Influencer Marketing Trends: Collaborating Effectively in the New Year

Gone are the days of traditional marketing and definitely here to stay are influencers.  According to PR Newswire, influencer marketing is expected to grow 37% between 2024 and 2028, meaning now is the optimal time to get your arms around an effective strategy for influencer work.

We’ve rounded up some of the top trends on how to best utilize influencers heading into the new year so that you and your team can get on board and get to planning for 2025.

• More Influencers Are Getting Paid More 

1. • Budgets are SO important when thinking about working with influencers. Due to their growing popularity, there is a definite increase in the amount of money they will be requesting for their services. And while we believe there are SOME that ask way too much (especially for our fresh produce industry to be able to compete with in terms of CPG brands, it’s worth the added budget to ensure you are including influencers in your plans. If you aren’t, you’re missing out on some major brand exposure. (Influencer Marketing Hub notes that “60% of those respondents who budget for influencer marketing intend to increase their influencer marketing budget,” so to stay competitive you’ll need to increase your marketing budgets to account for influencer work. Not sure where to start on stretching your marketing budget to accommodate for influencers? Check out this article here!

• LinkedIn is HOT

1. • Interestingly, Ad Parlor noted that LinkedIn is the platform to look out for in 2025. Considering that most influencers are not on LinkedIn or posting super regularly like they are on social platforms (think TikTok and Instagram), their content will stand out more on LI! Of course, this is not a one size fits all situation. It’s important to take into consideration what works for your brand and LinkedIn may or may not be it. If you’re wondering if your company or brand fits the bill, feel free to reach out to us for a free consultation!

• Authentic Content is a Must

1. • Consumers seem to be more and more impatient with traditional advertising that lacks personalization and character. Influencers appear to do the opposite by providing authentic and more trustworthy content that speaks to their specific following demographic.. Authentic content is the best way to ensure that consumers are being fed (pun intended) more reliable and personable messaging that they want – not something that is cut and pasted across the board. User generated content is the new advertising!

• Long-Term Relationships 

1. • For many influencers, the work is their full-time job, and they appreciate the stability of having steady, consistent work. This comes with the territory of long-term relationships! So, as you are planning out the next year, be sure to consider how influencer work can be scheduled for the next 12 months instead of just one off opportunities. Not to mention, longer-term relationships with influencers can benefit your brand with more consistent content (due to the personalization of influencer work and the emphasis on their one styles). Long term relationships can also further brand loyalty among influencers followers – i.e. the more exposure on an influencer social pages or blog can increase the brand’s fan base as well!

• The Rise of the Micro Influencer

1. • Medium (as well as a few other reliable resources) have made notice that macro is out, and micro is in when it comes to influencers.  Authenticity, trust, and cost-effectiveness are just a few of the reasons to partner with more niche influencers. Not to mention micro-influencer typically have a more loyal and engaged following base which could be beneficial to your brand.

Consider this list a starting point to get the ball rolling for 2025 and be sure to keep an open mind when making your plans for influence work. The bottom line – influencers are here to stay, and in order to keep up with other brands not only within the fresh produce industry, but also CPG, they must be a part of your plans for the new year to ensure a well-rounded strategy!

Still have questions about influencer marketing? Or not know where to even start? Contact us today, and let’s grow together.