Trends in social media: The Motherhood scours the headlines so you don’t have to. Check back throughout the month for more!
The landscape of influencer marketing is embracing an exciting and highly effective shift toward affiliate marketing as a strategic influencer approach. This isn’t just another trend; it’s a game-changing method that’s gaining traction for its ability to forge lasting relationships between brands and influencers. While affiliate marketing isn’t a new concept, the core idea here is to re-imagine its role, shifting from short-term influencer engagements to long-term affiliate partnerships. In this updated approach, influencers don’t just promote; they evolve into genuine brand ambassadors over time. This strategy goes beyond typical campaigns, building a foundation of trust and continuous collaboration. Perhaps the most compelling aspect of this renewed affiliate approach is the performance-based reward system, which effectively encourages influencers to share authentic, impactful brand promotions.
If there’s one thing that defines Gen Z, it’s social media. Young consumers are all about shareable videos, viral challenges and influencer trends spreading like wildfire online. According to a 2022 survey by Morning Consult, 54% of Gen Zers spend at least four hours per day on social media, and 38% spend even more time than that. Amazon sellers wanting to drive discovery and sales among this demographic must embrace social commerce and influencer marketing tailored to digital-first preferences. My company’s survey of 266 Amazon shoppers between the ages of 18 and 26 reveals the clear impact of peer validation and video content across Gen Z’s preferred platforms on shaping purchase behavior. Brands authentically engaging through the right personalities and channels stand to win.
Influencer marketing has grown beyond getting a viral moment. It has become a core element of marketing and sales strategies. Our Q3 2023 Pulse Survey revealed 81% of US-based social marketers consider influencer marketing an essential part of their social media strategy. They no longer expect accidental virality by hiring an influencer. That’s why tracking key influencer marketing metrics effectively has become crucial. Doing so enables you to benchmark your influencer campaigns against business goals, determine the ROI of your partnerships and pivot quickly based on what is and isn’t working.
If you’re a TikTok girlie, you’ve probably seen videos that feature Halara clothing. If you’re also a marketer, you may be wondering: How did the brand start showing up everywhere? It all started, as it often does, with organic content. One of the earliest viral posts featuring the DTC athleisure brand came in March 2021 from influencer couple Meg and Jack, where Meg surprised Jack while wearing a Halara dress. The post has been viewed nearly 2 million times, and the brand, which began posting on TikTok that same month, took notice, Gabby Hirata, Halara’s global brand president, said
From fashion bloggers to long-form YouTube content creators, and from crazy hype houses and flying to Dubai to promote makeup products, the creator economy has seen a huge boom in the last decade. As marketers begin their 2024 campaign planning, influencers are a default component of any brand’s marketing mix. Yet, working with influencers/creators can be hit or miss. With everyone tapping influencers with the same strategies, it can be difficult for a brand to break through—especially as audience feeds become saturated with #paid and #partner content.
Brands’ influencer marketing requests for proposals (RFPs) are zeroing in on measurement and attribution as well as how influencer agencies and platforms will keep them abreast of emerging trends, according to influencer marketing execs, who say overall the RFPs are now much more sophisticated than previous years. Call it another ripple effect of influencer marketing maturation. As marketers continue to increase influencer marketing budgets — recent IAB research found that 44% of advertisers expect to increase influencer marketing spending this year, increasing budgets by roughly 25% — they’re rethinking the metrics of success for influencer marketing campaigns.
The quality of clothes—particularly women’s clothes—ain’t what it used to be. Items made from 100% natural fibers are hard to find, even at luxury prices. Many garments feel like they begin to deteriorate after a few wears, and somehow, prices still seem to keep rising. It’s become a point of passionate discussion on social media, where consumers vent, deinfluence, look back at what some brands used to sell, and share tips on how to find higher-quality clothes via thrifting, mindful purchasing, and…going to Brandy Melville? Some TikTok creators, like Jennifer Wang and Andrea Cheong, have even dedicated their platforms to offering opinions on which items from certain brands are worth the money.
Here’s a story about mean girls that not even Tina Fey could make up. TikTok influencers are angrily calling out “Sephora Kids”: tweens who are spending big money at the beauty chain and also allegedly wreaking havoc at the stores. One Sephora employee described a 10-year-old fighting with her mom over a $900 purchase; a TikToker went viral telling a story of how a tween “ate her up” after nabbing the last Drunk Elephant bronzing drops in the store, while other TikTokers posted examples of destroyed sample stations.
Influencer marketing is taking digital advertising by storm. According to Statista, influencer marketing has already grown to a robust $6 billion a year, representing a staggering 3x growth rate over the past four years alone. By 2029, advertisers are expected to spend more than $69 billion a year to have their goods and services promoted by influencers. The breakneck speeds at which the landscape is evolving “imposes an ultimatum on senior executives: adapt or risk your brand falling behind.
Evelyn, a beauty influencer with a little over 67,000 followers across Instagram and YouTube, documents her multi-step morning skincare and makeup routine on an almost daily basis, which includes everything from Rare Beauty blush to Drunk Elephant bronzing drops. In one such video, Evelyn complains about recent drama with her friends while applying Drunk Elephant moisturizer, Supergoop sunscreen and Glow Beauty toner. These types of videos are commonplace in today’s social media landscape, especially among beauty or skincare creators wanting to tap into the enduring popularity of the “Get Ready With Me” trend.
The rise of influencer marketing has revolutionized the world of e-commerce. In fact, influencer marketing is a $16.4 billion industry. By tapping into the power of social media influencers, small and large businesses have found a new and effective way to reach their target audience, dramatically increasing e-commerce sales.
In 2023, the influencer marketing industry hit a record $21.1 billion in the U.S., showing no signs of slowing down. If you’re not already taking advantage, you’re missing out. 50% of Millennials trust product recommendations from influencers. 33% of Gen Z-ers have bought a product from an influencer recommendation. Businesses generate $6.50 for every $1 invested in influencer marketing. Collaborating with the right influencers in your niche is a proven way to raise brand awareness, increase trust, and even drive sales.…But how can you set your brand up for success?
