Influencer Marketing Is Going Mainstream With Facebook’s Upcoming Tool

The world’s largest social network just sent a clear signal that the future of advertising on its platform is in influencer marketing. Facebook’s launch last Monday of its Brand Collabs Manager search engine—which will help connect marketers to social media influencers—demonstrates just how vital this form of marketing has become to the social media giant. Soon, brands will be able to search the platform for the audience they want to reach and have the tool point them in the direction of creators that fit the bill. Brand Collabs Manager can transparently break down a creator’s audience demographics and industry-specific parameters, ranging from geographical areas to interests to home ownership status. The plans confirm that the industry is continuing its march toward increasingly targeted and individualized advertising—with ad revenues migrating from mass media to digitally programmatic to influencer marketing. It also signals an increased value placed on ads that are not only highly targeted, but also embedded in content that audiences actually want to engage with. While the tool is only launching on Facebook at the moment, it’s a first step toward incorporating such tools and metrics from other platforms, most notably Facebook-owned Instagram, which is the social media network of choice for most creators. The move also signals Facebook’s acknowledgement of the importance of influencer marketing on the future sustainability of the platform itself. After all, if creators believe they can earn more money on other platforms, they would gradually migrate elsewhere, taking their audiences with them. The Brand Collabs Manager search engine, coupled with the recently launched Facebook Creator application, demonstrates a clear commitment to the huge potential of creators and the future of influencer marketing. Not only will influencer marketing help the company keep content creators on its platform, but it will also improve the experience for users by serving them with more engaging ads. This is an exciting opportunity for the community of creators and marketing partners. Facebook’s new tool will significantly improve the discovery process, making it easier for brands to find creators that meet their needs and fit their brand messaging. At the same time, their push toward more influencer marketing on the platform will only increase the value of the relationships brands have with individual creators and the collaborations that result. Unlike traditional ad targeting, finding the right audience and the right avenue to engage them is only one part of the equation. The next vital step is building a relationship that can result in strong, mutually beneficial content partnerships between creators and marketing partners. Less than five years ago, content marketing was considered by many to be a niche industry. With the world’s largest social media platform jumping in on it, it’s hard to deny that influencer marketing has gone mainstream. Richard Wong is vice president of marketing and creator relations at influencer marketing platform #paid.