Influencer Marketing soared in 2022. Brands finally woke up to the power of TikTok and short-form video for brand awareness, Instagram Reel’s educational power and YouTube’s ability to drive conversions.

Influencer moved away from being a last-minute add-on to the PR team, to having their own in-house specialists and agencies. But we’ve still got a long way to go.

Here are 5 Key Trends for 2023

1. Communities over Personas
   Personas are too narrow a lens through which to view your target customers. Brands should have a community-first approach that targets potential consumers based on their interests. Experiment with community-focused platforms such as Discord, Twitch and Reddit. 
   
   
2. Scroll-Stopping Ads
   It’s easy to get lost in a sea of ad blindness when social feeds are littered with the same repetitive, uninspired ad formats. Videos are attention-grabbing and can tell a story, but how do you use the effectiveness of this format to connect with your audience and convert them into customers? Use User-Generated Content. As Gen Z mistrusts traditional advertising, UGC has a chance to win their trust offering brand authenticity combined with unpolished content.
   
   
3.  Monetization: The Battle for Short-Form
   Despite its growth in popularity, short- form video continues to face challenges around creator monetisation. Platforms initially tried creator funds, but these encountered a mixed reception as pay outs are low and inconsistent. Social media platforms have no choice but to adopt different forms of monetisation in their future strategy.
   
   
4. Serious Sustainability
   The shift to a more sustainable society will step up this year. Consumers want to make more sustainable choices and want brands to help by promoting sustainable products. Brands need to take an active role in highlighting environmental issues, and create campaigns to inspire action. Consumers also expect brands to minimise their own environmental impact.
   
   
5. Data != Insight
   To put it more bluntly, data on its own is not insight. To generate any meaningful value, we need to be able to analyse data to tell a story about how our audience engages with our content and what drives them to action in their consumer journey. To appreciate the full impact of Influencer Marketing - visibility across the customer journey provides useful learnings. 

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