In the past few years, influencer marketing has become one of the most powerful marketing tools for brands big and small, as consumers continue to look to their favorite social media personalities for all sorts of recommendations.
Brands have been using influencers with engaged followings on channels such as Instagram, TikTok and Twitch to promote brand initiatives, products and more, capitalizing on the influencer’s credibility to persuade their audience.
While the power of influencer marketing does not seem to be going away anytime soon, the types of content and general feel from consumers around this type of brand advertising continues to change.
As we get ready for new influencer marketing programs for our beauty clients in 2023, here are some insights from Team AG on what we feel will be important to social users in 2023.
Keeping It Real - Malayah, Sr. Manager, Influencer Partnerships
The pendulum will slightly swing from video back to photos–but with a twist. TikTok has shown it can captivate an audience for hours on end with a mere scroll. With the new expansion of the photos feature, TikTok will soon become bigger competition for Instagram. The photo feature incorporates audio, allowing users to tell a story with their images. This is the main differentiator between TikTok and other platforms.
It’s a better version of the Instagram camera roll dump but with audio to curate a vibe. Consumers crave authenticity and low-lift driven platforms that entertain.
Less Focus on “Likes” - Sara, PR & Influencer Manager
Back in 2019, Instagram introduced the option for users to hide like counts on content. With more and more people prioritizing self-care and mental health, the social channel was applauded by many for moving away from what some feel is one of the most detrimental parts of social media–the chase for approval.
With this in mind, creators and brands have the opportunity to change up their strategies and KPIs for the coming year. Both sides can focus more on creating authentic/transparent experiences for consumers while steering away from sales-focused social media advertising.
Taking Over Pop Culture - Savanna, Sr. Manager, Influencer Partnerships & Content
As we continue to dive deeper into the digital age, more consumers are trying to make social media influencing a full-time career–leading to much saturation in the industry. In the next year, we will see macro and mega influencers start moving into pop culture such as TV, scripted entertainment, modeling, etc. We are seeing it already with influencers like Charli D’Amelio, who is getting her own show on HULU and competing on Dancing With The Stars. As for nano/micro-influencers, we will see them play a heavy role for brands as UGC content creators/paid advertising media models.
Since the influencer space is growing at such a high rate, it will become more difficult for new, aspiring consumers to break into the industry. Those who achieve popularity and status will become even bigger than social media personalities. They will be involved in large-scale events, billboards, becoming the face of a brand, etc.
The Continued Rise of Celebrity/Influencer-Founded Brands - Alexa, PR & Influencer Manager
As we saw in 2022, celebrities and influencers introduced beauty bands en masse, from Hailey Bieber’s Rhode, to Chloe Morello’s Sireni Beauty, to Kim Kardashian’s SKKN by Kim, to other beauty and wellness brands from those such as Ciara, Brad Pitt, Travis Barker and others. In 2023, this is sure to continue, as celebrities see that their names bring customers in droves and influencers who attend launch parties are sure to talk about a brand if they’ve met its mega-famous founder.
With this increase in celeb and influencer-founded brands, there will likely be an increase in scrutiny of founders who the public feels have never shown an interest in the beauty or wellness industries–and that’s how we’ll see some brands thrive and others slowly retreat.
What do you think will happen in the beauty influencer marketing space in 2023? Tell us in the comments below!