7 Influencer Marketing trends for 2023 (4 of 7) : The End of Amateurism

Wanna know everything about the main Influencer Marketing Trends for the next few years? TREND #4 : The End of Amateurism

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

The three first one were detailed in previous articles :

1. The scarcity of data, or the end of easy and free access to data from social networks.
2. 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.
3. We Are All Influencers, or the use and promotion of 100% of the stakeholders (employees, customers, suppliers, shareholders) of the company as Key Opinion Leaders.

The forth one is detailed below : The End of Amateurism, or the professionalization of practices in Influencer Marketing, from advertisers to K.O.Ls. / influencers.

TREND #4 : The End of Amateurism

Professionalization of practices in Influencer Marketing, from advertisers to K.O.Ls.

The Influencer Marketing industry is entering adolescence through professionalization

By dint of experimentation, the pioneer brands and agencies in Influencer Marketing (IM) have adopted methodologies, processes and internal tools to respond to the increase in volumes and challenges:

• “scientific” methodologies of choice for K.O.Ls,
• contact-making templates,
• standard contracts, tools for measuring the impact of a KOL and a campaign,
• etc.

The regulatory bodies (legislators or professional unions such as the ARPP in France) are increasing the number of initiatives aimed at professionalizing the IM sector.

Professional organizations, such as the Interactive Advertising Bureau (or IAB), but also the Brand Unions (like the Union Des Marques or UDM in France) are also in the process of setting up reflection structures on the subject of influencing marketing. Their goal is to help brands define a professional framework to their IM practices.

Finally, the numerous Influence Marketing platforms have started to change in recent years, specializing and improving their offerings, supported by increasing fundraising.

The entire communication and marketing industry follows the IM end of amateurism

All market players will now rush, by necessity, into the professionalization of their practices:

The choice of KOLs will now be made more and more on rational affinity criteria, of adequacy with the brand’s DNA but also of affinity with its target.

Relationship management will increasingly involve contracts and a payment that will justify a compensation.

Relationships with influencers, formerly very one-off, will now be considered over time.

Collaboration performance will be measured systematically.

The KOLs themselves will also become more professional: 

• creation of legal structures, constitution of real teams (photography, editing, editorial, assistantship, etc.)
• development of the profession of influencer agent, 
• search for authenticity and reliability, with a desire not to associate with just any brand, 
• search for tools to formalize, 
• standardize and simplify their relationship with advertisers, 
• explicit announcement of the commercial nature of the collaboration

Specialized IM platforms and tools will become ever more important

Brands will now systematically need proven methodologies as well as mature processes and tools to address their influencing marketing issues. They will no longer be able to afford to hack and experiment without applying the best practices and using the best tools.

Influencers will also need to equip themselves with tools dedicated to their professional practice of influencing marketing.

Social networks themselves will provide more and more technological solutions and even support adapted to the professional needs of advertisers and K.O.Ls. They have already started.

Finally, businesses and K.O.Ls will need trusted third parties to help them manage their influencer marketing strategies. The main global social platforms (like Facebook / Instagram, Youtubes, TikTok, Twitch etc.) will still provide them with tools and data. But stakeholders will need to objectify them with neutral intermediaries such as Influencer Marketing platforms.

And you, did you identified this trend too? Do you consider your Influencer Marketing practices as professional? Do you have enough tools and methodologies to reach your potential as IM professional?