It’s no secret that influencer marketing has skyrocketed in the past 5 to 10 years, making it a key player in many brands’ overall marketing strategies. As social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok continue to gain popularity and engagement, influencer content across the board is becoming more and more seen, AND crucial.
So why does this matter to the fresh produce industry? While most consumer packaged product brands have the budget to spend on “mega” influencers, produce marketers seek to maximize a much smaller spend. To emphasize and elevate the value an investment in influencer marketing can make, we’ve rounded up the top 5 things that you should know about influencer marketing right now.
What You Need To Know About Influencer Marketing Right Now
TikTok will continue to soar
According to Forbes, TikTok is expected to continue taking over. In 2021, only 9% of marketers said they were using TikTok. After the mid-year influencer marketing survey dropped, more than half of all marketing agencies claimed they planned to collaborate with TikTok influencers. This statement rings true with the short-form video trends we’ve seen across all social platforms.
LinkedIn will have some skin in the game
Forbes also notes that LinkedIn influencers will soon emerge as B2B companies work to build credibility and relevance with consumers. Of course, these types of influencers will look a bit different with more CEOs, executives, and business owners. Understanding that the majority of our clients and fellow marketers are looking to hit business decision-makers like retailers and fresh produce managers, this is ideal news!
Unfiltered content remains popular
Insider Intelligence notes that the pandemic played a role in the increased ‘unfiltered’ content generated by users in everyday settings. This makes complete sense considering the entire world was on lockdown and needed to feel/see some sort of normalcy in our lives. [Que influencers]. According to a May 2020 GlobalWebIndex survey, about 96% of US and UK consumers who engaged with influencers during the pandemic are still doing so to the same extent as before the coronavirus outbreak and even more.
Micro-influencers are expected to make a big impact this year
Influencer Marketing Intelligence cites that smaller industries will choose to work with micro-influencers for their authenticity, relatability, and credibility, which today’s audiences value. Furthermore, the market share of micro-influencers continues to grow from an 89% share in 2020 to 91% in 2021. This is ideal for our industry considering micro-influencers typically have a smaller cost per post.
In 2022, brands are expected to increase influencer marketing budgets
So be sure to keep up! This makes sense as Influencer Marketing Intelligence notes as more marketers are seeing the value of working with influencers. To keep your brand relevant, it’s imperative to continue to increase your marketing budgets each year to ensure you have competitive access to the influencer rosters.
The key takeaway here is that influencers are NOT going away. In fact, their content and partnerships with brands will just continue to grow and gain trust, popularity, and… our money. Keep in mind that in order to stay relevant you have to stay with the times. Influencer marketing might feel daunting but trust us when we say that their content is in fact worth the money.
Check out how we can help you kickstart your influencer marketing journey here!
