The start of a new year provides a great opportunity to supercharge your influencer marketing strategy for the year ahead. We’ve reflected on some of the biggest takeaways and lessons learned from 2023. Now it’s time to make our 2024 predictions and prepare for the trends and strategies that we think will be most valuable this year.
Here are 4 of our top 2024 predictions and pieces of advice to take into account when planning your influencer marketing campaigns:
1) Niche-dom is stronger than stardom when it comes to high engagement.
Speaking of engagement metrics, one of the best ways to achieve high engagement numbers is by working with niche creators who can speak with expertise on specialized topics. While these creators may have a smaller overall following, they tend to have incredibly engaged audiences who will comment on and interact with their content at a high rate. We still love working with larger creators to build brand awareness and achieve high reach, which is why we recommend multi-tiered campaign strategies to target different KPIs.
2) Creators will value brands and platforms that cultivate relationships.
We’ve seen TikTok, Meta, and YouTube along with many other platforms retooling their creator programs and vying for creators to spend more time on their platforms through monetary incentives. As different social media platforms start to blur together (photos on TikTok, videos on Instagram, short-form content on YouTube, long-form content on TikTok, etc.) creators will focus their time and energy on the platforms where they see the most growth, engagement, and investment into their careers. For brands, this means that you should keep on top of how different social media companies are wooing creators, and account for where creators are spending time in your campaign strategies.
3) AI can be a useful tool, but nothing beats authenticity.
One of the biggest topics of 2023 has been AI and its many possible uses. We’ve seen the influencer and social media world embrace AI, from AI-powered caption generators to video editors to influencer selection tools for campaigns. We see a lot of value in AI as a tool that can help build beautiful presentations, generate caption ideas, and assist with content editing, but that’s what it should be: a tool.
We have also seen a massive increase in AI-generated content on social media, and while some of it is getting impressive enough to trick viewers, it still sits squarely in the uncanny valley and isn’t real. As viewers get inundated with more and more AI images and videos, they will be thankful for when they come across authentic, human-made content on social media. So yes, you can use AI to supercharge your strategies and content, but don’t let it replace your creativity and that of influencers.
4) Don’t discount the power of Gen X and Boomers on social media.
While we are already prepping for the growth of Generation Alpha as the next key consumer demographic, don’t forget about Gen X and even Boomers on social media. A massive 28% of TikTok users are part of Gen X (roughly the 43 – 58 age demographic) according to AdAge, but few brands are putting valuable resources into marketing to these demographics, and honestly, they are missing out.
Some of The Digital Dept.’s top-performing influencers are members of Gen X, and they are seeing massive success precisely because their followers are highly engaged and excited to see influencers speak to them when so few do. And don’t just take it from us; look at the success of The Golden Bachelor! Obviously Millennials, Gen Z, and even Gen Alpha will still be important demographics to market to, but if it makes sense for your brand, get serious about activating older influencers as well.
Now that you know our 2024 predictions for influencer marketing, let’s plan your 2024 strategy! Reach out to us now and let’s optimize your next campaign.