In a world that’s increasingly online, the creator economy is primed for the spotlight. Digital video consumption has reached an all-time high, led by creator content, and advertisers are shifting more dollars toward smartphone-yielding creatives. Some are willing to bet that the days of creators being viewed as a supplement to advertisers’ playbooks are gone. Instead, creators could become the foundation. “Starting first with creators when it comes to advertising is definitely the wave of the future,” said Ali Fazal, vice president of marketing for creator management platform Grin.
Half a trillion dollars. That’s how large the creator economy, currently pegged at $250 billion, is predicted to grow in the next four years, according to Goldman Sachs.
While people have been making a living off of creating content for online audiences for nearly two decades, what was once a nascent industry is growing up. Brands are getting more strategic about influencer marketing, a thriving ecosystem has emerged to serve creators and their needs, and social platforms are increasingly nudging consumers to spend while they scroll.
In an era where digital platforms reign supreme, influencer marketing has evolved from a mere trend to a fundamental component of modern advertising strategies. This approach transcends many conventional advertising expenditures by offering strategic value and measurable returns, which has led to a shift in how many marketers view it: It’s not just a spend. It’s an investment.
Any brand looking to compete in the marketplace likely understands the benefits of influencer marketing. In 2023, the global influencer marketing industry was estimated to be worth $21.1 billion, while U.S. influencer marketing spending growth was expected to outpace ad revenue growth on almost every major platform.
Annette Dunleavy, vice president, brand marketing, QVC
Long before the term influencer became synonymous with social media marketing programs, program hosts on QVC understood the unique relationship they had with their audiences. Arguably, they were among the original social influencers. As early as 2010, QVC was one of the first multiplatform retailers to partner with YouTubers and beauty bloggers. However, its influencer program isn’t just an early adoption story. The program has grown steadily over the past decade to become an essential strategy for engaging new and existing customers.
Kate Speer knows the world of influencers well. For five years she was the CEO of the social media company the Dogist, growing the audience to 5 million followers. She managed “a whole slew of influencer marketing campaigns,” she says. “You know, for dogs or dog food … everything was for the sake of a bottom line.” At the same time, Speer was building her own following around something very different – frank conversations around her experience with severe mental illness.
Influencer marketing is now a standard line item in many brands’ advertising budgets—and a $21.1 billion industry in its own right. As 2024 begins, executives intimately familiar with the ever-evolving nature of the industry are eyeing several potential shifts in how brands and agencies incorporate creators into their marketing.
Undeniably one of the biggest trends of 2023 was restaurant brands leveraging influencers on social media to sell their products. These influencers resonate with the coveted Gen Z demographic and help position brands top of mind, even if just for a fleeting moment. And apparently they’re very effective at convincing others to try a menu item. Consider Chipotle’s fajita quesadilla campaign with TikTok influencers Alexis Frost and Keith Lee, for example. The 2023 promotion helped generate two of the company’s top digital sales days of all time.
As TikTok Shop grows its presence on the platform, influencer agencies are going through growing pains alongside the program. TikTok Shop soft launched last May among select brands, and was officially rolled out in September. Currently there are 200,000 merchants on TikTok Shop and 100,000 creators selling through the affiliate program. In turn, many brands end up working with creator agencies, which manage the influencer’s contracts, commissions and campaign strategy on TikTok Shop. According to creator agencies, TikTok Shop is an appealing new channel for their clients to partner with brands. However, snags like issues with the tech infrastructure and a tedious onboarding process are still preventing some creators from joining TikTok Shop’s growing stable of affiliates.
Whether or not we’re collectively ready to embrace it, artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the way brands interact with their audiences. This cutting-edge technology, known for its capability to analyze complex data, is quickly bringing a new level of sophistication to strategies that were once solely based on human intuition and creativity. It’s likely going to become mission-critical for brands to strike a balance by learning to effectively integrate this technology into their influencer marketing campaigns without alienating the audiences they’re looking to reach.
In today’s digital-first world, brands are increasingly turning to social media influencers to amplify or be the face of their brands. The decision to collaborate with influencers, however, is not one to be taken lightly. Compared to traditional marketing channels, influencer partnerships come with their own set of challenges and opportunities. There are several factors brand managers and marketers should consider in evaluating whether an influencer collaboration aligns with their brand strategy and goals, and it goes far past their follower count.
As the popularity of influencer marketing grew, the landscape has also evolved at a massive scale. What was once an industry largely focused on bloggers soon shifted its focus to social media influencers and YouTubers. Even then, the initial focus was on influencers with a massive following – typically in the tens of thousands (or even millions). Now in the age of authenticity, brands are embracing micro-influencer marketing to build genuine connections with their audience.
Nothing changes in business quite so fast as the world of social media marketing – and more specifically, the world of influencers. For entrepreneurs starting their businesses, it can be daunting. After all, some of the biggest influencers in the UK are reported to charge around over £10,000 per social media post.
In today’s social media landscape, not everyone is an influencer–but everyone can have influence. That’s why many businesses are shifting their marketing dollars from professional content creators–whose services can be prohibitively costly for some brands–to everyday people capturing user generated content (UGC). The best part, this approach–which can involve a number of different tactics, including gifting free products and offering affiliate revenue–can tighten customer relationships, helping draw brand superfans deeper into a business’s product development pipeline.
The concept of “authenticity” is nothing new, but it’s set to power influencer marketing in 2024. According to experts, influencers who read as authentic to their followers will continue to have the most success in the new year. So, to ensure they resonate, creators and brands alike are seeking long-term relationships, as opposed to one-off partnerships, such as those Nudestix has fostered via its celebrity stock option plan model. Below are predictions from those moving and shaking in the industry about this and other influencer marketing trends they expect in the year to come.
