6 Influencer Marketing Trends Consumer Brands Must Adopt In 2023
By
Christian Brown

It has been a good year for social media influencer marketing. Brands – large and small – want digital influencers, and the demand is predicted to escalate in 2023. From beauty to entertainment brands, almost every sector uses content creators. In fact, eMarketer said that 74.5% of US marketers from companies with 100 employees or more will use influencer marketing. Understandably, influencer marketing has become a critical piece of brand marketing.

As last year, brands will increase their digital influencer spending in 2023. However, this year, the brands will focus on new content types. Here are six influencer marketing trends consumer brands must adopt in 2023 to stay relevant.

Livestream Shoppable Content

There has been a rise in Livestream shopping this year on multiple platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and Amazon Live, and it’s expected to explode. Livestream shoppable content is popular because it offers viewers a unique and convenient way to buy the products they see on social media. Livestream shopping allows customers to interact with the host in real-time and purchase items as they watch without leaving the channel or searching for them online. In addition, Livestream gives the influencer’s followers an unedited view of a product.

Cross-channel Campaigns

We are going to see more and more brands and influencers utilize multiple marketing channels in 2023. For example, this year, we saw brands hiring influencers to create TikTok videos and then the brand using the videos in their paid social ads. This is just the beginning of cross-channel campaigns. Brand marketers will start using creators’ content in more and more channels, such as traditional advertising and influencers in experiential marketing, also known as activation.

Direct Response

The goal of direct response is to generate a specific action, such as filling out a form, making a purchase or downloading an app. Influencer marketing started as a top-of-funnel strategy and is quickly moving down the funnel to drive actions such as purchases, app installs, etc. As a result, brand marketers will use influencer marketing as a direct response, performance-oriented strategy more in 2023 than ever before.

Influencer Tools

In the past, many marketers and influencers would reach out to each other through social media and email. However, with the rise of influencer marketing, the sheer number of creators has made it more difficult for influencers and marketers to collaborate. It was also increasingly difficult for brands to manage a slew of other issues that were both time and resource-intensive: sourcing and managing all the creators needed for a single campaign and managing contracting, reporting and brand compliance, to name a few. However, where there is a big market and a pain point, software platforms will arise to help smooth out the wrinkles. Influencer marketing platforms that make sourcing, collaborating and managing campaigns have proven their value to brands and creators. While these platforms help create a space for influencers and brands to find each other seamlessly, many also help to ensure that data and analytics are tracked and provide real-time audience demographics directly from the platform. As a result, more and more brands and creators will find influencer marketing platforms the most efficient way to conduct business.

Video-Based User Generated Content (UGC)

Video continues to be critical to success, and brands will need more content than ever in 2023 and beyond. Video content creators have significantly impacted the marketing and advertising world, especially influencers using Instagram Reels and TikTok. Video content takes time and resources to create. It’s no surprise that influencers are now becoming a required asset for brands, as creating content is what influencers do best. Also, when looking at platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels, short-form video content will continue to take over social media.

Gen Z Teens and Cause-related Marketing

Brands are connecting with their target audiences, especially millennials and Gen Z, by partnering with nonprofits. Gen Z teens are a rising target demographic for consumer brands. To reach this audience, brands must start incorporating their messaging and communicating their brand values. And because this group is hyper-connected, they are very aware of social issues. Teens want to support brands that are making a difference. And because the cornerstone for cause-related marketing and influencer marketing is authenticity, we predict that we will see an uptick in brands using more creators to help promote their cause-related activities.

For consumer brands looking to stay ahead of the curve, they must invest and leverage influencer marketing strategies. Not only is influencer marketing an effective way to reach new audiences, but it’s also a great way to build trust with potential customers and increase revenue. These 2023 trends are just the beginning – there’s still so much untapped potential in influencer marketing. So, get ready – 2023 will be a wild ride for creators and brands.

Christian Brown is the co-founder and chief marketing officer of Glewee, the easiest and fastest all-in-one influencer marketing platform that connects brands and creators through collaboration and paid social media brand deals.