Social Media News Worth Knowing In November
Let’s get right into the social media and influencer news you can use to get a head start on the week ahead. Today, I’m covering the latest layoffs that took place at Meta, tips for working with content creators, and more details on Twitter’s new verification system.
Are you looking for more social media and influencer marketing news worth using? You can read more of my writing, covering my favorite social media tools to use, like GoCharlie.ai. and more deep dives on specific topics on my blog.
If you’re new to my website, you can also download one of my freebies to help with your social media marketing efforts.
Meta Lays Off 11,000 People To Cut Costs
One of the decisions businesses make as they try to cut expenses and find methods to stay afloat during a global recession is laying off employees. The latest company to make that decision and gain major headlines is the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Earlier this week, Meta disclosed a significant round of layoffs that affected 13% of its workers.
However, this isn't just a social media problem; similar situations have occurred at other companies. For example, Twitter let off around half of its 7,500 employees after Elon Musk's leadership began, and Stripe said last week that it would be reducing its employment by 14%. Even Salesforce admitted that the company had fired "hundreds" of employees.
Whether Meta's gamble on the Metaverse will pay off, in the long run, is still in the air. But this decision hopefully extends their runway to make that a reality. Find out more about the layoffs here.
7 Branded Content Tips From Content Creators
As brands continue to pull various marketing levers to make an impact, influencers and content creators typically come up as a topic of exploration for our clients. Here are some tips for businesses that want to partner with creators from Meta's trip to VidCON US back in September. Some of my favorites include:
Allow Creators to Tell Their Tale
Like each company, every creator and influencer has a unique journey that got them to where they are now. Businesses can lean into creators' various perspectives and life stories, creating an authentic and trustworthy experience. This shows their audiences that the brand is honest by allowing the creators they collaborate with to speak freely on a given product or brand.
Ask Creators to Pin Their Instagram Branded Content
The new grid-pinning tool for Instagram will elevate brand collaborations by enabling sponsored content to stay at the top of a creator's profile grid. For as long as that post remains pinned, every time a user visits an influencer's Instagram, they'll now see that they are partnered with a brand.
Twitter's New Verification System
If you're like me, you've spent time pondering how to achieve the coveted blue checkmark on Twitter. And you can right now for just $8 per month! But now you're probably asking, "How can we know which profiles are actually verified now that Twitter Blue, a monthly membership service with access to a higher-level Twitter profile, has launched?"
Introducing the gray "official" checkmark for Twitter. It is identical to the blue checkmark but is only given to users whom Twitter (or Elon Musk) considers deserving of this "official" acknowledgment. This group comprises of public figures, business enterprises, media outlets, publishers, and celebrities. Interestingly enough, journalists are not included in this recognition.
So if you've always wanted that exclusive blue checkmark, you'll soon be able to buy it through Twitter Blue, which does not require ID verification. Additionally, you'll have access to a few perks, such as priority in replies, expanded lengths for video and audio uploads, and fewer advertisements. Learn more about these upcoming upgrades on Twitter here.
Until next time!
Social Media News You Need To Know In November
Let’s get right into the social media and influencer news you can use to get a head start on the week ahead. Today, I’m looking at the first few days of Elon Musk’s Twitter, the rise of Mr. Beast's business empire, and how you can help your clients sell on social media.
Looking for more social media and influencer marketing news worth using? You can read more of my latest social media updates and more deep dives on specific topics on my blog if you’re new to my website. I recently wrote a blog about my favorite social media tools to use, like GoCharlie.ai.
It's Official: Twitter Belongs to Elon Musk
Elon Musk has formally acquired Twitter for $44 billion. The Verge has reported that executives like Parag Agrawal and Ned Segal were sacked and hauled out of the company during his first few days of ownership, and executives like Sarah Personette decided to resign as a result.
Even though Musk has made several public statements, it is still unclear what he intends to do with Twitter now that he owns it. According to estimations provided to potential Twitter investors, The Washington Post stated that Musk intended to lay off 75% of Twitter's staff.
Musk has also hinted that he'll alter Twitter's moderation procedures, possibly loosening the rules that led to the permanent ban of the late President Donald Trump from the site.
YouTube's Biggest Influencer, Mr. Beast, Is Seeking a $1.5B Valuation
Watch out, world; Mr. Beast is going beast mode and raising money.
According to Axios reports, the YouTube celebrity known for his spectacle-filled videos is raising money to diversify further into his business empire. Mr. Beast's brand is raising $150m with a valuation of around $1.5B. With Forbes most recently reporting MrBeast's annual income at $54 million, his brand's impact is clear.
