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Influencer marketing has definitely taken some stride in the past year.

Although it’s going through its own growing pains like the rise of fake followers and erratic algorithm changes, influence marketing is proving to be one of the more effective ways to establish your brand’s reputation.

This is why marketing experts all over the world are excited to see how influencer marketing is going to change the social media marketing landscape in 2019.

Without further ado, here are 8 trends in influencer marketing that you need to watch out for this year.

1. Instagram will continue to reign supreme

With its launch of IGTV, Instagram will continue to be the platform of choice for many influencers.

Instagram has more than 1 billion users logging on monthly, so it’s no surprise that brands and influencers alike are working hard to corner their market on the popular image sharing platform.

2. Facebook will slowly lose its popularity

While Instagram continues to see a surge of users, Facebook is experiencing a slump.

Ever since the Cambridge Analytica breach, fewer people are signing up for Facebook accounts.

3. Brands will continue to establish long-term relationships with influencers

In the past years, brands have only been reaching out to influencers for short-term campaigns.

They build the campaign, execute it, and move on to something else once it’s done. But with popular influencers being more picky about the brands they work with, brands are now looking to secure their time with long-term campaigns.

4. Micro and nano influencers will gain traction

Celebrity influencers are not the only ones who are making great content. Even influencers with 1000+ followers are posting highly-engaging content these days.

Experts believe that micro and nano influencers have a better chance of influencing people’s behavior because they’re viewed to be more authentic.

5. Brands will choose influencers based on their target audience, not their number of followers

Gone are the days when brands choose influencers solely based on their number of followers.

Now, they’re looking at brand fit and alignment. To be able to connect with their target audience, brands are now seeing the importance of aligning their own values with that of an influencer’s.

6. More influencers will start managing their social media accounts like a business

Posting highly engaging content takes hard work. Influencers can’t just post a couple of images every week and expect to be flooded by likes. They need to work on developing their personal brand’s character. With more influencers focusing on producing content consistently, they will start to manage their online presence like a business.

7. There will be a crackdown on fake followers

With brands refusing to work with accounts with fake followers, influencers are looking for creative ways to increase their reach without resorting to the practice of buying followers.

8. Disclosing sponsored posts will be the norm

Today’s audience may have an aversion to traditional ads, but they’re very responsive to sponsored posts from influencers that they trust.

Contrary to previous reports that sponsored posts will slowly kill off influencer marketing, it’s proven to perform well with followers.