The marketing landscape is evolving due to many factors: technological advancements, changing consumer behaviors, regulatory changes and more. In my role as chief growth officer at an ed-tech platform, staying abreast of these trends is crucial. Understanding the latest developments helps me formulate effective strategies to boost business development and enhance brand value, which is imperative to staying relevant and competitive in today’s ever-changing market. In this article, I will explore some marketing trends that I believe will help drive business growth in 2024 and offer some actionable strategies for businesses to stay competitive in the year ahead.
The kids are AI-right. A new study that analyzed the digital media habits of over 400,000 families and schools worldwide in 2023 found that almost 20% of kids accessed the ChatGPT website last year, making it the 18th most-visited site for the year. The report comes from parent control software maker Qustodio, which analyzed children’s online habits aged 4 through 18. Australia led the way for AI adoption among kids, where 30% of kids reported using ChatGPT. Other findings from the report: TikTok led the charts for social media app usage among kids, while Snapchat took top spot for communication apps when measuring for average daily time spent on these apps.
Between fundraising shortfalls, inflation and the rise of artificial intelligence, nonprofits faced a challenging, but promising business landscape in 2023. As nonprofits now move into 2024, keeping a watchful eye on new trends and discerning which ones are here to stay will be essential to leaders ensuring their organization maintains a secure position in the sector.
With the end of the year fast approaching, many nonprofits are already deep into planning and executing initiatives for Q1. In addition to set goals giving teams an idea of what to work toward, examining the market for emerging trends can help ensure a nonprofit organization is moving in the right direction to best meet the needs and expectations of constituents.
According to healthcare consulting firm Medi-Tech Insights, the healthcare management services organization (MSO) market is expected to witness a healthy growth rate by 2027, driven by factors such as the growing demand for specialty care, rising focus on value-based care and increasing investments by private equity firms. Healthcare MSOs are designed to centralize and alleviate the administrative work of running specialty practices—for orthopedics, oral surgery and others—to drive practice growth and profitability.
During the Covid-19 lockdowns, many people turned to Google and social media for answers about health issues. The #health hashtag has more than 165 million publications on Instagram today, encompassing illnesses, nutrition and mindfulness. Consequently, digital marketing has become more important, and marketers are turning to key opinion leaders, experts and influencers for digital content and recommendations (while there are significant differences between these three groups, I will simply refer to them as influencers from now on). However, they should approach influence marketing with caution, given some important specifics related to healthcare
Hey, remember how MrBeast re-posted one of his old clips on X and made $260k from ad revenue share in a single week, and every single other X creator, who’s making about $1000 for similar numbers, was like “wtf”? Well, that’s because X cheated the system, by enrolling MrBeast, a.k.a Jimmy Donaldson, into its Amplify video promotion offering, which no other creator can utilize, because up till now, it’s only been available to selected partner publishers in the app.
Engagement trends, in all forms, are evolving, with more of us spending more of our time online, and interacting in new environments, be it in AR, VR, through AI-influenced means, and more. Each of which will likely have the biggest impact on the next generation of consumers, in defining how they engage with each other moving forward. It’s this younger cohort that will dictate the next stage of connection, and with that in mind, this new report from digital wellbeing provider Qustodio covers some interesting ground, in analyzing teen user trends from different regions.
Meta’s looking to build on its teen user protections, with new default DM restrictions, which will further limit who can message teens in its apps, as well as new management tools for parents via its Family Center. First off, on DM restrictions. Building on its default DM controls for teens, which block adults that they don’t follow from messaging them in the app, Instagram will now, by default, switch off the ability for all teen users to receive messages from anybody that they don’t follow or aren’t connected to in the app.
While the Threads community is slowly taking shape, which is further solidifying it as a viable alternative to Twitter/X, there are still some signs of growing pains, especially among certain interest areas, many of which are still yet to migrate across to the platform in any significant way. Which could be fine. Threads is already up to 100 million users, and following its launch in Europe last month, I anticipate that Meta will update this to 200 million, if not more, as part of its Q4 earnings announcement next week.
Meta’s looking to lean further into AI for ad targeting, with the expansion of its automated “Advantage” targeting to all campaign objectives and optimizations. The update comes as part of Meta’s Marketing API v.19 update, which also includes various revisions and changes designed to improve campaign performance.
The next stage of TikTok is coming, with some users now seeing the option to upload 30 minute long videos in the app. TikTok has been steadily increasing its maximum post limit for years, with the platform originally starting at 15 seconds per clip, which was then extended to 60 seconds, then 3 minutes, then 5 minutes, before rising to 10 minutes in 2022. Last October, TikTok began experimenting with 15 minute uploads, so the trend towards longer clips isn’t new.
LinkedIn’s rolling out a new ad consideration, with sponsored posts coming to all users, providing another way to generate leads from your LinkedIn content.
What are the key trends of focus among B2B marketers, and how are they looking to tap into the latest opportunities and market shifts? LinkedIn partnered with Ipsos to conduct a survey of over 2,000 B2B marketers from around the world, in order to get their insights into what they see as the most important industry trends, and related impacts across different categories.
With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, TikTok has shared a new guide to help marketers tap into the event, and create more resonant campaigns in response to key trends among TikTok users. You can download TikTok’s 9-page ‘Valentine’s Day For You’ guide for yourself here (with email sign-up), but in this post, we’ll take a look at some of the key notes.
There have been various reports circulating throughout different LinkedIn communities as to the effectiveness of hashtags in the app, and whether you even need to bother with hashtags in your LinkedIn posts anymore. As you may recall, for a long time, LinkedIn didn’t actually support hashtags at all, but then in 2018, the platform not only reactivated hashtag discoverability, but it also started pushing hashtag use in an effort to get more users manually categorizing their posts.
