands that they must disclose their partnerships.
With this, the Influencer market must decide what it wants to be. On a platform that grew organically through a more direct and intimate relationship with their audience, authenticity is more important today than ever before.
With massive Influencers, they are already beginning to feel the pushback with whom they decide to work with. The audience, the followers, the fans, this is the lifeline of all influencers and when they feel that their influencer is being fake or has sold out, this can be a disaster for not just the Influencer, but for the brand. It can backfire.
The Perfect Balance
So in 2018, the Influencer must find a balance of Authenticity and Responsibility.
The Federal Trade Commission now requires every campaign and partnership be disclosed. Brands will look for those who can achieve this feat; remain true to their audience and following while providing a strong ROI and brand momentum.
To an Influencer, losing the trust of the followers can be disastrous and without the proper approach, the risk is high. Brands wont just throw money at anyone now; they’re looking for that perfect balance.
That being said, here at Abendrot Media, we are keenly aware of the need that brands have to create a strong, compliant influencer marketing campaign. Each of our campaigns are researched thoroughly with the goal of a natural and efficient approach. The results are partnerships that not only adjust to the rapidly changing markets, but are deeply personal and connected.
In the end, being connected has always been the goal, and it is more important now than ever before.