Influencer marketing trends you should care about in 2024

Whether you're a content creator or a brand, it's crucial to keep an eye on these essential influencer marketing trends this year

As we step into 2024, it is worth highlighting that the world of influencer marketing is buzzing with potential for noteworthy transformations, trends and fresh ideas. This dynamic industry is constantly evolving and currently, there's a buzz about significant shifts that might shake things up for both brands and creators.

In the past year, we saw how influencer marketing soared to new heights, becoming an indispensable part of the marketing mix.

Now, as we step into the current year, industry players in a conversation with BuzzInContent, pointed out essential trends that will influence how influencer marketing unfolds in India in 2024.

2024 Trends: The surge of AI in influencer realms

Shabir Momin, Founder and Managing Director of One Digital Entertainment, highlighted that the introduction of AI into influencers’ world (rather AI influencers/virtual influencers) will be a big thing in 2024.

“This year will mark the birth and establishment of such virtual influencers. Many real-world influencers will also start their avatar/virtual influencers verticals and let the avatar do the job while they keep the creative control and focus on spending time in real-world engagement events, optimising the time and also multi-tasking and gaining more value with less effort. The world of engagement will change as we see it today and will change fast,” he added.

Similarly, Gala emphasised that building on the success of Kyra, the virtual lifestyle influencer, 2024 will see a surge in AI-powered influencers across diverse domains. These hyper-realistic, data-driven personas offer brands a unique blend of targeted reach and brand consistency.

Striking a similar chord, Sahil Chopra, Founder and CEO, iCubesWire said, "How can one forget one of the most talked about trends of 2023? AI-driven influencer selection will become a thing, a tool for marketers to dedicate more time towards shaping content strategy."

Singh emphasised that in the next couple of years, the influencer space is poised for further advancements as we can expect the emergence of more AI-based influencers and the introduction of AI-driven analytical and content generation tools, reshaping the industry's landscape. The journey of influencer marketing continues to unfold, promising even more innovation and providing engaging content in the years to come.

The rise of micro and nano influencers

Chirag Jain, Co-founder of Social Tag emphasised that in 2024, he anticipates a profound shift where micro-influencers will emerge as the unsung heroes, wielding the power of authenticity and niche influence.

"It's not just a hunch, it's a fact that micro-influencers, with their engaged communities, can deliver 60% higher engagement rates than their macro counterparts," he added.

Similarly, Chopra said that we are moving away from high-profile influencers towards influencers with a more reliable audience share and more authentic and relevant content. We’ll see an absurd rise in micro-influencers and hyper-local targeting.

Momin also believes that the future years will further mature this industry by creating multiple segments of major, mid, micro and nano influencers and brands would be using them in a mix to address and reach different segments of the market.

“We will also see a lot more multiple non-competing brand sharing engagement in a single content/video as it makes it more economical and also common share of voice,” he added.

Sharing parallel perspectives, Gala said that brands increasingly recognise the value of micro and nano-influencers offering targeted reach, higher engagement, and a more authentic connection with niche audiences.

Brands to forge long-term associations with creators

According to Singh, during the year 2024, the influencer landscape is poised for more evolution. Brands are expected to establish long-term partnerships with influencers, focusing on authentic and relatable content to enhance brand recall while adhering to ASCI guidelines.

“Transparency in brand collaborations will remain a key aspect of future campaigns. Brands will also focus on building their brand reputation by engaging with KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders) and advocates. Moreover, short-format content is predicted to dominate influencer campaigns, catering to the evolving preferences of audiences,” she added.

Chopra said that how brands partner with influencers will be put under the microscope this year. It’s time to shift from a smattering of sponsored posts towards long-term collaborations.

Meanwhile, Himadri Patel- Entrepreneur and Digital Content Creator, said that in 2023, authenticity took centre stage, with live shopping and AI-driven personalised experiences stealing the spotlight. These power moves aren't going anywhere in 2024.

"We should be ready for revolutionary content featuring snappy short videos, AI-infused content, and live shopping extravaganzas. Of course, long-term partnerships will be the heartbeat. Authenticity remains non-negotiable. Be ready for a niche-specific journey where trends burst into life because, in 2024, we're not just influencers. We are trendsetters in the making," she added.

Other influencer marketing trends that will demand attention this year

Jain highlighted that purpose-driven influencer marketing is set to deepen its impact in 2024.