YouTube has rolled out a new option to help you reformat your long-form content into Shorts, which could be a handy option for those looking to tap into the popularity of the Shorts format. As outlined by YouTube Creator Liaison Rene Ritchie, YouTube’s new Shorts editing UI, accessible via the “Remix” option on your clips, provides access to a range of editing tools to reformat your clips into the Shorts format.
In 2023, TikTok officially opened the doors of TikTok Shop in the US, a marketplace that many industry onlookers said could rival e-commerce juggernaut Amazon. TikTok had already built an ad business reportedly worth close to $20 billion in a little over five years, reaching 1 billion monthly active users globally last summer. If people are using the platform, why not sell them stuff? Nearly four months after the unveiling of its US marketplace, TikTok Shop is selling…something. If it’s the future of digital commerce, though, it might leave something to be desired.
The professional social network continues to grow and continues to report increasing engagement, as more people come to the app looking to make industry connections, and highlight their personal expertise. If you want to make a bigger splash on LinkedIn this year, this listing will help. LinkedIn expert Richard van der Blom has put together 20 content prompts to help you build your LinkedIn presence, through consistent, targeted content and engagement.
Will 2024 be the year that TikTok finally wins over Western consumers with its in-stream commerce options? Over the last few years, TikTok has been pushing to maximize its in-app sales, in order to maximize its revenue opportunities. In China, the local version of the app, called Douyin, now generates the majority of its income via in-stream sales, which is the template that TikTok is looking to adapt for other markets.
Instagram’s looking to expand its Collections feature, in order to enable users to share Collections of posts on their profile, which could help to give people more insight into their interests.
Visual trends are always evolving, and while that logo and color palette that you came up with may have been cool in 2012, its now 2024, and it could be worth re-considering your approach, in order to maximize your visual appeal. Which is crucially important. Attention spans are shorter than ever, and if you want to gain traction in busy social feeds, you need to grab people as they scroll by.
TikTok has published a new content planning guide for 2024, which includes all the key dates to be aware of, along with various pointers and notes, to assist in your campaign strategy. The guide takes a different approach to the usual content calendar templates, with more focus on how to make the most of specific events.
TikTok’s working on some new tools to help creators maximize their performance, this time via new desktop-based creator tools, including a new Creator Center UI which provides more analytics insights and updated discovery tools, utilizing conversational AI. First off, on the new Creator Center. Now, in the desktop version of the app, some users with a Business account are seeing a new format for the analytics UI, which better lays out the various data points in full-screen.
As Threads continues to gain momentum, especially among journalists, a next key step will be the development of an API, which will then enable direct publishing to Threads, as well as scheduling, third-party analytics and more. And the Threads team is working on this, with Instagram chief Adam Mosseri recently noting that they’re building a write API to begin with.
Looking to improve your YouTube campaigns in 2024? This might help. Today, YouTube has shared its top ads of 2023, along with some tips to help brands tap into key engagement trends reflected within these promotions. While some of the tips relate to celebrity partnerships and highly produced content, there are some notes that can be applied to all campaigns and budgets.
As we noted recently, it’s hard to get an actual, real read on what’s happening on X, and whether activity in the app is increasing or decreasing, amid various controversies and concerns sparked by owner Elon Musk and his changes at the app. For example, X keeps posting vague updates like this, which don’t really provide enough context as to what they mean.
The post Influencer Marketing Resources: January 2024 appeared first on The Motherhood | A Social Media Marketing Agency.
Influencer Marketing Industry Resources
Affiliate Marketing And Influencers: Redefining Brand Engagement In 2024 – January 29, 2024
The landscape of influencer marketing is embracing an exciting and highly effective shift toward affiliate marketing as a strategic influencer approach. This isn’t just another trend; it’s a game-changing method that’s gaining traction for its ability to forge lasting relationships between brands and influencers. While affiliate marketing isn’t a new concept, the core idea here is to re-imagine its role, shifting from short-term influencer engagements to long-term affiliate partnerships. In this updated approach, influencers don’t just promote; they evolve into genuine brand ambassadors over time. This strategy goes beyond typical campaigns, building a foundation of trust and continuous collaboration. Perhaps the most compelling aspect of this renewed affiliate approach is the performance-based reward system, which effectively encourages influencers to share authentic, impactful brand promotions.
Winning With Gen Z On Amazon: Leverage Influencer Marketing And Social Commerce – January 26, 2024
If there’s one thing that defines Gen Z, it’s social media. Young consumers are all about shareable videos, viral challenges and influencer trends spreading like wildfire online. According to a 2022 survey by Morning Consult, 54% of Gen Zers spend at least four hours per day on social media, and 38% spend even more time than that. Amazon sellers wanting to drive discovery and sales among this demographic must embrace social commerce and influencer marketing tailored to digital-first preferences. My company’s survey of 266 Amazon shoppers between the ages of 18 and 26 reveals the clear impact of peer validation and video content across Gen Z’s preferred platforms on shaping purchase behavior. Brands authentically engaging through the right personalities and channels stand to win.
10 metrics to track influencer marketing success in 2024 – January 24, 2024
Influencer marketing has grown beyond getting a viral moment. It has become a core element of marketing and sales strategies. Our Q3 2023 Pulse Survey revealed 81% of US-based social marketers consider influencer marketing an essential part of their social media strategy. They no longer expect accidental virality by hiring an influencer. That’s why tracking key influencer marketing metrics effectively has become crucial. Doing so enables you to benchmark your influencer campaigns against business goals, determine the ROI of your partnerships and pivot quickly based on what is and isn’t working.
