2021 has been a revolutionary year in terms of exploring the influencer marketing industry and the vast opportunities it holds for brands and influencers. As adaptations and rapid progress were made in the field, new regulations were also imposed by ASCI, which was a clear indication of the growing popularity of influencer marketing.

With such rapid transformations in the influencer marketing space, it has diversified into macro, micro and nano influencers. Macro-influencers have a wide reach, but research shows that micro-influencers get more than four times as many likes on sponsored posts than macro-influencers with millions of followers. This increased engagement rate is only due to the enthusiastic audience of micro-influencers who perceive them as trusted experts on a particular topic. They have a more popular mass appeal. In general, with more followers, influencers have a lower engagement rate.

While this year has taught us new things about influencer marketing analytics tools, several new trends have emerged. Let’s take a look at these-

Use of sponsored ads

While browsing Instagram, you may have come across several posts that say “Paid Partnership”. These are nothing more than sponsored ads.

We all know the internet has become a congested space. While initially people were forced to see ads, lately many of them have started using ad blockers to get rid of them. But with the help of influencer marketing, brands can easily penetrate their target audience, making sure that their content is seen by a genuine audience eager to know what their favorite influencer has in store for them.

Sponsored ads in influencer marketing help brands present themselves to their audience in a more natural and authentic way. Plus, they have a more focused approach that allows them to connect with their audience through creative storytelling.

Sponsored influencer content has become a staple of the industry and is growing significantly, due to the cost-effective marketing approach it offers.

Rise of regional influencers

As nano and micro-influencers have created their own space in the influencer marketing industry, the rise of regional influencers has paved the way for brands to appeal to vernaculars and expand their reach. Therefore, brands that have a niche and only target a particular type of regional audience can rank their target group by engaging with regional influencers. This helps brands to have a targeted and focused marketing plan, with maximum benefits.

According to a report by RedSeer, around 210 million monetizable internet users in India consume content in vernacular languages. Therefore, brands focus on collaborating with regional influencers who become the perfect mediators to communicate their brand’s message to their potential customers.

Additionally, regional influencers have a very unique presence among their followers, due to their social bond that comes from a place of regional inclination and connectivity. Followers can comfortably communicate with their favorite regional influencer and have a sense of belonging. This is one of the main reasons why regional influencers are growing at an unprecedented rate and have a large number of fans in their community.

How does this help traders?

Regional targeting not only attracts a larger consumer base, but as noted above, it also creates a personal connection with the audience. In addition, regional platforms like Moj, Roposo, ShareChat, etc., are replacing global apps and have strong competition against widely used global apps like Snapchat, Instagram, etc. which is another major indication of the growing popularity of this trend.

Increase in male influencers

The fashion industry is no longer a diet reserved for female influencers. As much as we all know about women who break stereotypes, men also break it by influencing the public through fashion.

Menswear has evolved over the years and changed our perception of fashion. While men’s clothing previously had limited options, their diverse approach to clothing styles has now encouraged many men to present themselves as fashion influencers or even operate their small fashion businesses.

Top menswear influencers like Siddharth Chandra, Kush Sachdeva, and Pranav Goswamy have become an inspiration for many upcoming influencers. In addition, their unique approach has helped them seize huge marketing projects from famous brands.

Today, male influencers have created a specific audience for themselves and thus attract huge companies. On the other hand, influencers are also diversifying their approach by working in various fields such as online games, racing, speed cycling and much more.

Influencer marketing trends have grown significantly in the year 2021 and have helped brands and influencers achieve high reach and engagement. The above trends are some of the initial transformations, however, the industry will experience many more interesting trends in the years to come.

The author is CEO and Founder of Vavo Digital. The opinions expressed are personal.

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