Influencers. You know them (virtually, at least); you love them; and maybe you’ve even been influenced to buy something from them.
The influencer marketing industry was valued at a casual $24 billion in 2024. And it’s estimated that 86% of U.S. marketers will partner with influencers in 2025, according to Sprout Social’s 2024 Influencer Marketing Report.
Influencing is big business, and influencer marketing trends only continue to evolve quickly, just like other areas of digital advertising. Gone are the days when the only thing that mattered was follower count. Now, it’s a far more nuanced conversation — one driven by relevant storytelling, authentic brand affinity, and influencer advertising performance. It’s vital for influencer marketing strategies to adapt and follow suit to meet business goals.
So, we sat down with Sarah Schleifer, Audience Development Manager at Vuepoint Advertising, to talk about how influencer marketing strategies have evolved, what recent results reveal about the power of influencer content, and where this rapidly changing field is headed as we approach 2026.
Influencer Marketing Trends to Keep in Mind
Successful influencer marketing must consider both the influencer and the marketing agency’s goals for their client. Here are a few key influencer marketing trends that Schleifer and her team prioritize.
Authenticity Still Wins
Authenticity may be a current “trend” in this space, but it’s also an evergreen indicator of success. In fact, it’s one of the most critical components of influencer marketing. Consumers have a high radar for fake content and can instantly detect anything that’s disingenuous. That’s why honest, relevant brand alignment matters more than ever.
“Influencers are really cults of personality,” Schleifer explained. “Their audiences trust them to be tastemakers. When an influencer truly aligns with a brand, they’ll engage with it even beyond paid posts — tagging it organically, answering questions about it, and building real connection. That’s where building real trust — and performance — comes from.”
After all, trust is a currency that ultimately drives engagement, retention, and brand advocacy from consumers over time.
Lean Into UGC
Because consumers can be the best advocates to help drive a brand’s goals, Vuepoint has also leaned heavily into user-generated content (UGC) and what Schleifer calls “influencer-like” marketing. This approach replicates the authenticity of influencer posts without the price tag of mega partnerships, and it’s reshaping the future of influencer marketing by helping brands reach existing and new audiences in relatable, cost-effective ways.
“The truth is, many brands can’t afford influencers with a million-plus followers — and often, they don’t need to,” Schleifer said. “Authentic UGC, combined with creative paid targeting, can outperform larger partnerships in efficiency.”
Think Long-Term
While it’s often beneficial to start small when it comes to testing any kind of influencer partnership — or influencer-like partnership — to evaluate early results, a long-term play can pay dividends. That’s because 71% of influencers are now offering discounts for longer-term partnerships, and another 25% would consider doing so in the future.
Not only that, when consumers see an influencer stick with a brand for a long time, it helps augment the authenticity factor.
Consider Micro
“You no longer need to consider only influencers with six-figure and seven-figure followings,” said Schleifer.
So-called micro-influencers are content creators who generally have under 100,000 followers, but they often have stronger connections with their audiences and niche expertise.
As such, their followers are often more engaged. That means a brand partnership may come with increased credibility early on and with a more cost-effective price tag.
Go Back to the Goal
For influencer collaborations to really shine, Schleifer’s ultimate advice is simple and transcends any trends du jour: Make sure to have a clear objective and scale thoughtfully — just like with any paid media campaign.
“Ask yourself: What’s your goal? Brand awareness? Engagement? Sales?” she said. “Your goal will guide what kind of influencer — or influencer-like strategy — you should pursue.”
Applying Influencer Marketing Strategies
Vuepoint’s approach to influencer marketing relies on a model that’s customized, goal-oriented, and data-driven for each client.
“With lots of influencer partnerships under our belts, we now know what to look for to achieve myriad goals,” Schleifer said. “If we want engagement, a large following and high media spend are key. If we want assets, we look for partners who align with our values and aesthetics. And if we want sales, the creative itself is key — we can often save money using user-generated content rather than a partnership with a high-profile influencer.”
This strategic refinement has allowed Vuepoint to tailor campaigns that blend influencer marketing with precise targeting and creative optimization, especially in collaboration with The Threadgill Agency.
Case Study: Influencer Marketing Campaign
When a Threadgill Agency client wanted to introduce a new influencer marketing campaign, they knew it would require a different, strategic approach. The campaign introduced new video-based influencer ads in both English and Spanish in June 2025, marking a significant shift in the set of ad creatives.
The Threadgill Agency partnered with Vuepoint to create and run influencer ads that drive results across the Meta (paid social) channel.
Despite a minor decline in click-through rate (from 0.42% in 2024 to 0.33% in 2025), the overall campaign performance improved dramatically:
- Total enrollments increased 44% year-over-year (YoY) from June 2024 to June 2025.
- Overall enrollment cost-per-acquisition (CPA) across the campaign decreased by 9.4% in July 2025 to $89.43, then dropped 15% further in August 2025 to $76.05.
- Some individual influencer creatives were also just as successful and efficient, with a CPA as low as $79.61.
This quick case study of Meta influencer ads results proves that clicks simply don’t tell the whole story. What’s just as important is the ad creative — how authentic and relevant it is to the audience — and the conversion rate.
With this influencer campaign, the Threadgill Agency and Vuepoint’s collaboration helped the client exceed their goals and achieve significant growth while improving cost performance.
The Future of Influencer Marketing in 2026 and Beyond
Looking ahead, Schleifer predicts that influencer marketing strategies will naturally continue to evolve — and they will no longer be standalone, one-off efforts, but serve as integrated pieces of a larger paid media ecosystem.
“We’re moving toward a blended future,” she said. “UGC, affiliate programs, and influencer partnerships will continue to overlap. The most successful campaigns will be the ones that combine authenticity, creativity, and data-driven performance.”
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