How Halara uses influencer incentives to go viral again and again – January 24, 2024
If you’re a TikTok girlie, you’ve probably seen videos that feature Halara clothing. If you’re also a marketer, you may be wondering: How did the brand start showing up everywhere? It all started, as it often does, with organic content. One of the earliest viral posts featuring the DTC athleisure brand came in March 2021 from influencer couple Meg and Jack, where Meg surprised Jack while wearing a Halara dress. The post has been viewed nearly 2 million times, and the brand, which began posting on TikTok that same month, took notice, Gabby Hirata, Halara’s global brand president, said
WHY GEN Z LEADERSHIP IS CRUCIAL FOR INFLUENCER MARKETING – January 24, 2024
From fashion bloggers to long-form YouTube content creators, and from crazy hype houses and flying to Dubai to promote makeup products, the creator economy has seen a huge boom in the last decade. As marketers begin their 2024 campaign planning, influencers are a default component of any brand’s marketing mix. Yet, working with influencers/creators can be hit or miss. With everyone tapping influencers with the same strategies, it can be difficult for a brand to break through—especially as audience feeds become saturated with #paid and #partner content.
Marketing Briefing: As influencer marketing RFPs mature, measurement, attribution and emerging trend strategies come into focus – January 23, 2024
Brands’ influencer marketing requests for proposals (RFPs) are zeroing in on measurement and attribution as well as how influencer agencies and platforms will keep them abreast of emerging trends, according to influencer marketing execs, who say overall the RFPs are now much more sophisticated than previous years. Call it another ripple effect of influencer marketing maturation. As marketers continue to increase influencer marketing budgets — recent IAB research found that 44% of advertisers expect to increase influencer marketing spending this year, increasing budgets by roughly 25% — they’re rethinking the metrics of success for influencer marketing campaigns.
As consumers demand more for their money, some clothing brands shift their messaging to quality – January 22, 2024
The quality of clothes—particularly women’s clothes—ain’t what it used to be. Items made from 100% natural fibers are hard to find, even at luxury prices. Many garments feel like they begin to deteriorate after a few wears, and somehow, prices still seem to keep rising. It’s become a point of passionate discussion on social media, where consumers vent, deinfluence, look back at what some brands used to sell, and share tips on how to find higher-quality clothes via thrifting, mindful purchasing, and…going to Brandy Melville? Some TikTok creators, like Jennifer Wang and Andrea Cheong, have even dedicated their platforms to offering opinions on which items from certain brands are worth the money.
Tweens take over Sephora – January 21, 2024
Here’s a story about mean girls that not even Tina Fey could make up. TikTok influencers are angrily calling out “Sephora Kids”: tweens who are spending big money at the beauty chain and also allegedly wreaking havoc at the stores. One Sephora employee described a 10-year-old fighting with her mom over a $900 purchase; a TikToker went viral telling a story of how a tween “ate her up” after nabbing the last Drunk Elephant bronzing drops in the store, while other TikTokers posted examples of destroyed sample stations.
What You Need To Know About Working With Influencers – January 20, 2024
Influencer marketing is taking digital advertising by storm. According to Statista, influencer marketing has already grown to a robust $6 billion a year, representing a staggering 3x growth rate over the past four years alone. By 2029, advertisers are expected to spend more than $69 billion a year to have their goods and services promoted by influencers. The breakneck speeds at which the landscape is evolving “imposes an ultimatum on senior executives: adapt or risk your brand falling behind.
GEN ALPHA INFLUENCER MARKETING—HOW BRANDS CAN WORK WITH YOUNG CREATORS – January 19, 2024
Evelyn, a beauty influencer with a little over 67,000 followers across Instagram and YouTube, documents her multi-step morning skincare and makeup routine on an almost daily basis, which includes everything from Rare Beauty blush to Drunk Elephant bronzing drops. In one such video, Evelyn complains about recent drama with her friends while applying Drunk Elephant moisturizer, Supergoop sunscreen and Glow Beauty toner. These types of videos are commonplace in today’s social media landscape, especially among beauty or skincare creators wanting to tap into the enduring popularity of the “Get Ready With Me” trend.
The role of influencer marketing in the growth of e-commerce – January 12, 2024
The rise of influencer marketing has revolutionized the world of e-commerce. In fact, influencer marketing is a $16.4 billion industry. By tapping into the power of social media influencers, small and large businesses have found a new and effective way to reach their target audience, dramatically increasing e-commerce sales.
5 PROVEN TIPS FOR INFLUENCER MARKETING IN 2024 – January 12, 2024
In 2023, the influencer marketing industry hit a record $21.1 billion in the U.S., showing no signs of slowing down. If you’re not already taking advantage, you’re missing out. 50% of Millennials trust product recommendations from influencers. 33% of Gen Z-ers have bought a product from an influencer recommendation. Businesses generate $6.50 for every $1 invested in influencer marketing. Collaborating with the right influencers in your niche is a proven way to raise brand awareness, increase trust, and even drive sales.…But how can you set your brand up for success?
Inside the creator marketing trends expected to go viral in 2024 – January 11, 2024
In a world that’s increasingly online, the creator economy is primed for the spotlight. Digital video consumption has reached an all-time high, led by creator content, and advertisers are shifting more dollars toward smartphone-yielding creatives. Some are willing to bet that the days of creators being viewed as a supplement to advertisers’ playbooks are gone. Instead, creators could become the foundation. “Starting first with creators when it comes to advertising is definitely the wave of the future,” said Ali Fazal, vice president of marketing for creator management platform Grin.
So you want to be a social media star? What to know about the creator economy in 2024 – January 8, 2024
Half a trillion dollars. That’s how large the creator economy, currently pegged at $250 billion, is predicted to grow in the next four years, according to Goldman Sachs.
While people have been making a living off of creating content for online audiences for nearly two decades, what was once a nascent industry is growing up. Brands are getting more strategic about influencer marketing, a thriving ecosystem has emerged to serve creators and their needs, and social platforms are increasingly nudging consumers to spend while they scroll.
The Power Of Influencer Marketing: Your Strategic Investment For Success – January 5, 2024
In an era where digital platforms reign supreme, influencer marketing has evolved from a mere trend to a fundamental component of modern advertising strategies. This approach transcends many conventional advertising expenditures by offering strategic value and measurable returns, which has led to a shift in how many marketers view it: It’s not just a spend. It’s an investment.
