Why Blogger & Influencing Marketing Is Already Dominating 2021

Blogger and influencer marketing is already dominating 2021 — with engaging campaigns promoted on the latest and greatest platforms. 

While becoming an online influencer is more achievable than ever before, for brands looking to leverage this newfound stardom, things can feel a little less straightforward. 

Nevertheless, working with influencers and bloggers to promote your brand remains one of the most effective marketing strategies around. In this article, we explore some of the ways blogger and influencer marketing is growing so far this year — read on as we show how your brand can use the power of influencers and bloggers to forge connections with new audiences in 2021. 

Micro-influencers are respected online figures

The micro-influencer revolution is already one of the biggest influencer trends in 2021 — and your brand ought to be looking at ways to leverage their level of community engagement. 

More often than not, big brands associate with influencers at a macro-level, boasting millions of subscribers/followers like Molly-Mae Hague or Mr Beast. But accounts with such a large audience often don’t have a huge level of engagement that your business can make the most of. 

For example, a study by HypeAuditor suggests user-engagement levels are plummeting among influencers with 100K-1M followers, who experience drop in engagement by as much as 43%. 

On the other hand, Markerly — a renowned influencer marketing agency — is seeing a trend in micro-influencers offering tremendous value to brands: 

• High engagement rates: as accounts and blogs acquire a broader range of followers, their level of engagement decreases to…
  • Less than 1,000 followers = 8%
  • 1,000-10,000 followers = 4% 
  • 10,000-100,000 = 2.4%
  • 1-10 million = 1.7%
• More targeted audience: smaller, more niche audiences mean brands can convert sales at a faster rate
• Affordable value: micro-influencers come much cheaper than celebrity influencers, and working with a few at the same time allows brands to maximise reach 
• Authentic connections: As part of a community, micro-influencers are seen as real people, so collaborations feel more like a personal recommendation than an in-your-face ad 

It comes as no surprise to see brands forging long-term relationships with micro-influencers, given their authentic value and inflated engagement rates. Working closely with targeted communities offers a deeper-rooted brand connection and holds great influence over buying decisions. 

TikTok is growing into a marketing powerhouse

Although Instagram continues to be the darling of most social media marketers for its huge active user base and evolving sales features, new kids on the block TikTok are on a trajectory that seemingly can’t be stopped. 

Proving to be way more than a simple fad, after being crowned the most downloaded app of 2020, TikTok has established itself as a marketing powerhouse over the last year or so.

Now boasting over 850 million active users (and growing rapidly), TikTok is becoming such a marketing powerhouse because users love to consume casual, yet creative videos on the platform — and brands are seduced by the viral potential this offers. 

However, making a big dent on TikTok isn’t as easy as some brands like to think. Shifting away from simple sponsored ads, brand collaborations with bloggers and influencers on TikTok need to feel creative and natural. This is because the apps’ algorithm is fine-tuned for virality, as long as you offer entertainment and value to its users. 

Just see this collaboration between David Dobrik and EpicGames as a prime example of what we mean: 

Image: daviddobrik

During a time when people are seeming to crave connectivity and realism, partnering with talented (and authentic) TikTok creators paves the way for your brand to reach audiences on a more organic, human level. 

TikTok partnerships work best when creators are given full freedom to experiment with the product and develop content that appeals to their audience — so remember to let your partners lead the creative process with this one. 

We’re shifting from superficial ads to purposeful content

Throughout this pandemic, brands, bloggers, and influencers have — for the most part — experienced a shift in global perspective. 

Now the marketing world is (seemingly) moving away from superficial sales-driven self-promotion, instead recognising the value in creating more purposeful and valuable content for people to consume. 

After a year of hardship, people are standing up for what they believe in, with brands and influencers following suit. It makes sense to build trust and establish strong ties to communities given how people have been affected by social movements, job losses, and financial setbacks. 

The last thing people want is to be told they need to buy something for the sake of it. From a marketing perspective, this means working with influencers/bloggers that truly represent your values. 

People want to see you promoting causes for your own sake and working with others to extend this voice — but don’t make the mistake of using this as a shortcut to gaining sales. 

Blogger and influencer marketing is already dominating 2021, which makes it important for your brand to get in early and start creating meaningful partnerships. 

By paying close attention to micro-influencers and shifting towards more meaningful content to embracing the viral nature of TikTok, the landscape of marketing is changing — and it’s dominated by bloggers and influencers.