Though difficult to believe, the new year is nearly upon us. So, then, is an incoming wave of predictions about what influencer marketing in 2025 will look like. While we’re working on some predictions of our own, today we’re sharing a few notable brand insights from the recent CreatorIQ State of Creator Marketing Report, which asked more than 1,100 brands, agencies, and creators to look into their crystal balls (and their marketing plans) to paint a picture of what creator marketing will look like from their perspectives in 2025. 

In summary, creator marketing isn’t going anywhere in 2025, but brands are starting to think about it a little differently. Different goals, different priorities, and different focus areas are emerging. Read on for a few trends and examples of how SheSpeaks is delivering what brands are looking for. 

Building Brand Awareness is a Rising Priority

“Building brand awareness and loyalty” was at the top of the list when brand respondents were asked about the most challenging aspects of creator marketing. This is a big shift from last year, where driving ROI was listed as most challenging.  

It’s not that ROI is no longer a priority – that’s far from the truth – but as influencer marketing becomes more mainstream and social algorithms change, content (and really engaging content) is more important than ever if brands want to break through the clutter. 

Take this example from a recent campaign for a new Monbébé product launching at Walmart. The brand’s relatively low awareness meant launching a new product had to draw a ton of eyeballs, fast. Campaign content went viral, with a post from Instagram creator @pineconesandpacifiers viewed more than 4.3 million times. Paid social and retail media supported an awareness objective, with the overall campaign driving nearly 13 million impressions and achieving 553% more engagements than estimated. 

Content is still king. 

If Content is King, Measurement is Queen

“Measuring creator performance” came in as the biggest roadblock to program success for brands in 2024. While most brands (70%) agreed that creator marketing contributed to their highest-ROI campaign this year, they also agreed that measuring based on any one metric just doesn’t work anymore. 

Every campaign starts with a primary KPI – maybe engagement, traffic, or conversion – and the strategy from concept to reporting should be different for each. Marketing mix modeling can help marketers understand the impacts of influencer marketing through the lens of their particular program.

In a recent campaign for Greenies, our primary goal was new product awareness, and a secondary goal was to distribute samples. So, we engineered the campaign to feature attention-grabbing content that would lead pet parents to easily click and receive their sample. The campaign drove more than 15 million impressions to deliver on the awareness goal, and more than 85,000 clicks to receive a free sample and purchase the products.

TikTok and YouTube are On The Rise

Instagram is historically seen as the most fertile ground for brands on social media. While it’s still number one, TikTok is hot on its heels and offers perhaps the best channel a brand has to share really authentic content. And YouTube isn’t far behind, indicating that brands are more open than ever to experimentation and investment on a number of platforms. 

This shift mirrors what we’ve seen in the past couple of years, with the majority of SheSpeaks programs now recommending activations on multiple platforms, most notably Instagram and TikTok. In a summer campaign for Dreyer’s, we prioritized TikTok content to align with the brand’s audience, with a piece of content from @isabel.wherryy garnering more than 210K engagements.

We’re Here to Help

As you look towards changing priorities in 2025, let’s talk. We’re here to help you with comprehensive influencer marketing campaigns with sound strategy, quality content, and undeniable results.