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Two Trends that Show the Rise of Influencer Marketing in 2020

The emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in a downturn for influencer marketing, as brands and agencies around the world were forced to suspend advertising campaigns or sponsorship deals.

Continued economic uncertainty is likely to bring new challenges, but the industry has adapted well as the year has progressed and many brands are now increasing their advertising spend.

So, what major changes have occurred in the world of influencer marketing as a result of the pandemic? And how has the continued rise of influencer marketing helped brands?

Influencers are now finding alternative revenue streams

Almost all major events have been cancelled as a result of COVID-19, not to mention the disruption to the daily working lives of influencers. Brands and influencers were quick to react, however, shifting to ‘at home’ photoshoots and pivoting to more relevant content related to the home, such as comfortable fashion, home improvement, cooking and self-care.

With social media usage dramatically increasing during lockdown, engagement on sponsored posts during this time actually went up – research carried out by the Digital Information World shows that interactions with sponsored posts reached 57 million in the month of July. This is nearly five times the amount from March 2020, when the pandemic was only beginning. Moreover, influencer partnerships typically involve far more than simple sponsored content (such as in-person appearances and events), and many influencers have therefore turned to locating alternative revenue streams in order to continue living their lives.

For brands, this could open greater opportunity and scope for influencer partnerships, with brands able to capitalize on the involvement and creativity of influencers for both physical and digital products.

Brands are tapping into organic social activity on TikTok

TikTok has grown at a record rate during lockdown, reaching two billion downloads in the Second Quarter of 2020. As a result, a new community of influencers has come to the spotlight, creating new opportunities for brand deals.

At the same time, brands have also been discovering organic trends and conversation on the app, often created by micro influencers, or simply regular users going viral (which is a common occurrence on TikTok but something that rarely happens on other platforms). As Influencer Intelligence explains in its latest report, ‘The State of Influencer Marketing in Beauty‘, this is down to TikTok’s unique algorithm, which provides content on the ‘For You’ page (that is personalized to each user based on how they interact with videos, and which videos they interact with).

In this article, influencer Maria Nichol told Influencer Intelligence: “TikTok has so much potential when it comes to brand collaborations. On platforms like Instagram for example, a majority of people who would see my sponsored content would be my followers. On TikTok, your content has the potential to be seen by millions!”

As we head into the new year, the rise of influencer marketing will be food for thought for brands who still assume the only benefit of influencer marketing is to help sell fast fashion.