The Exponential Growth of Influencer Marketing in the Performance Space
FollowAs we head into 2023, the influencer channel is becoming an ever more enticing slice of the marketing pie.
The team at Hello Partner (previously PerformanceIN and Talking Influence) have been present in the influencer marketing space since 2017, which is when the Influencer Marketing Show (IMS) first launched as an ‘add-on’ to PI LIVE London – the industry leading performance and affiliate marketing event, supported by our glamorous awards programmes the compliment that compliment shows.
We have faced a couple of hurdles along the way (thanks Covid!) but having pushed through this challenging period, this year’s Influencer Marketing Show London, which took place in October, was the biggest and best yet!
Hosted for the second time as a stand alone event following PI LIVE, IMS London 2022 welcomed double the number of exhibitors and delegates that attended the 2021 show, as well as assigning a record number of complimentary creator and brand passes.
Why the huge growth?
In the grand scheme of the world as a whole, yes, influencer marketing is still evolving. However, sitting under the partnership marketing umbrella, it is truly solidifying its position as a channel that is powerful, professional, and results driven.
Until recently, many brands were of the opinion that influencer marketing has been very surface level, and not ROI driven – these opinions have certainly been challenged throughout 2022!
A huge reason for the growth in adoption of influencer marketing, from what we understand, is the convergence of the affiliate and influencer channels. Affiliate giants such as Awin and impact.com have adopted dedicated influencer teams, applying similar processes to aligning influencers with brands, launching, and measuring campaigns as they would do with their traditional affiliate clients – and it works! There are some great case studies out there that show how trackable and measurable influencer campaigns have driven best in class results for brands.
At IMS this year, we also saw great examples of how native influencer companies are adopting a more measurable approach to their offerings. Influencer marketing platform, Influencity, for example, took to the stage to discuss the ways you can measure influencer marketing success. Daniel Sánchez, the company’s founder put a huge emphasis on how influencer marketing campaign metrics have really advanced. Traditional performance metrics are truly creeping into the influencer space.
Brands and marketers alike are gaining a greater understanding of how long term, always on partnerships can work to their benefit. An influencer campaign doesn’t just need to be a ‘one and done’ Instagram Story, working with the same influencers over extended periods of time can do wonders for consumer trust, and also paints a great example of the strength and longevity of the channel.
Getting ahead of the curve
Because of the way that influencer marketing has solidified itself under the partnership marketing umbrella, as a team at Hello Partner, we have become reactive to what our audience is clearly craving! Many of you may know that PI LIVE is heading to Miami in April 2023, with the Influencer Marketing Show returning to New York in June. However, following the overwhelming success of IMS London, we want to ensure that we can deliver some of the same magic in Miami.
The agenda at PI LIVE Miami will be greatly inclusive of influencer marketing-led topics, with a large focus on how the channel is converging with those native to the performance space. So if you’re still apprehensive about the injection of influencer into the performance space, stay up to date with our content on Hello Partner, and of course attending our events, will certainly break those boundaries of bias.
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- The Exponential Growth of Influencer Marketing in the Performance Space - December 2, 2022