Apart from the ad revenue generated by his collective 175M+ audience across various channels, Mr. Beast has introduced successful consumer products like:
The Mr. Beast Burger, available for delivery across the US, Canada, and the UK. With its first physical location having opened recently in New Jersey.
His snack company, Feastables, launched in January and is allegedly on track to bring in "tens of millions" this year.
While Mr. Beast may be the first to do it this big, he won't be the last YouTube star to do so. YouTube David Dobrik is set to open Doughbrik's Pizza chain later this month.
Tips for Selling on Social Media
As social media expands, social selling is becoming more and more popular. For those unfamiliar, social selling is a lead-generating technique designed to assist salespeople in interacting with potential clients through social media. Sprout Social does a great job of providing tips to help agencies and brands sell on social media.
Given social media's immediacy, it's a smart tactic to interact with one's target audience and build relationships through social media to help move those along the marketing funnel.
In addition to the direct connection our companies may build, social selling has a lot of other advantages. Social selling to personalize your sales pitches can provide value, increase leads and revenues, and broaden your network. With the use of social selling, social media marketers can reach their clients' audiences and help drive overall business goals.
Until next time!
Social Media News For You In October
Let’s get right into the social media and influencer news you can use to start your week. We’re covering TikTok’s attempt to tap into the BeReal app, Instagram announcing its new Collabs feature, and how Content Creator satisfaction on Instagram is lacking compared to other platforms.
Want more social media news worth using? You can see more of my latest social media updates and more deep dives on specific topics on my blog if you’re new to my website.
TikTok BeReal Imitator Launches
Over the weekend, TikTok released TikTok Now, a standalone mobile app throughout international regions outside of the U.S., mostly on iOS. TikTok Now is a BeReal clone, and the app has features similar to the TikTok Now app recently released in the United States. Even if they have their TikTok alerts turned off, users of TikTok Now's standalone mobile app can choose to get push notifications for these social check-ins.
This move by TikTok represents yet another instance of social enterprises and conglomerates copying their burgeoning rival, BeReal. Being copied is flattering, or you could just be keeping up with the market.
Learn more about the new TikTok functionality and standalone app here.
Tips for Instagram Brand Collabs
Have you seen Instagram posts published by two users in your feed recently? That is the new function on Instagram, their Collabs feature. Instagram Collabs essentially offers posting credit to two users while allowing two users to upload the same content. Brands can now easily partner with influencers with the Collabs feature, making it easier for partnerships.
Why should brands look to tap into the collaboration feature? It will first increase overall reach by a brand’s sponsored content. And both usernames will be visible to anyone who comes across said social post. Additionally, brand collobartions like this should lead to higher engagements. Last but not least, it will aid Instagram in removing “duplicate” posts, improving the overall user experience.
There are a few instances where Instagram Collabs makes sense. My favorite would be for when a brand has a new product releasing. An Instagram Collab could be ideal for broadening your brand’s audience and increasing overall engagement. Learn more here.
Instagram Creator Satisfaction Is Lacking
According to a recent survey by Adobe, the creator economy expanded by over 165M people worldwide in the previous two years, a rise of 119%. Globally, 23% of people identify as creators, meaning approximately one in four people make an artistic or creative contribution.
However, internal documents highlight Meta's concern around its social platforms regarding creator satisfaction. Head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri says that surveys of creators showed that Instagram "lag[s] behind TikTok and YouTube on all the dimensions that are most important to creator satisfaction," including several unrelated to the ability to make money, such as "fun, reach, fair algorithm and care."
This is concerning because Instagram was once seen as the main competition for TikTok. Throw in the recent announcement that Instagram was no longer a photo-sharing app, and the app has lost its appeal to many longstanding users. Learn more here: https://bit.ly/3C0fz2E.
Until next time! If you’re looking for more social media and influencer news, visit my blog.
Social Media News You Need To Know
Let’s get right into the social media and influencer news you can use to start your week. We’re discussing the impact of iOS privacy changes leading to more influencers, tips for creating engaging carousel posts, and how small businesses can use social commerce for success.
If you’re new to my website, you can see more of my latest social media updates and more deep dives on specific topics on my blog,
iOS Privacy Change Leading to Influencer Partnerships?
Following last year's iOS privacy updates, brands are still trying to figure out how to make an impact through advertising. Many advertisers are shifting their marketing budgets away from paid social and toward influencer marketing.
Influencers can help brands reclaim some of their power and efficacy. This shift can also be seen in the influencer marketing sector, which increased to $13.8 billion in 2021 from $9.7 billion the previous year.
Many influencer marketers believe that Apple's privacy improvements have given them an advantage in the market and that the sector's recent rise may be partly due to the industry's increased focus on privacy.
