GO INFLUENCER MARKETING 2021!

Last year has shown that one thing is certain, it will be fast-paced! That is why it is so important for you to always know what is happening in social media marketing and which strategies, activities, and trends will significantly influence your business success in the coming months. A year full of social media, a year full of influencer marketing? Absolutely! This headline was already featured in our previous article, and there is a lot happening in our social world, even within influencer marketing in 2021.

This social media marketing discipline has definitely experienced one of the most significant developments, largely shaped by the events of the past year. 2020 and digital transformation are shaping a new influencer marketing 2021!

Customer Relationship Management more important than ever

Did you expect that authenticity, communication, and connection would ever become so relevant for your #CustomerRelationship?

Considering digitalization, one could have guessed this quietly. But the fact that the shift in success factors, like influencer marketing, would happen so quickly in the past year, was not entirely on our radar.

In the course of digital transformation, consistent customer relationship management has gained new importance. The relationship with the customer through personalized communication is now more decisive for success than ever before. Personality, character, and authenticity set the tone in influencer marketing 2021. Moving away from the sheer number of followers who do not really know you, quality now comes before quantity in influencer marketing 2021.

With Instagram testing the hiding of likes under posts, the restructuring phase already began. The number of followers or millions of fans is no longer the decisive factor when choosing an influencer.

Instead, what matters are real values and emotions that people share with other people. Inspiration and motivation, and since last year especially, positive thoughts and connection. What will your influencer marketing activities 2021 look like? Have you already developed your individual strategy?

Influencer marketing is THE opportunity for small and medium-sized enterprises

For smaller and medium-sized businesses, and also for you, INFLUENCER MARKETING 2021 represents THE chance to achieve significant results in #brandcommunication in the coming months.

Below, we list the most important developments in influencer marketing 2021. We show what will matter this year within this important social media marketing discipline. Minimal distance, maximum connection: will 2021 be the year of micro influencers? What makes micro influencers stand out?

Micro influencers: why they are so important for the relationship with the social media community

Micro influencers have a much smaller reach than macro influencers. That is the difference. This translates into a closer and more personal connection to #followers compared to macro influencers. Therefore, for cooperation with a micro influencer, the principle “quality over quantity” could apply to you.

Influencer marketing 2021 as a social media marketing tool for optimizing the customer lifecycle
Because the relationship between a micro influencer and “your customers” can be much stronger, they may also have a greater influence on your target audience. PEOPLE want to buy from PEOPLE. Subscribers have a real chance to engage more closely with the influencer.

For example, products can be presented in a more personal and emotional way through direct interaction. Micro influencers can often respond to follower questions more immediately and specifically. This results in a qualitative and consistent engagement rate.

Micro influencers: real brand ambassadors?
A big advantage of working with micro influencers is that they usually engage more deeply with a brand’s products. This is because they select products based on their personal preferences and interests and interact with them in real life. They use them in their everyday lives or recommend them to friends.

Close to the brand, close to the customer

Experiencing the feeling of a brand up close, understanding its values, and learning the brand message in a unique way. The interaction with products or services is often more genuine and automatically more authentic with micro influencers. People, not just representations of what they try to be, internalize the real values behind your brand. Micro influencers can therefore convey your brand message to their #community, to your target audience, from a completely different perspective. Sell less, tell more!

A new perspective in influencer marketing 2021

Never before has connection and empathy been so important in social media marketing. As we reported in one of our previous articles, users no longer expect a brand to be just an abstract product. Brands in influencer marketing 2021 are becoming real characters, conveying real values and emotions to people. Influencer marketing 2021 gives brands a personality!

With the many developments in the social media marketing world and technological possibilities, influencer marketing has grown significantly. Through the social values that became so important in #2020, this discipline has experienced an enormous growth boost. Moving away from the product, toward personality.

Why do users now expect more emotions and real values behind a brand? One key reason may be that real social contacts were increasingly reduced over the past year. Overall, social media consumption has increased. We are human. When something is missing, we try to compensate. Possibly we unconsciously do this with our #favoriteproducts, connecting thoughts and feelings with them.

Tell stories and build trust with your community!

Trust your target audience with your brand story. Let people know how your brand, your company, and everything around it came to be. Let them feel the emotions that you experience when recalling these moments.

It is not rocket science to convey the values and emotions of a brand. What matters is the authenticity behind it and the trust you give to your users. In influencer marketing 2021, it can also mean giving a little more than what you expect in return. Conviction from the heart leads to lifelong relationships even in influencer marketing. The development of influencer marketing 2021 also shows a special characteristic, as collaborations often result in deep connections. The longer-term partnerships emerge the more a (micro) influencer engages with and truly understands the brand personally.

That is why choosing (micro) influencers is a very important decision for business owners like you. Meet them personally whenever possible. Pay attention to character traits and especially authenticity, empathy, and integrity. When can you entrust your brand to an influencer?

If you feel that the person understands which values, emotions, and feelings your brand should convey, they will be able to pass these on to PEOPLE and share them. That is what makes someone an influencer.

From habits and traditions to innovations

Time flies, to the future and the past! NOSTALGIA will likely be one of the buzzwords in #socialmediamarketing this year. Last year also showed that the “good old times” are a huge part of who we are.

We have generally become more romantic in our behaviors. Desire, as an inner emotional expression, gained importance due to last year’s limitations. From habits and traditions to innovations, everything now builds on the past.

We see that traditions and long-practiced customs increasingly play a role in our lives. Anything not possible at the moment will always attract special attention. At the same time, habits and routines give us a sense of security. We seek familiarity in the old to face the uncertainties of the new.

Influencer campaigns 2021: now it gets nostalgic
A little nostalgia in your influencer marketing campaigns will make them even more successful this year. It shows your audience that you understand their current needs and perhaps help fulfill their #desire.

TikTok suddenly appears

And it has grown rapidly in influencer marketing over the past year. The audience is currently younger than Instagram or Pinterest, but the platform is gaining popularity and social media usage is increasing.

More brands are joining and leveraging influencer marketing on TikTok. The same goes for #InstagramReels, which is evolving from the traditional 4:5 format to MP4 video.

TikTok and influencer marketing, a perfect match

TikTok seems to be the ultimate platform, focusing exclusively on short videos. Many influencer collaborations now take place on TikTok. More TikTok influencers are emerging and even major brands consider TikTok an established social media channel.

The algorithm values are similar to influencer marketing 2021, prioritizing values, emotions, and audience interests over sheer reach. Content is streamed continuously.

Instagram Reels as a response to the video boom

Video content is booming across platforms. Instagram responded with #Reels alongside IGTV and Stories. Social media users increasingly demand reality and authenticity. Even the construction industry has adopted Instagram Stories, bringing video content into the #B2B sector. The past year has contributed to increased video consumption. Who knows, maybe this is what comes after television.

Influencer marketing as a personal success factor for your #brand

In summary, a lot has changed in influencer marketing, and this is just the beginning. In such a fast-paced environment with rapidly evolving trends, you need to stay on top of developments. Influencers are already on #CLUBHOUSE, which will be the topic of our next article.

This is what an influencer marketing campaign with us by your side could look like

Here we give you an insight into our latest social media story “HIDDEN PLACES” from last year, in collaboration with the IHK and the Bavarian-Swabia tourism board.

If we can support you strategically and conceptually in planning influencer marketing activities, feel free to reach out.

We look forward to getting to know you and the story behind your brand!

Your Social Emotion Team!