With social media platforms evolving and new faces emerging every day to educate, entertain and engage audiences, savvy marketers are finding smarter ways to tap into influencers’ potential. But what exactly is the future of influencer marketing?

Shift 1: Social commerce is growing fast

Social commerce’s popularity grew rapidly as a result of the 2020 pandemic and shows no signs of slowing down. According to a recent eMarketer Insider Intelligence report, US retail social commerce sales are forecasted to rise by 24.9% in 2022, to $45.74 billion.

Shift 2: Data tracking and influencer attribution: Better ways to measure ROI will emerge

The biggest challenge in implementing influencer campaigns is data accessibility and management. The biggest challenge in relation to influencer measurement lies within the walled gardens, or the inability within social platforms for marketers to use the same tracking methods they rely on everywhere else. 

Shift 3: Short-form video content will lead to new opportunities — and become more competitive

More than half of marketers (51%) who use short-form video plan to increase their investment in 2022, according to HubSpot Blog’s 2022 Marketing Industry Trends Survey. 

Marketers are planning to make the biggest increases in their budgets to Instagram (74%) and TikTok (61%) as short-form video trends continue to rise.