Influencer marketing and social media marketing became huge over the past year as the world shifted to digitalisation to minimise human contact. With the pandemic far from being over, our daily lives will continue to revolve around our laptops, phones, and tablets. We have rounded up these 7 trends in 2021 that you should know about.
1) Rise of Micro-Influencers and Long-Term Partnerships
Micro-influencers are content creators with 1,000 to 100,000 followers. These influencers identify their niche and create posts surrounding it. Brands invest in a partnership with micro-influencers for their established target market. Rate-wise, tying up with micro-influencers would cost less than celebrity influencers. In 2020, more brands and influencers agreed on long-term contracts rather than one-time campaigns. This is a trend we will continue to see in 2021.
2) Performance-based Marketing
Aside from the number of followers, the engagement rate is the first thing marketers look into when looking for brand influencers or ambassadors. Campaigns and ads made through influencers account for at least a 5% increase in revenue. A high engagement rate means a wide audience reach and better returns.
3) More Authentic Content
Gone are the days of expensive professionally-shot ads. Users are now more interested in authentic and relatable content. Photos and videos that appear scripted and polished are less likely to win the hearts of the audience. This is why influencer and social media marketing is a hot strategy as influencers will often use their own personal experiences to tell a story about a product. This builds trust among their audience and eventually entices them to avail of the product or service.
4) A Boom in Video Sharing
Although photos still capture people’s attention, videos recently proved to be a better way to do it. Brands are able to compress their ads or messages into 15 to 60-second videos that viewers will not get easily bored of. Longer videos like vlogs show authentic storytelling that gets your viewers hooked. E-commerce now involves live streams where sellers can auction products or demonstrate how they are worn or used. A lot of influencers are now shifting their focus to more video content.
5) In-App Shopping
More and more platforms are introducing e-commerce features for users. In-app shopping has made it convenient for shoppers to view a certain product being advertised by influencers and to buy it without the need to navigate away from the app. Posts and videos that seamlessly direct users to brand-owned channels continue to be on the rise in 2021. Shoppable content is the future of e-commerce.
6) Branded AR (Augmented Reality) Effects
Brands have explored AR effects for marketing opportunities. A makeup line could introduce its products to social media by creating Instagram filters or effects that allow users to virtually try on many shades of lipstick. Brands use this format so shoppers could have fun with the effects and see how the products look on them.
7) Brands and Campaigns with a Cause
With the lockdown allowing us to slow down with our lives, we have found ourselves reading up more on current events and social issues. People trust brands that stand behind a cause like race and gender equality, veganism, environmentalism, and more. People are calling out influencers to be more socially responsible for they have the means to communicate to a larger audience. In the past, brands tried to stay away from sending political messages with their campaigns. Now, the audience requires more noise from brands about these social issues.
Explore influencer marketing opportunities with Asia Travel Club (ATC). We have a huge pool of influencers across various social media platforms. Contact us to find your match and build a partnership.
About Asia Travel Club
Asia Travel Club (ATC) is a social media agency focusing on China digital marketing, influencer, and social messaging marketing. ATC is the Official Sales Partner of Tencent(WeChat), Weibo, and Bytedance (TikTok, DouYin & TouTiao) with 100+ verified and managed WeChat and Weibo Official Accounts since 2016.
ATC.social connects brands with over 3,000+ influencers across China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The ATCbookings.com platform sits within Facebook Messenger, WeChat, LINE, and Kakao in 7 languages. It connects our travel partners with Chinese consumers through direct booking via ATC WeChat Booking Engine.
Asia Travel Club (ATC) is a member of Digital 38 Group.
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