Interning For Your Intern: A Crash Course on Marketing Guaranteed to Slay

slay?

verb??

1. to greatly impress; to do a great job.?

similar: to amaze, to stun by excellence, to wow, to exceed expectations

“You slayed that blog post, girl.”????

What do iced oat milk lattes, the word “slay ,” and digital marketing prowess all have in common? They’re defining qualities of Gen-Z - along with agility, strategic thinking, and superior fashion sense of course. Our favorite thing about marketing is that it’s constantly changing. Similar to broaching the Twitter landscape, marketing strategy requires flexibility, swiftness, and guts to navigate.?

So let’s take inspiration from the Disney Channel star turned pop icon, Olivia Rodrigo . She stands as one of the most well-known members of Generation Z, bridging audiences that range from angsty teens to managing millennials (who pretend they’re not angsty anymore). We can all agree on one thing: the girl has great beats and branding. Hey, if Abercrombie taught us anything, it’s that a good rebrand can unite generations.

As a member of Gen-Z, Olivia Rodrigo represents the next cohort of leaders who came of age in a dynamic digital sphere.??

We’ve been riding the wave.?

We know how this thing works.?

We know that things are probably going to change in the next three weeks.?

(We’ve been saying this for years, on platforms you haven’t downloaded yet).

Algorithms change, opportunities arise, servers update. Most of the time, being able to just figure it out is the most valuable—and applicable—asset.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and we’re happy to be the #inspo for higher education. Universities are starting to equip their students with the high-level arsenal needed to figure out real-world marketing scenarios. As an undergraduate marketing student at the Wisconsin School of Business , I’m enrolled in courses designed to hone in on new trends and dynamic content creation. Milt Hwang , marketing lecturer at UW-Madison, instructs a “Marketing in a Digital Age” course, updated on a semester basis, to reflect the fast-paced, ever-shifting marketing climate. We’re learning at clock speed before we even graduate, which better equips us to tackle solutions in the workplace.?

The average person has $37,000 of student debt, but as a member of the most giving generation, I believe in sharing the wealth. Or, in this case, the earned media value.?

A Gen-Zer’s Guide to Digital Marketing?

1. Using AI Responsibly & Effectively?

It’s no secret that AI has inserted itself into multiple facets of our everyday lives. From the facial recognition software that unlocks your smartphone to the algorithms that personalize your social media feed, AI is, well, everywhere.

Let’s be clear: AI is not some dystopian post-apocalyptic force that poses a threat to the human race. And even if it was, we all know how The Terminator ends (Humans: 1, Robots: 0). It is, however, a tool that is designed to make our lives easier and more efficient. Hasta la vista, baby to dull, mundane tasks that can now be automated.?

The bottom line is that jobs aren’t being taken over by AI, they’re being taken over by the people who know how to use it. Whether we like it or not, artificial intelligence is the wave of the future, and the only reason you should be anxious about it is if your boss is using it before you do.

2. Small But Mighty: The Power of Short-Form Video?

The average attention span of a human is approximately 8.25 seconds.

This shrinks down to 2 seconds on social media.??

The average attention span of a goldfish is 9 seconds .*?

* a small win for the freshwater fish and smiling cracker communities alike

Most people spend around 3 hours and 15 minutes on their phones per day. This means that they consume upwards of 1,500 pieces of content. Here lies the burning question: in a space where it is becoming increasingly difficult to catch attention, how are you going to stand out?

Short-form video content is a key ingredient to any effective social media marketing strategy. Platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts have become top performers in the social space and continue to shift how brands communicate with their consumers. A couple of seconds might not seem like much, but 2 seconds of brand exposure is enough to generate 25% of purchase intent. Can a goldfish swipe a credit card? No, but we’re willing to bet they can tap to pay. Just keep swimming - and scrolling.???

3. Micro-Over-Mega Influencer Marketing?

1 in 4 people use social media as their primary search engine This trend increases among younger users, with 46% of Gen-Z and 35% of Millenials claiming they favor social-mediated platforms such as TikTok and Instagram over traditional servers like Google or Bing. In an age of immediate gratification, it’s crucial to leverage influencer marketing to connect with your target audience.?

Nearly 50% of consumers say they depend on influencer recommendations before they buy anything. However, the influencer marketing landscape is changing. Mega-influencers are losing trust (and loyal followers) because of one simple disconnect: they’re no longer relatable.

The lifestyle that these mega-influencers are promoting to their socials (think Great Gatsby-adjacent) is negatively impacting their ethos when it comes to sharing product recommendations. There’s a reason the internet freaked out when 23-year-old NYC influencer Halley Kate announced that she bought a house in the Hamptons: it became clear that she is in a way different tax bracket than us.???????

While mega-influencers are missing the mark in terms of authentically connecting with their audience, micro-influencers are gaining traction. 77% of all brand partnerships are with micro-influencers, and with an average engagement rate of 6% , micro-influencers are consistently outperforming the biggest names in the game. For reference, Taylor Swift has an engagement rate of 2.2% . Micro-influencers: 1, Swiftie Nation: 0.?

With less of a following but a more engaged, “tuned-in” audience, micro-influencers are more effective in resonating with their core demographic and boosting engagement. So, if you want an in with a niche audience, connect with an influencer who has already been influenced by your brand. Their target audience likely aligns with yours, paving the way for authentic promotion.?

4. Emerging Platforms & Applications

New platforms, features, and trends are popping up every day. The key is to adopt them before they lose traction. To people sporting skinny jeans in 2024, being 10 years late isn’t considered fashionably late—it’s considered a fashion offense. Here are the platforms you should (already) be using:??

When life gives you lemons, turn it into lifestyle content! Featuring wellness, travel, beauty, and fashion, Lemon8 is like TikTok’s younger, more “aesthetic” sister. Designed by the same company that created TikTok, this app prioritizes photo content over short-form videos and is used primarily for sharing lifestyle content.??

Clubhouse is another social networking platform that has the potential to become a valuable space for brands to engage with their audiences in real time. The audio-based app allows its users to participate in live discussions, panels, or webinars where the lightness of conversation can range from “How ‘bout this weather we’re having” to “Let’s talk about how we can leverage AI-driven SEO to increase traffic.”?

Finally, we all know Threads as Meta’s half-stitched* attempt to slay the beast that is Twitter. Announced in July 2023, the platform gained 10 million users within the first 7 hours of its launch. Although growth has slowed since its initial unveiling, Threads can still be leveraged to drive user engagement by sharing exclusive content, conducting customer service interactions, and creating private groups.?

*pun intended?

Staying up-to-date is easy - just tune in (and follow @ActualSizers on Facebook, Instagram, and X). Connect with industry leaders on LinkedIn, subscribe to blogs (HubSpot , Semrush , and Hootsuite are great places to start), or enroll in a free digital marketing certification course . There are an infinite amount of ways to stay in the know.?

Staying agile and dynamic in an ever-changing digital world is the key to success. Embrace change, anticipate trends, and always push the envelope of creativity. Actual Size takes pride in our innovation and strategic messaging, designing for what matters most - your audience.

Tune in to this blog series for more insights on how to slay in all facets of your marketing strategy.?

P.S. If Olivia Rodrigo isn’t your thing, here’s some summer homework .

Written by Gabby Collins, Content & Operations Intern