With everything we're going through, digital influence has been hit with some major changes. As 2020 is coming to a dramatic close, we want to know what influencer-focused marketing looks like post-COVID-19.

Kyle Hjelmeseth is the Founder and CEO of talent management agency G&B which manages and educates influencers while transforming them into influential people with a strong focus in ethos and inclusiveness. Partnering with brands from Chanel to Target and everything in-between, alongside macro (1M+ following) and mid-tier (100k-500k following) influencers, Hjelmeseth considers his team and clientele like family, ensuring they have the resources they need to succeed. He foresees the following trends in 2021.

Influencer marketing trends in 2021:

1. Social Justice is no longer taboo - brands used to have specific clauses barring influencers from having stances on social or political issues, and while politics is still taboo, social justice is not. Brands will continue to be pushed to expose their own stances by social justice minded influencers and consumers online, and that has created an atmosphere in the days following George Floyd's death
   

2. Short form video domination - of course people will continue to create in their favorite lanes, but short form is going to dominate ad spend in 2021. TikTok (if still around), Reels, YouTube has something cooking on the horizon...and a host of other short form platforms will further solidify this form of storytelling as the king / queen of content.

3. Lots more micro / nano programming - the ceiling of who can be influential continues to drop, and spread beyond the coastal elites to the middle of the country. Expect to see a lot more exciting stories from smaller and smaller profiles, that gain recognition for their work and get brand deals.
   

4. More lower priced items taking center stage - luxury took a huge hit this past year, and will continue to take a long time to recover. In that space we'll see influencers who were truly aspirational continue to trend to more everyday lifestyle.

5. Product types rarely explored before - as an example, there was an explosion in bread maker purchases this year, due to the pandemic. This trend is bringing more niche items like bread machines to lifestyle influencers (instead of more food category influencers), because of the ability to reach 

About the Expert:

A self-made minority business owner, Kyle Hjelmeseth brings the full extent of his experience living as a half black, half white male to his work building media momentum around messages of diversity and inclusivity with his trademark solutions-driven attitude. Under his leadership, G&B has successfully re-invented the talent management world with integrity while creating a refreshingly diverse company culture, serving more than 60 exclusive clients with a powerfully inclusive ethos that transforms influencers into influential people.

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Yvon Lux is editor of her Apple News channel. Her “blogazine” celebrates sisterhood and empowers women by focusing on women’s health, travel and entrepreneurial news while also sharing the most coveted trends and stories.

As a young female founder on a #selflove journey, she has been featured in Thrive Global, Los Angeles Times, Orange County Register, Modern Luxury Magazine, and various other media outlets. Connect with her on Instagram and subscribe to her Apple News channel!