As 2022 is still new, predictions are still coming thick and fast over what this year will bring in the world of influencer marketing. But one prediction for micro-Influencer marketing may particularly raise eyebrows.
Over the last few years, the use of online means to reach audiences, especially millennials and generation Z, has grown to the point of almost total domination, especially through social media channels such as Instagram and Tik-Tok. This has particularly been true during the pandemic, where lockdown has at times excluded almost all other forms of engagement.
However, while many have suggested the health emergency has accelerated the transition away from the high street to e-commerce, Multichannel Merchant has predicted something rather atavistic; it predicted micro-influencers will increasingly use offline means such as in-person appearances at bricks and mortar stores.
Clearly, it seems, there appears to be a place for personal contact and not just cyberspace, yet the article also notes that influencers with larger Instagram followings nonetheless get more engagement with their posts.
Other tips from Multichannel Merchant include more use of ambassador programmes – which work well for firms as it helps build engagement with potential customers – and a growth in ‘verticals’ as more micro influencers engage with emerging industries and not just established ones.
While these predictions focus specifically on Micro-influencers, other experts believe there are some very significant areas of social media growth and buyer journey processes that influencers will increasingly dominate.
Writing for Forbes, Co-founder of influencer marketing platform SocialPubli Ismael El Qudsi predicted that the role of Tik-Tok will expend much further, LinkedIn will emerge as a significant platform for influencers, and influencers will come to control the entire marketing funnel.
Of course, these are just some of many predictions about what 2022 will bring. Some will turn out to be highly accurate, some partly so, and some way off. But what we can be sure of is this; the influencer scene cannot and will not stand still.
