ATLANTA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / May 27, 2021 / Due to the global pandemic, influencer marketing saw a major uptick in 2020, as brands sought more relatable ways to interact and resonate with their target audience. As we continue into 2021, the influencer marketing space is expected to grow more to be worth $13.8 billion, an increase from $9.7 billion last year.

"Influencer marketing has seen significant growth over the past few years, and this realm of social media marketing has new rules and trends that are important to understand to maximize its impact on the company's brand," says Dee Argawal.

While influencer marketing continues to expand and evolve across various industries, brands should be on the lookout for a few key trends emerging this year. Below are Dee Agarwal's top three trends in influencer marketing for 2021:

Short Video Content Continues to Grow

One content format that has been garnering strong engagements for brands is video -- especially short videos. Platforms and features, such as TikTok, Instagram Reels, IGTV and Stories, have seen great success over the past few years through their ability to create and share bite-sized video content that appeals to our ever-shortening attention span.

In fact, over the past few years, attention spans have been getting shorter. The overall time spent on websites has dropped by 49 seconds from 2017 to 2019. This created an opportunity for short-form video to excel. Video content has been a natural integration for influencer marketing, and influencer-created short-form videos sharing product reviews and demos will continue to perform well in 2021.

Influencers Become More Specialized

Influencer marketing has seen great success across various platforms like Instagram and TikTok, which will continue to be major channels for influencer marketing in 2021. As we progress further into the year, we will likely see influencer channels become more niche-driven. Brands may find more benefit in selecting influencers with a specialized niche or expertise that aligns with their industry, as influencers with a narrower niche often have a very loyal and engaged following.

"While identifying the right niche influencer to represent your brand can be time-intensive, this is an incredibly worthwhile investment that can pay massive dividends for your brand," explains Dee Argawal. "Consider these influencers as a touchpoint for your target audience."

Influencers are also branching out with niches and sub-niches. In a 2017 study, 92% of influencers identified style and fashion, beauty and grooming, or lifestyle categories as their specialties. Two years later, the number of influencers dropped to 72%, while other more specific categories grew.

New Social Media Platforms

Throughout 2020, TikTok became widely popular, especially as people around the world quarantined in the safety of their homes and had more free time to provide creative, relatable, and entertaining content. Other apps that were launched or became popular in 2020 include:

• Clubhouse: an app for drop-in audio conversations with friends and people around the world. Currently, users have to be invited to join the app.
• Caffeine: a place to watch live streams and chat together. Users can watch live streams, from rap battles to sports games, and chat with friends in real-time.
• Houseparty: a group-video messaging app that allows video chats with up to eight users. This face-to-face social network allows video chats, filters, and stickers as some of their features.

Brands and influencer marketing experts will likely look to these platforms for new ways to engage their target audiences and take advantage of influencer marketing trends throughout the remainder of the year.

"There are new social media platforms and capabilities launching all the time. As a brand or marketing professional, it's your job to be aware of how your brand fits into the social media scene to discover ways you can integrate influencer marketing to drive brand awareness and engage audiences on these growing platforms," says Dee Agarwal.

Short videos, niche influencers, and emerging social media platforms are just a few ways marketing experts can capitalize on the evolving trends in influencer marketing. As we venture further into 2021, we are bound to see shifts in platform trends, rules and regulations.

For more tips on mastering social media from business leader Dee Agarwal, read Dee Agarwal's Top 5 Tips to Master Social Media.

CONTACT:
Andrew Mitchell
Email: media@cambridgeglobalmedia.com
Phone: 404-955-7133

SOURCE: Dee Agarwal

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