Being the boots on the ground of the influencer marketing industry allows us the chance to see where we've been, and where we're headed. Take a look at a few of the 2022 predictions for the influencer marketing industry in the new year.
Worldwide spending on sponsored content grew 366% in the past 5 years. What we paid influencers increased 42% in 2021. Much of this increase came from simple market economics: an increase in demand and relative scarcity drives up prices. This trend will continue as demand looks to have another big up year in 2022.
The race to roll out a compelling and effective TikTok strategy is fully on. We predict on average, brands who spent money on TikTok in 2021 will at least double their budgets, and thousands of brands will send their first checks to TikTok creators in 2022.
One of the biggest shifts in this industry over the next three years will be the explosion of social commerce. As Instagram and TikTok make it easier and easier for influencers to sell directly to their audiences, we will see a more direct link to what influencers are posting and what is selling, which will only work to push budgets into this space further.
We also see changes happening to success metrics, brand safety guidelines, the fight for attention, and more.