7 Influencer Marketing trends for 2023 (2 of 7) : the Chief Influencer Officer Era

Wanna know everything about the main Influencer Marketing Trends for the next few years? TREND #2 : the Chief Influencer Officer Era

7 influencer marketing trends for 2023

I believe that 7 influencer marketing trends are now emerging for the next 3 years (for 2023):

The first one was detailed in a previous article : The scarcity of data, or the end of easy and free access to data from social networks.

The second one is detailed below : The CIOs era (Chief Influence Officer), or the affirmation of Influence Marketing as a field in its own, transverse to the various functions of the company.

TREND #2 : The Chief Influencers Officer era

Affirmation of Influence Marketing as a field in its own, transverse to the various functions of the company

Various teams now tackle IM issues within organizations

Within a single company, Influencer Marketing (IM) is now practiced at all levels of communication and marketing strategies. But this is done with a lot of disparities, no sharing of good practices, no effect of scale and very little coordination.

Without being specialized, many teams are now working on Influence Marketing issues within the same organization, with very little coordination:

• MarCom teams of course: PR, External Communication, Advertising, Digital Acquisition, …
• But also Sales on B2B (for example using Linkedin)
• or even Finance for corporate communication issues and lobbying 
• and HR for recruitment or employee advocacy 

Agencies also work at the same time for the same brand, on uncoordinated influence strategies, and uncoordinated K.O.L sollicitations.

For example, recently 3 of our agencies using Kolsquare (one PR agency, one 360 agency and one media agency), realised during a roundtable meeting, that they were working for the same company on different KOL Marketing approaches. Sometimes activating the same K.O.L…

Beyond customers, influencers are clients, suppliers, shareholders, and even employees.

IM is becoming a real function in companies and agencies

Dedicated “Influence” functions have started to appear within companies and agencies since 2018, with increasingly experienced and specialized profiles.

Specialized IM training and diploma is being set up: in communication schools, within IM platforms (certifying training), etc. And everything suggests that major international schools and universities will also quickly follow the trend.

Within organizations, C-Levels are beginning to realize that Influencer Marketing is a real lasting lever. However, they have a lack of knowledge and especially convictions on the subject. Some even dislike influencer marketing and K.O.L, considering it superficial and vulgar.

If we draw a parallel with the history of the Acquisition or Paid function in the digital marketing, the strategy of companies will vary between the internalization and the outsourcing of this function. But for sure, it is becoming essential and will be considered as a function in its own right. 

Soon there will probably be CIOs (Chief Influence Officer), or CKO (Chief KOL Officer), or COLO (Chief Opinion Leader Officer). Call them as you want, but as there has been the fashion for CDOs (Chief Digital Officers), there will be the fashion for CIOs (Chier Influencer Officers).

The CIO revolution is already on

Until now rather limited to « experts », eg. Social Media Manager, Influencer Marketing will see an increase in the number of people involved. In terms of number, but also in terms of type of stakeholders, from CMO to CFO, including HR.

At Kolsquare, we daily meet companies and agencies that are starting to have real formalized influence strategies: within 2 to 3 years all companies and agencies will have defined their strategies and doctrines related to Influence Marketing.

As a result, 100% of Fortune 5000, agencies and advertisers, will soon need a comprehensive, formalized and coordinated Infuencer Marketing strategy.

But also an HR strategy in coordination with Influence practices within the organization (for recruitment, but also for training, sharing of good practices, monitoring skills over time, employee advocacy …).

And a knowledge management strategy for IM, especially databases and right management tools for the billions of contents created by their KOLs.

Influencer Marketing trends : this is The Chief Influencer Officer era.

And you, did you identified this trend too? Do you already have a CIO within your organization? Do you have a clear IM strategy for your company?