Influencer Marketing: 5 Tips For Success In 2024 – January 5, 2024
Any brand looking to compete in the marketplace likely understands the benefits of influencer marketing. In 2023, the global influencer marketing industry was estimated to be worth $21.1 billion, while U.S. influencer marketing spending growth was expected to outpace ad revenue growth on almost every major platform.
How QVC is helping influencers grow their brand and audience – January 5, 2024
Annette Dunleavy, vice president, brand marketing, QVC
Long before the term influencer became synonymous with social media marketing programs, program hosts on QVC understood the unique relationship they had with their audiences. Arguably, they were among the original social influencers. As early as 2010, QVC was one of the first multiplatform retailers to partner with YouTubers and beauty bloggers. However, its influencer program isn’t just an early adoption story. The program has grown steadily over the past decade to become an essential strategy for engaging new and existing customers.
Researchers team up with mental health influencers to reach young people online – January 5, 2024
Kate Speer knows the world of influencers well. For five years she was the CEO of the social media company the Dogist, growing the audience to 5 million followers. She managed “a whole slew of influencer marketing campaigns,” she says. “You know, for dogs or dog food … everything was for the sake of a bottom line.” At the same time, Speer was building her own following around something very different – frank conversations around her experience with severe mental illness.
5 INFLUENCER MARKETING TRENDS TO WATCH IN 2024 – January 4, 2024
Influencer marketing is now a standard line item in many brands’ advertising budgets—and a $21.1 billion industry in its own right. As 2024 begins, executives intimately familiar with the ever-evolving nature of the industry are eyeing several potential shifts in how brands and agencies incorporate creators into their marketing.
Influencer marketing is ‘becoming a necessity’ for restaurant brands – January 4, 2024
Undeniably one of the biggest trends of 2023 was restaurant brands leveraging influencers on social media to sell their products. These influencers resonate with the coveted Gen Z demographic and help position brands top of mind, even if just for a fleeting moment. And apparently they’re very effective at convincing others to try a menu item. Consider Chipotle’s fajita quesadilla campaign with TikTok influencers Alexis Frost and Keith Lee, for example. The 2023 promotion helped generate two of the company’s top digital sales days of all time.
Influencer agencies report mixed experiences with TikTok Shop – January 4, 2024
As TikTok Shop grows its presence on the platform, influencer agencies are going through growing pains alongside the program. TikTok Shop soft launched last May among select brands, and was officially rolled out in September. Currently there are 200,000 merchants on TikTok Shop and 100,000 creators selling through the affiliate program. In turn, many brands end up working with creator agencies, which manage the influencer’s contracts, commissions and campaign strategy on TikTok Shop. According to creator agencies, TikTok Shop is an appealing new channel for their clients to partner with brands. However, snags like issues with the tech infrastructure and a tedious onboarding process are still preventing some creators from joining TikTok Shop’s growing stable of affiliates.
How To Harness AI For Influencer Marketing – January 3, 2024
Whether or not we’re collectively ready to embrace it, artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the way brands interact with their audiences. This cutting-edge technology, known for its capability to analyze complex data, is quickly bringing a new level of sophistication to strategies that were once solely based on human intuition and creativity. It’s likely going to become mission-critical for brands to strike a balance by learning to effectively integrate this technology into their influencer marketing campaigns without alienating the audiences they’re looking to reach.
The Year Ahead: The Alluring New Face of Influencer Marketing – January 3, 2024
The BoF-McKinsey State of Fashion 2024 Consumer Survey found that 65 percent of respondents rely less on fashion influencers compared to previous years.
Consumers prefer increasingly entertaining and relatable personalities, with less-polished aesthetics, quirkiness, humour and vulnerability.
To capture and hold the attention of consumers online in 2024, fashion marketers should break free of the tried-and-tested and explore new ways of partnering with creators.
7 Things Brands Should Consider Before Collaboring With an Influencer – January 1, 2024
In today’s digital-first world, brands are increasingly turning to social media influencers to amplify or be the face of their brands. The decision to collaborate with influencers, however, is not one to be taken lightly. Compared to traditional marketing channels, influencer partnerships come with their own set of challenges and opportunities. There are several factors brand managers and marketers should consider in evaluating whether an influencer collaboration aligns with their brand strategy and goals, and it goes far past their follower count.
Micro-Influencer Marketing Guide: Benefits and Steps – December 29, 2023
As the popularity of influencer marketing grew, the landscape has also evolved at a massive scale. What was once an industry largely focused on bloggers soon shifted its focus to social media influencers and YouTubers. Even then, the initial focus was on influencers with a massive following – typically in the tens of thousands (or even millions). Now in the age of authenticity, brands are embracing micro-influencer marketing to build genuine connections with their audience.
Following This Simple Influencer Strategy Can Skyrocket Your Business – December 29, 2023
Nothing changes in business quite so fast as the world of social media marketing – and more specifically, the world of influencers. For entrepreneurs starting their businesses, it can be daunting. After all, some of the biggest influencers in the UK are reported to charge around over £10,000 per social media post.
What’s the Hottest Influencer Marketing Tactic for 2024? Harnessing Your Superfans – December 27, 2023
In today’s social media landscape, not everyone is an influencer–but everyone can have influence. That’s why many businesses are shifting their marketing dollars from professional content creators–whose services can be prohibitively costly for some brands–to everyday people capturing user generated content (UGC). The best part, this approach–which can involve a number of different tactics, including gifting free products and offering affiliate revenue–can tighten customer relationships, helping draw brand superfans deeper into a business’s product development pipeline.
How influencer marketing will evolve in 2024, according to executives and creators – December 20, 2023
The concept of “authenticity” is nothing new, but it’s set to power influencer marketing in 2024. According to experts, influencers who read as authentic to their followers will continue to have the most success in the new year. So, to ensure they resonate, creators and brands alike are seeking long-term relationships, as opposed to one-off partnerships, such as those Nudestix has fostered via its celebrity stock option plan model. Below are predictions from those moving and shaking in the industry about this and other influencer marketing trends they expect in the year to come.
