Influencer Trends You Need to Know [OMR 2024 Special Edition]

Influencers play a crucial role in today's social media landscape. With the shift from the social graph to the content graph, social media platforms are no longer focused on showing content from people that you know and actively follow, but rather content that your consumption indicates you like and are interested in. This makes it increasingly difficult for creators and brands to be found and seen on social media.

Corporate Influencers: Brand Faces

Since last year, some social platforms have made changes to the algorithm which have led to an impact on company pages. On LinkedIn, there’s been a drop in overall reach for company pages by approx. 30-40% since its algorithm favors content specifically from individuals, increasing their engagement rate by 8%.

A way brands have been able to counter this trend is by investing in corporate influencers—or Brand Faces.

Why are Brand Faces important?

Corporate influencers or Brand Faces are important in a busy news feed where businesses are competing using any number of marketing and sales tactics. Giving a face to your brand allows you to build a rapport with your target audience, making your brand look more familiar, approachable, and authentic.

Brand Faces can extend your reach as a company and engage the community on your behalf. On average, employee networks have 10x more connections than a company has followers. And shares from corporate influencers are responsible for driving a 30% increase in the total engagement a company sees.

So, if you aren’t already, now is the time to activate your corporate influencers.

The Creator economy is growing

Last year, we predicted Multi-Platform Social Influencers to survive into 2024 and we were right: This new breed of content creators who use multiple social platforms for different purposes are well versed in selecting the best content that works for their audience on that specific platform. These influencers have now evolved into brands themselves.

While some may question whether influencer marketing has reached its peak, the global creator economy and the brands created from this ecosystem are experiencing rapid growth and are as strong as ever, valued at 250 billion USD. This growth is reflected in the increase of budget invested into influencer marketing, with a total of 702 million USD in Germany alone – and a global growth of 17%, landing at global budget of 30 billion USD spent on Influencer Marketing.

One of the most important insights into the creator economy is that it's not just about influencers promoting products, but also about creators developing their own products and brands.

How your brand can leverage Content Creators

The creator economy is a powerful lever for brands to reach their audiences and drive business growth. Creators have a loyal fan base and expertise in creating engaging content, making them ideal for launching successful products and building their own brands.

Brands can tap into creators' creativity and authenticity to reach new audiences and build brand awareness. Working with creators allows brands to develop innovative campaigns and products that resonate with their target audience.

3 Tips for brands looking to work with Content Creators

1. Determine Brand Fit

When selecting your content creator, the biggest factor you need to consider is brand fit. How well do they represent your company values? Do your research on their platform, target audience, type of content, previous brand partnerships and how they engage their community. These dynamics can help you determine if your values align and the likelihood of paving a future together.

2. Consider Micro Influencers

On a tight budget? Micro influencers who have smaller (between 2K and 100K followers) but highly engaged audiences can be more cost-effective for brands. If your brand is looking to generate sales, micro-influencer recommendations are more likely to drive consumers to purchase the promoted product more than leads collected from many other sources.

3. Consider Long-Term Partnerships

If you would like to partner with a content creator but unsure about a long-term commitment, we recommend a short-term pilot project to kick things off. Once you’ve gained experience with that influencer, it can be beneficial to consider a long-term partnership. In the long run, creators can help brands build a loyal following and create a sustainable presence on social media.

When in doubt, ask a professional.

Establishing your influencer strategy or finding content creators can be daunting—but it doesn’t have to be. Influencer marketing experts can guide you to make decisions that best fit your business goals and marketing objectives. Our H&K team of digital marketing experts are happy to help you navigate the world of influencer marketing.

What is OMR?

OMR Festival is one of Europe's largest marketing events, drawing thousands of visitors each year since its establishment in 2011. This year, over 67,000 visitors attended the two-day event held in Hamburg, Germany. The festival brought international stars of the digital scene and hidden champions from across the digital marketing space to Hamburg for two insightful and inspirational days at OMR24. The festival is divided into three main parts: the Expo, the Masterclasses, and the Conference.

Want to learn more? 

or get in touch with us at ​
​ContentPublishing-Germany@hillandknowltonstrategies.com for any questions! ​
​We’re happy to advise you on the best digital strategy for your brand.