The influencer trend has been experiencing an ever-growing boom globally, with statistics illustrated by SmallBizGenius showing up to 80% of brands looking to hire these personas for promotion purposes. However, just like any other modern-day phenomenon, influencer marketing had to grow, evolve, and improve in order to maintain a leading position in the competitive world dominated by corporations and technology.

With influencer marketing growing in popularity, social media platforms started using different strategies to improve their efficiency. Instagram’s Stories feature started as a simple option for sharing experiences in real time, but over time it evolved into an integrated e-commerce shopping hotspot. Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube have also picked up on the trend and have started offering their own influencer-friendly options. 

In this regard, analysis shows that several influencer marketing tendencies seem to stand out more than others. While some were easy to predict, others came as more of a surprise. Here are the top five influencer trends for 2019:

Emphasis on Micro and Nano-Influencers

As influencer marketing practices evolve, there’s been a tendency to employ several influencers with smaller but more niche audiences and focus groups over than a single influencer with a larger audience with a broader spectrum of interests. This trend is expected to continue as a throughout 2019, as it’s shown positive results. What’s more, micro-influencers, who took over from previously dominant macro-influencers are now expected to be surpassed by an even newer category of nano-influencers. 

Long-Term Brand-Influencer Relationships

Brand-influencer relationships were born from freelancing gigs, but after this marketing approach showed massive potential, the need for more stable and long-lasting collaborations arose. In 2018, 40% of influencers were in long-term partnerships with their sponsors. This is expected to become increasingly more evident toward the end of 2019, as brands and large corporations begin signing binding contracts with individual influencers. 

IGTV to Become the Next Top Medium

Naturally, businesses need to grow and develop, which is why new horizons are constantly being sought out and tested. 2018 proved that Instagram is currently the most optimized platform for influencer marketing, primarily due to the introduction of additional tools, features, and functionalities to meet the needs of influencers.

In 2019, Instagram’s extension, IGTV started gaining momentum, especially since it provides Instagram users with the option of sharing video content, but in much better quality and longer timeframe than before.

Weaker Facebook Influence

Facebook’s decline was exacerbated by the Cambridge Analytica Scandal, culminating at the end of 2018 and showing its repercussions during 2019. The decline is evident in many statistics and revenue reports, and it has indirectly led to influencer marketing shying away from the platform.

Clear Regulations Regarding Influencer Sponsorships

The best thing about influencer sponsorships is that they are presented to current users on a social media platform, depending on the content they were already interested in. This is completely different from traditional, imposed advertisements or pop-up ads. If acceptance rates continue to grow, projections say that influencer sponsorships are likely to become the norm by the end of 2019.