"Reports from Edelman's Trust Barometer reveal that 65% of consumers consider a brand's values before making a purchase. This substantiates our belief that aligning influencers with authentic values isn't just ethical, it's a key driver for conversion and brand loyalty. In 2023, we have seen more and more brands coming forward to adopt influencer marketing, regardless of whether they are B2B or B2C, showcasing that the power and reach of influencers span across various industries, and we are proud to be a part of it," he added.

Chopra said that influencers are at the top of the marketing game simply because they are at the top of everyone’s mind. 2024 will open a portal to more inclusivity, creativity and value-driven strategies for influencer marketing.

He listed a few upcoming key trends:

Inclusivity: The influencer domain is becoming inclusive at a steady pace, with its focus on reaching out to diverse groups. The idea is to make your campaigns more authentic, real and relatable for everyone.

Platforms: Nobody knows much about influencer marketing beyond the picture-perfect camera lens of Instagram. For instance, influencer marketing is capturing top voices on LinkedIn, bringing diversification to an otherwise conventional approach.

Live Commerce: The ability to shop on social media will be one of the most useful features in the coming time.

Meanwhile, Momin said that the last few years have established the significance of influencer marketing because influencers are the new currency of marketing. This year will see a surge in the engagement that brands will do with influencers, brands have started realising that true engagement and conveying of message is done by influencers in a much better and more creative way.

Influencers add the added advantage of sublet integration which is just the opposite of traditional brand ads, where a brand just focuses on showing a product or its features, while influencer-led campaigns have a lot more creativity and also a slightly more unbiased sharing, Momin added.

Gala highlighted that the world of influencer marketing is a dynamic one, constantly evolving to keep pace with changing consumer behaviours and technological advancements.

While speaking about one key trend that is likely to redefine influencer marketing space this year, Gala said, “Community building will take centre stage. Influencers will move beyond product endorsements and delve deeper into fostering communities around shared passions. This opens up incredible opportunities for brands to co-create content with authentic voices and engage directly with their target audiences.”

Apart from these trends, Sanghvi predicted a few major trends for this year:

Creator specialisation: All the creators in the industry have been experimenting with what they are good at since the beginning but a whole bunch of people have started doubling down on their skill/niche. This will lead to creators extending a piece of themselves in the market to their audience in the form of a brand/service.

Niche communities: We can expect a rise in collaborations between brands and niche creators who cater to highly specific micro-communities. This trend will enable brands to reach a highly engaged audience and create authentic communities based on specific interests.

GenZ’s will drive culture: GenZ’s will define the trends in the coming year. Since they are very transparent about what they think and feel. It’s very easy for them to build a community and start a trend. Also, brands will have to mould themselves in ways where they cater to the gen z when it comes to advertising their products or services.

A look back: Key influencer marketing trends of 2023

Preety Singh, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Boomlet Group, said, “Notably, Instagram music reels took centre stage, featuring soundtracks like ‘Moye Moye’, ‘Badal Barsa Bijoli’, ‘Jamal Kuddu’, and ‘Billo Bagge Billiyan’. The year was marked by unforgettable moments, such as Indian influencers gracing the Cannes Film Festival and Mrunal Panchal's filmy moment with Selena Gomez at the Rare Beauty product launch. Prajakta Kohli also engaged in a captivating conversation with Hollywood icons Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler.”

“Amidst this dynamic landscape, AI played a pivotal role, introducing us to AI-based influencers like Kyra and Naina. Simultaneously, the influencer industry witnessed a surge in user-generated content, showcasing the adaptability of creators. ASMR content gained widespread popularity, offering a unique and immersive experience,” she added.

Furthermore, she highlighted that from a marketing perspective, the trend leaned towards authentic collaborations with micro and nano influencers. The emphasis on authenticity became a cornerstone for content creation, ensuring that campaigns resonated with audiences throughout the year.

Divyansh Gala, Group Head-Outreach, SoCheers, emphasised that 2023 witnessed several other significant trends that deserve attention. Platforms like YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels exploded, catering to increasingly shorter attention spans. Even long-form content creators are adapting to this shift, showcasing the dominance of bite-sized video content.

“Brands have finally recognised the power of vernacular languages. Collaborations with regional influencers helped them connect with audiences beyond Tier 1 cities, leading to more culturally relevant and relatable campaigns,” Gala added.

Meanwhile, Anushka Sanghvi, Creative Director, NoFiltr.Group said that the year 2023 witnessed a rise in global associations across the industry. Additionally, a lot of nano and micro creators have emerged and with this, even brands have started including a phase in their influencer marketing campaigns that focuses only on these creators.

Brands also hosted offline events to bring the creator community together and interact with their products, she added.