10 Marketing Trends That Will Dominate In 2024 – December 18, 2023
The marketing landscape is evolving due to many factors: technological advancements, changing consumer behaviors, regulatory changes and more. In my role as chief growth officer at an ed-tech platform, staying abreast of these trends is crucial. Understanding the latest developments helps me formulate effective strategies to boost business development and enhance brand value, which is imperative to staying relevant and competitive in today’s ever-changing market. In this article, I will explore some marketing trends that I believe will help drive business growth in 2024 and offer some actionable strategies for businesses to stay competitive in the year ahead.
AI
Born Connected: The Rise of the AI Generation (Annual Data Report) – 2023
The kids are AI-right. A new study that analyzed the digital media habits of over 400,000 families and schools worldwide in 2023 found that almost 20% of kids accessed the ChatGPT website last year, making it the 18th most-visited site for the year. The report comes from parent control software maker Qustodio, which analyzed children’s online habits aged 4 through 18. Australia led the way for AI adoption among kids, where 30% of kids reported using ChatGPT. Other findings from the report: TikTok led the charts for social media app usage among kids, while Snapchat took top spot for communication apps when measuring for average daily time spent on these apps.
Nonprofit/Social Good
Nonprofit Trends That Will Dominate 2024 – January 11, 2024
Between fundraising shortfalls, inflation and the rise of artificial intelligence, nonprofits faced a challenging, but promising business landscape in 2023. As nonprofits now move into 2024, keeping a watchful eye on new trends and discerning which ones are here to stay will be essential to leaders ensuring their organization maintains a secure position in the sector.
20 Nonprofit Experts Share Trends To Watch In 2024 – December 19, 2023
With the end of the year fast approaching, many nonprofits are already deep into planning and executing initiatives for Q1. In addition to set goals giving teams an idea of what to work toward, examining the market for emerging trends can help ensure a nonprofit organization is moving in the right direction to best meet the needs and expectations of constituents.
Healthcare/Pharmaceutical/Supplements
How Healthcare MSO Leaders Can Leverage Marketing And Communications – January 23, 2024
According to healthcare consulting firm Medi-Tech Insights, the healthcare management services organization (MSO) market is expected to witness a healthy growth rate by 2027, driven by factors such as the growing demand for specialty care, rising focus on value-based care and increasing investments by private equity firms. Healthcare MSOs are designed to centralize and alleviate the administrative work of running specialty practices—for orthopedics, oral surgery and others—to drive practice growth and profitability.
The Intersection Of Social Influencers And Healthcare – January 3, 2024
During the Covid-19 lockdowns, many people turned to Google and social media for answers about health issues. The #health hashtag has more than 165 million publications on Instagram today, encompassing illnesses, nutrition and mindfulness. Consequently, digital marketing has become more important, and marketers are turning to key opinion leaders, experts and influencers for digital content and recommendations (while there are significant differences between these three groups, I will simply refer to them as influencers from now on). However, they should approach influence marketing with caution, given some important specifics related to healthcare
Trends in Social Media
X Looks To Expand Its Amplify Video Monetization Program to Creators – January 27, 2024
Hey, remember how MrBeast re-posted one of his old clips on X and made $260k from ad revenue share in a single week, and every single other X creator, who’s making about $1000 for similar numbers, was like “wtf”? Well, that’s because X cheated the system, by enrolling MrBeast, a.k.a Jimmy Donaldson, into its Amplify video promotion offering, which no other creator can utilize, because up till now, it’s only been available to selected partner publishers in the app.
New Report Shows TikTok Usage Is Rising Among Teen Users, While Snapchat Remains a Key Connector – January 25, 2024
Engagement trends, in all forms, are evolving, with more of us spending more of our time online, and interacting in new environments, be it in AR, VR, through AI-influenced means, and more. Each of which will likely have the biggest impact on the next generation of consumers, in defining how they engage with each other moving forward. It’s this younger cohort that will dictate the next stage of connection, and with that in mind, this new report from digital wellbeing provider Qustodio covers some interesting ground, in analyzing teen user trends from different regions.
Meta Launches New Teen Safety Measures To Limit Unwanted DM Contact – January 25, 2024
Meta’s looking to build on its teen user protections, with new default DM restrictions, which will further limit who can message teens in its apps, as well as new management tools for parents via its Family Center. First off, on DM restrictions. Building on its default DM controls for teens, which block adults that they don’t follow from messaging them in the app, Instagram will now, by default, switch off the ability for all teen users to receive messages from anybody that they don’t follow or aren’t connected to in the app.
Is Threads Catching On? A Look at How the Most Followed X Profiles Are Engaging in the App – January 25, 2024
While the Threads community is slowly taking shape, which is further solidifying it as a viable alternative to Twitter/X, there are still some signs of growing pains, especially among certain interest areas, many of which are still yet to migrate across to the platform in any significant way. Which could be fine. Threads is already up to 100 million users, and following its launch in Europe last month, I anticipate that Meta will update this to 200 million, if not more, as part of its Q4 earnings announcement next week.
Meta Looks To Get More Advertisers Utilizing Targeting Automation With API Update – January 24, 2024
Meta’s looking to lean further into AI for ad targeting, with the expansion of its automated “Advantage” targeting to all campaign objectives and optimizations. The update comes as part of Meta’s Marketing API v.19 update, which also includes various revisions and changes designed to improve campaign performance.
TikTok’s Testing 30 Minute Uploads as It Looks To Expand Its Content Options – January 23, 2024
The next stage of TikTok is coming, with some users now seeing the option to upload 30 minute long videos in the app. TikTok has been steadily increasing its maximum post limit for years, with the platform originally starting at 15 seconds per clip, which was then extended to 60 seconds, then 3 minutes, then 5 minutes, before rising to 10 minutes in 2022. Last October, TikTok began experimenting with 15 minute uploads, so the trend towards longer clips isn’t new.
