Influencer marketing has become a powerful brand promotion tool in the cross-border e-commerce field. It not only helps sellers quickly expand brand awareness, but also is one of the simple ways for brands to localize overseas. However, the field of influencer marketing is also constantly changing, and some new trends have emerged. Cross-border self-built website sellers need to understand and adapt to these trends to remain competitive.
Authenticity is more popular than filters:
Generation Z consumers who are active on social media platforms have become resistant to overly beautifully packaged content. They prefer to see real content, and content that resonates with them is more likely to arouse their interest. Therefore, working with influencers who are authentic may bring better results. These influencers are more likely to win the trust and recognition of the audience when promoting products or services, thereby increasing conversion rates.
Metaverse:
The metaverse is a hot topic and one of the hot spots on overseas social platforms in 2024. If sellers can find brand angles related to the metaverse and cooperate with relevant influencers, they will be able to attract more attention from Generation Z. The metaverse provides the opportunity to interact with the virtual world, which is a new field for the promotion of products or services and can bring innovative and novel experiences.
Secondary use of materials:
The content produced by influencers is usually of high quality, so sellers can negotiate with influencers for material authorization to reprocess and publish the influencer’s content to official accounts or websites. This practice not only saves the cost of producing content, but also improves brand consistency. However, sellers need to be aware that material authorization may involve high fees, so cost budgets need to be carefully considered.
The importance of short videos:
Short video platforms such as TikTok and YouTube Shorts will become more important in 2024. Short videos have the characteristics of fast pace, attracting user attention, and relatively low cooperation costs, making them a key platform for influencer marketing. Sellers can consider working with influencers on short video platforms to quickly promote products or services and achieve higher conversion rates.
Uncertainty of live shopping:
Although live shopping has achieved great success in China and other places, it faces some uncertainties in foreign markets. Due to different supply chains and consumption habits in European and American countries, the development of live shopping is relatively difficult. In Southeast Asia and other places, although live shopping has emerged, it also faces the problem of limited social e-commerce transactions. Therefore, sellers need to carefully consider whether to adopt live shopping as a promotion method based on market conditions.
Strengthening sponsored content review:
Influencers have a huge influence on social media, so there is strict supervision on their promotional content. For example, SEC (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission) guidelines require that all paid posts must be clearly marked as advertisements. Different countries and regions have different requirements for such regulations, and sellers need to comply with regulations to avoid promotional content being removed from the shelves or fined due to improper advertising behavior.
Influencer marketing remains one of the effective ways for cross-border sellers to expand brand awareness and promote products. However, to be successful, sellers need to keep up with the latest trends in influencer marketing, adapt to market changes, cooperate with real and influential influencers, and consider different promotion channels and methods. By understanding and responding to these new trends, cross-border self-built website sellers can achieve better performance and market share in the field of influencer marketing.