2022 Social Media Predictions from Influencer Marketing Experts

We’re moving from surviving to thriving in our 2022 post-COVID world. Trends have come and gone, and some have stayed. 

As an influencer agency headquartered in Los Angeles and with offices all over the world, we asked our people what creator marketing trends would carry over from 2021 into 2022.

Without further ado, here are the expert insights from members of the Open Influence team.  Let’s see what they say about 2022’s industry trend predictions. 

What do you think will be the biggest trends in influencer marketing? 

“Sometimes you have to look back to look forward. Here are some big trends we saw in 2021:

iOS14 and user privacy updates increased costs for paid social and made attribution more difficult. 

Brands relied more heavily on influencers for more- such as content creation, paid social whitelisting, and long-term collaborations.

TikTok showed that it’s here to stay, and continued to grow as a real contender.

Social platforms changed their stance on influencers. I believe they finally recognized their value and made drastic investments in the creator economy. 

The social platforms announced and released early iterations of their social commerce offering, showing great promise of unlocking the bottom-funnel for influencer marketing.

Live shopping hit the market in a meaningful way with Amazon Live gaining some initial traction. We witnessed social platforms launch their own offerings, and third-party live shopping platforms hit the market.

As we gear up to go into 2022 we can expect a continuation of these trends. I am personally most excited for social commerce and the impact it will have on influencer marketing.”

– Eric Dahan, CEO 

• Ecommerce and live shopping
• More refined ambassadorships
• Tracking down the funnel (conversions)
• Affiliate marketing via platforms

– Diana Perlov, New York Account Director

“NFTs. Original Penguins was the first to launch NFTs using TikTok. But will not be the last.” 

– Karim De Martino, VP Business Development Europe

“More real, advice-driven content, as well as creator-driven content, versus staged point and shoot content. I also think conversions will become more of a focus versus leaning heavily on just awareness.”

– Jenifer Golden, Account Director

“As the creator economy grows so will the importance of understanding how cross-vertical creative/targeting can help brands better understand the truly diverse and multi-faceted communities that influencers are tapped into. The digital world has no borders – and neither do influencers’ interests – and the interests of their audiences. We are witnessing beauty influencers become successful business entrepreneurs. Lawyers become TikTok food superstars and bestselling authors. Musicians become NFT experts.

The more brands can lean into understanding the importance of a cross-vertical approach the better they can connect to audiences with content (and influencers) that authentically align with their wide range of passions and interests.”

– Deanna Baisden, Creative Strategist

“Authenticity and diversity, social and live shopping integrations, more creator collabs (NFTs, experiential, product drops).”

– Sierra Moore, Creative Director

What do you think will be the hottest social media platform in 2022?

“TikTok – they are massively scaling! Predictions say it will surpass 1.5B users; that sort of growth is unprecedented.”

– Diana Perlov, New York Account Director

“TikTok, because it is a grittier, less aesthetic treasure trove of advice, information, recipes, and tips in a quick, digestible format.”

– Jenifer Golden, Account Director

“While I think platform usage patterns will remain similar to what we saw in 2021, in comparison, I believe that the evolving development of real-world integrations that we are currently seeing within all social platforms (ie. live shopping capabilities) will be what competes for attention and time next year as our physical and digital lives continue to become blurred.”

– Deanna Baisden, Creative Strategist

“TikTok. Brands have finally gotten comfortable with spending on TikTok the past couple of years and they are seeing results, I think this will continue to grow and dominate in 2022. Additionally, the short-form video continues to rule our attention and TikTok is no longer just a “Gen Z” platform, if you take a look around while in public you will see everyone scrolling the app – from teens to middle-aged parents.”

– Sierra Moore, Creative Director

Which trends do you think will carry over from 2021 into 2022?

“I think Reels will continue to be popular because they offer similar creativity on IG, as TikTok does for its creators.”

– Jenifer Golden, Account Director

“In terms of content format trends, the adaptation of short-form content and video content will continue to dominate screen time (thank you, TikTok!), but when looking at influencer marketing trends, accountability and authenticity will only continue to evolve as a driving force of connection in our digital society.

As audiences become much more aware of how the social world works, they are wanting to only engage with influencers and content that matters to them and authentically addresses the topics, ethics, and causes they care about. 

Looking at 2022, this continued demand for authenticity will now be powered with the re-launch of platform features that are now opening up accessibility to users of all sizes (ie. Instagram story links for all) – and I sense that as a result, this will drive an increasing shift into strategically utilizing mid-tier, micro and nano influencers that have more close-knit communities of dedicated and trusted followers.”

– Deanna Baisden, Creative Strategist

“Short-form video, social commerce, NFTs and expansion within the virtual world (metaverse, etc).”

– Sierra Moore, Creative Director

 

Overall, it’s evident that brands need influencer marketing to be a key part of their marketing plan. In 2022, it’s likely that as more brands realize the potential, they will be redirecting more of their budget towards influencers rather than traditional advertising. Influencers give them direct access to their audience in a more organic way, whether it’s for general awareness or to drive sales right through a post. 

If you’re interested in reaching your audience in 2022 with influencers, feel free to contact us. Open Influence is a global influencer agency full of creative thinkers and social media gurus. Drop us an email at social@openinfluence.com or message us on any of our social media channels.