LinkedIn’s Rolling Out a New Sponsored Post Option To Maximize Content Benefits – January 18, 2024
LinkedIn’s rolling out a new ad consideration, with sponsored posts coming to all users, providing another way to generate leads from your LinkedIn content.
LinkedIn Shares Insights Into B2B Marketing Trends – January 17, 2024
What are the key trends of focus among B2B marketers, and how are they looking to tap into the latest opportunities and market shifts? LinkedIn partnered with Ipsos to conduct a survey of over 2,000 B2B marketers from around the world, in order to get their insights into what they see as the most important industry trends, and related impacts across different categories.
TikTok Publishes Valentine’s Day Marketing Guide – January 14, 2024
With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, TikTok has shared a new guide to help marketers tap into the event, and create more resonant campaigns in response to key trends among TikTok users. You can download TikTok’s 9-page ‘Valentine’s Day For You’ guide for yourself here (with email sign-up), but in this post, we’ll take a look at some of the key notes.
Do You Need To Use Hashtags on LinkedIn? – January 12, 2024
There have been various reports circulating throughout different LinkedIn communities as to the effectiveness of hashtags in the app, and whether you even need to bother with hashtags in your LinkedIn posts anymore. As you may recall, for a long time, LinkedIn didn’t actually support hashtags at all, but then in 2018, the platform not only reactivated hashtag discoverability, but it also started pushing hashtag use in an effort to get more users manually categorizing their posts.
YouTube Adds Simplified Tools To Edit Long Form Clips Into Shorts – January 11, 2024
YouTube has rolled out a new option to help you reformat your long-form content into Shorts, which could be a handy option for those looking to tap into the popularity of the Shorts format. As outlined by YouTube Creator Liaison Rene Ritchie, YouTube’s new Shorts editing UI, accessible via the “Remix” option on your clips, provides access to a range of editing tools to reformat your clips into the Shorts format.
Why does TikTok Shop look like that? – January 10, 2024
In 2023, TikTok officially opened the doors of TikTok Shop in the US, a marketplace that many industry onlookers said could rival e-commerce juggernaut Amazon. TikTok had already built an ad business reportedly worth close to $20 billion in a little over five years, reaching 1 billion monthly active users globally last summer. If people are using the platform, why not sell them stuff? Nearly four months after the unveiling of its US marketplace, TikTok Shop is selling…something. If it’s the future of digital commerce, though, it might leave something to be desired.
20 Content Prompts To Help Boost Your LinkedIn Presence in 2024 – January 7, 2024
The professional social network continues to grow and continues to report increasing engagement, as more people come to the app looking to make industry connections, and highlight their personal expertise. If you want to make a bigger splash on LinkedIn this year, this listing will help. LinkedIn expert Richard van der Blom has put together 20 content prompts to help you build your LinkedIn presence, through consistent, targeted content and engagement.
TikTok’s Planning To Boost Its In-Stream Commerce Spend 10X in 2024 – January 4, 2024
Will 2024 be the year that TikTok finally wins over Western consumers with its in-stream commerce options? Over the last few years, TikTok has been pushing to maximize its in-app sales, in order to maximize its revenue opportunities. In China, the local version of the app, called Douyin, now generates the majority of its income via in-stream sales, which is the template that TikTok is looking to adapt for other markets.
Instagram Experiments With New Public ‘Collections’ Feature on Profiles – January 4, 2024
Instagram’s looking to expand its Collections feature, in order to enable users to share Collections of posts on their profile, which could help to give people more insight into their interests.
8 Visual Trends To Consider for Your Marketing in 2024 – January 4, 2024
Visual trends are always evolving, and while that logo and color palette that you came up with may have been cool in 2012, its now 2024, and it could be worth re-considering your approach, in order to maximize your visual appeal. Which is crucially important. Attention spans are shorter than ever, and if you want to gain traction in busy social feeds, you need to grab people as they scroll by.
TikTok Launches 2024 Marketing Calendar to Assist in Your Planning – January 3, 2024
TikTok has published a new content planning guide for 2024, which includes all the key dates to be aware of, along with various pointers and notes, to assist in your campaign strategy. The guide takes a different approach to the usual content calendar templates, with more focus on how to make the most of specific events.
TikTok Tests New Desktop-Based Tools for Creators and Marketers – December 21, 2023
TikTok’s working on some new tools to help creators maximize their performance, this time via new desktop-based creator tools, including a new Creator Center UI which provides more analytics insights and updated discovery tools, utilizing conversational AI. First off, on the new Creator Center. Now, in the desktop version of the app, some users with a Business account are seeing a new format for the analytics UI, which better lays out the various data points in full-screen.
Threads Moves to Next Stage of Testing for Its API – December 21, 2023
As Threads continues to gain momentum, especially among journalists, a next key step will be the development of an API, which will then enable direct publishing to Threads, as well as scheduling, third-party analytics and more. And the Threads team is working on this, with Instagram chief Adam Mosseri recently noting that they’re building a write API to begin with.
YouTube Shares Ad Tips Based on Best-Performing Promotions of 2023 – December 20, 2023
Looking to improve your YouTube campaigns in 2024? This might help. Today, YouTube has shared its top ads of 2023, along with some tips to help brands tap into key engagement trends reflected within these promotions. While some of the tips relate to celebrity partnerships and highly produced content, there are some notes that can be applied to all campaigns and budgets.
X Shares Insights Into Platform Usage and Engagement – December 19, 2023
As we noted recently, it’s hard to get an actual, real read on what’s happening on X, and whether activity in the app is increasing or decreasing, amid various controversies and concerns sparked by owner Elon Musk and his changes at the app. For example, X keeps posting vague updates like this, which don’t really provide enough context as to what they mean.
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