What influencer marketing trends are you exploring?

One of the biggest platforms dedicated to Influencers who Live Stream is Twitch. I have been looking at Gaming Influencers recently, and Twitch has an insanely engaged and active Gamer Audience. For example, Top Twitch game streamer Ninja has 18.5 Million followers on Twitch! Gamers Live stream themselves simply playing their favorite games, with their own commentary about what they are doing, thinking etc. Some even Live stream themselves, Live-gaming with other Influencers & their fans, in games like Fortnite, where up too 100 Gamers are battling Live altogether in the same game. Increasing popularity of industries like ESports, where gamers can pack out stadiums of fans to watch them play - Gaming+Streaming is a trend to watch!

In the recent weeks, we have seen an increase in the live streaming trend across TikTok and Instagram. With the social platforms creating and advancing ways for creators to monetize within livestreams (the submission of stickers and icons that are tied to monetary value from audiences to live-streaming creators), this is adding yet another layer in the creator-to-audience engagement. Some live streams consist of just a small crowd, giving creators the ability to answer questions in real time and connect further with their audience, where as others amass tens of thousands of viewers who create a sense of community amongst one another, often times in the chat. Live streaming isn't going anywhere anytime soon!

Data analytics tools were being utilized to measure the impact of influencer campaigns more accurately. Brands were looking beyond vanity metrics and seeking meaningful insights into ROI and audience engagement.

Micro-influencers are a great option for brands of all sizes. Even a leader with small audience can often have high impact for your brand IF they have trust with their audience and can inspire them to take action! Benefits of working with micro influencers: Higher engagement rates More affordable More targeted audiences More authentic More time & desire to work with you Looking for help to grow their brand too! Steps to take to get started: 1. Plan (research, goals & objectives) 2. determine content & conversation 3. identify / select influencers 4. Invest & invite 5. Partner, plan & develop content 6. Amplify & distribute content 7. Measure Always be building community & giving more than you take!

There is an extreme level of value that micro and nano influencers bring to every single influencer marketing campaign. The days of investing a bulk of spend on one single "celebrity" influencer or personality to be the face of a campaign are no longer. Rather, the brands that are driving the most impact and seeing the greatest return on influencer marketing are those who see the importance of creators of this size and caliber. From a financial perspective, brands are able to work with a plethora of micro creators for the traditional price range(s) of one single mega influencers. This way, their brand message and impact spreads further, deeper, and wider than a single social post on one large influencer's Instagram!

The biggest value nano and micro-influencers bring are the ability to provide quality content at a high frequency and quantity. However, many brands are not maximizing this opportunity. The best way to get the most out of this content is to deploy a mass content creation and use paid media to help provide deeper data and targeting for the content made. The biggest challenge with any size influencer is social platforms reducing organic reach and especially for branded content. By relocating the budget you would use on macros, you can get more micro content + leverage the remaining budget for paid. If your brand already has a paid team, it allows you to expand the number of influencer content you can whitelist and test.

Really wish we'd stop placing value based on size. Instead focus on value based on having the right partner and partnership structure. There are so many nano's and micro's that are inflating their engagement with pods and bots. So the tired notion that they are the most engaged and trustworthy isn't bullet proof. The shady stuff happens at every level so stop focusing on some meaningless categories and learn how to truly find the right partners, vet them, understand bot/pod activity, etc.

Micro and Nano Influencer marketing's coverage often depends deeply depends on buyin from the Influencer themselves. Literally seeking cash contributions from the 'influencer' in exchange 'highly discounted' product of desire. Are we seeing the beginning of the end for Micro & Influencer Marketing from so far away? Is Micro and Nano Influencer marketing soon to be relegated to the same heap as the Multi Level Marketing (MLM) of the 70's and 80's?

UGC has become one of the most popular forms of content creation this past year. Brands are finding UGC-based ads to perform exponentially better in paid social advertising, customers and creators are showing off their talents to participate in UGC creation like never before, and consumers find themselves more likely to purchase products that are advertised to them in ways that look and feel natural and organic. As a marketer in the social and digital space, it's not always easy to fight through the noise and the weeds. But, having strong UGC in your creative catalogue and digital ad sets is a fantastic way to start. Remember, customers who go above and beyond to make content for your brand are your power customers!

The first sentence is correct. UGC is by your customers, fans, etc. UGC is NOT something you ask an influencer or photographer to make. UGC is NOT something a brand collaborates on. That is just influencer content or photography if they aren't posting it. The value of UGC is its authentic nature because someone knows and loves your brand. Influencer content should replicate UGC if you choose the right partners because the authentic brand love with shine through, but directing and buying "authentic brand love" isn't a real thing. We need to stop peddling trendy terms that don't mean what people think they do.

There are many misconceptions when it comes to the topic of diversity and inclusion. Yes, we all know from ethics and morals it's essential to give representation to all communities. However, let's dive into it from a data-driven perspective below moving forward: - 64% of consumers stated to take action after they say a brand pursing diversity and inclusion in their ads - 55% of 18-34-year-olds want more racial diversity in ads - 59% of consumers say they are more loyal to brands that stand for diversity The biggest takeaway is that not having diversity within your marketing efforts is now at a point where you can lose profits and customers to more progressive and inclusive competitors.