How influencer marketing on social media has evolved

Influencer marketing took the world by storm and has been the fastest-growing marketing niche for a while now. People trust people and so getting a good-looking brand ambassador on camera might just be the best marketing decision a brand makes in 2020. However, the influencer game of yesteryear has changed dramatically, and marketing professionals who don’t keep up with what’s hot and what’s not risk being left in the digital dust. Here are three ways social media influencer marketing has changed:

• The influence of big data and analytics

What started out as an obscure concept years ago has now become a near-perfect recipe for success. Influencers now know the importance of collecting data, especially in terms of improving their content. But it’s not just about how many followers you have! Influencer marketers need to dig into information about engagement and, if possible, sales numbers.

• Non-celeb influencers are dominating

Back before the 2010 Soccer World Cup, the word ‘influence’ was reserved for celebrities, politicians, and wealthy businessmen. Social media content featuring a star athlete or famous actor would have consumers throwing their credit cards at their computer screens. Today, micro-influencers with sizeable networks are highly sought-after marketing commodities.

• Immense importance of peer-to-peer reviews

In 1995, advertisers could expect click-through rates above 44% on banner ads. In 2015, that stat. had fallen to 0.04%. Consumers today want to consult their friends, family, and other parties on the purchase decisions they make. Most turn to a search engine like Bing or Google to research their potential purchase and then go to social media for confirmation from their online communities.

Influencers are game-changers, but social media users are getting better at spotting those influencers who are clearly only pushing sales and not really interested in the product they are reviewing.

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