With influencer marketing taking social media by storm over the past few years, some worry that influencers’ relevance might soon be hitting a wall — after all, social media trends can be fickle.

Get Engaged Media
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However, the numbers suggest that influencers still have a lot going for them, at least for the next six years. According to Influencer Marketing Hub, influencer marketing is expected to become a $85 billion industry by 2028, growing massively from the $13 billion it was in 2021.

So, it comes as no surprise that more brands are looking to allocate a larger portion of their marketing budgets to get influencers onboard. Full-service marketing agency Get Engaged Media (GE), however, cautions marketers to plan their strategies carefully when approaching influencer marketing.

For GE founders Cam Fordham, Alex Dermer, and Ben Hiott, influencer marketing is the best it’s ever been. Consumers seem to trust influencers far more than any traditional paid ad. Being an influencer continues to become more accepted as a full-time career, and plenty of viral content is getting converted to “TikTok made me buy it” stories. All these factors point to the continued relevance of influencer marketing in 2022 and beyond.

While influencer marketing will undoubtedly survive the rapidly changing terrain of social media trends, not all influencers, and not all marketers, will be able to successfully leverage the influencer economy as much as they’d like to.

After launching over 3,000 engagement campaigns on social media and working with over 1,500 influencers per month, GE has gained valuable insights into what makes audiences tick, and what keeps them engaged.

And when it comes to influencer marketing, Fordham says creative freedom is key. “The very reason influencers appeal to their audiences is because of their creativity,” Fordham says. “This is exactly why brands shouldn’t be overly controlling of what the influencer creates for them. Influencers are influencers for a reason. You’ve got to let them get creative in their own way.”

Dermer adds that many brands fail in their influencer marketing because all they do is chase whoever's got the biggest following on social media. “While it seems logical to work with influencers who have a heavy following, brands have to protect their brand first,” Dermer says. “A heavy following doesn’t always mean the influencer is hitting the right audience.”

Dermer’s tip is for brands to shortlist influencers who have a large follower base, and then to look closely into the demographic that each of the influencers appeal to. “Before getting an influencer onboard, make sure you know what kind of audiences they have influence over,” adds Dermer. “Their audience should be the same as your audience, otherwise you’re just flushing money down the drain.”

Aside from nailing their choice of influencer, Hiott advises brands to get their platforms right, too. “An influencer on Instagram might be right for your brand, but that same influencer might not be as effective for a TikTok campaign,” says Hiott. “Followers are becoming more and more intelligent by the day, and your choice of platform may just make or break your influencer marketing.”

For 2022 and beyond, Get Engaged will continue working with influencers and leveraging their dominion of social media. Their hope is to see the industry thrive even more, as more and more brands start to learn mastery of how influencers can help them grow and succeed.