At our agency, we see this as well, with multiple clients launching multiple influencer campaigns to close out 2022.
Tips for Creating Engaging Carousel Posts
We mentioned that Instagram is currently seeing the most reach with Reels, but carousel posts are also a great way to promote your content. There are numerous ways to use carousels to benefit your brand; here are a few of our favorites.
The traditional photo dump. You've probably seen it before, and you've probably done it yourself. Dumping a slew of photos or videos (no more than ten in a carousel) into one post to help tell your story. Photo dumps are popular among creators because they feel more authentic and personal.
Carousels can also be used to display behind-the-scenes content. Taking your audience behind the scenes of a shoot or event is an excellent way to increase participation. Showing users what happens during a photoshoot and the less filtered content that is captured can aid in the formation of trust and a connection with your audience.
Carousel posts are great for sharing more content and increasing your audience's visibility.
How to Use Social Commerce for Small Businesses
What is social commerce, and how can it help you serve your clients? Social commerce is a great way to simplify the buying process for potential and current customers of small businesses.
Social commerce is the practice of selling products directly to customers through social media platforms. Social commerce accelerates the purchasing process by keeping customers on the site where they first saw your product. The consumer's shopping experience becomes easier and more seamless, and brands generate more sales and revenue through social media.
Many of our small-business clients can benefit from the social commerce revolution by integrating their e-commerce stores with social platforms (for example, creating product-tagged posts) or hosting live shopping events on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok.
That's it for this week's social media news worth knowing! What other marketing or social media tips do you know that would be helpful to other digital marketers? Be sure to visit my blog for more social media-related content.
Let's Talk About "Quiet Quitting"
Whether you're a business leader navigating the ever-changing professional space or a Gen Z employee just starting their career, "Quiet Quitting" has been everywhere. What began as a trend on TikTok made its way to Twitter, YouTube, the web, TV, Print, and of course, your favorite newsletters (I see you, Morning Brew!)
During my commute this morning, I read an article on Business Insider about quiet quitting, and what started as a simple tweet, turned into a Twitter Thread. And that Twitter thread has now turned into a LinkedIn article.
I love this professional and cultural trend because it means something different to each individual and generation. Ask a Gen Z professional, and they say quiet quitting is a form of self-care that helps them prevent burnout, as it's been nearly 3 years since the ways of working were forever changed with the start of a global pandemic.
Ask a millennial, and many like me say that's it all about work-life balance. In that, we recognize that the positive benefit on my career by working 5+ extra hours a week is much smaller than the negative impact on my personal life and mental and physical health in doing so.
Talk to an older Gen X or Baby Boomer, and they'll say that quiet quitters are clueless, lazy, and won't succeed in high-performing companies. Just ask entrepreneur and TV personality Kevin O'Leary for his thoughts on quiet quitting.
While I recommend reading the Business Insider article in-depth, I wanted to share two meaningful quotes and my thoughts on the topic. Both are from Dr. Liz Gross, founder, and CEO of Campus Sonar, a higher education consultancy.
"I don't think quiet quitting would be a phrase or something that we're talking about if we didn't have a widespread problem with corporate cultures of overwork, underappreciation." - Dr. Gross
This, to me, is the most significant point around Quiet Quitting. Employees wouldn't look to reclaim their time if they didn't feel they needed to in the first place. You don't have to look for long on LinkedIn before you see a post about someone with either a negative or toxic work-life balance, regardless of industry or size. But will business leaders dig deeper into why #QuietQuitting is everywhere they look?
And another insight from this "outsider" perspective:
"There is a large portion of the workforce that went above and beyond, over the course of time, but particularly during the pandemic, and received absolutely no reward for that — and maybe actually lost something in the process," Gross said. "So if there is no incentive to exceed expectations, you should never expect people to go above and beyond."
Between the #GreatResignation and Quiet Quitting, I've personally seen organizations spend at least 2-3x in costs replacing employees instead of compensating them adequately. The emotional impact of a team member leaving and the impact of those who pick up the slack is hard to quantify.
Now Let Me Apply A Personal Lens To Quiet Quitting
Thinking about my personal experiences, I'll never forget the day I had 11 meetings scheduled while working as a middle manager at an advertising agency. I already knew it was a lot, but it was reaffirmed shortly after. My Dad, a senior HR executive for one of the largest companies at the time, had reached out as he always does and mentioned he only had two meetings.
I'm happy my Dad has a better work-life balance as a senior leader; he's earned it. But this anecdotal evidence from my personal life ties directly back to what Dr. Liz Gross said, entire industries and organizations have a culture of overwork.
I believe in putting in the work, learning skills, and building the mental fortitude for when the going gets tough. But the employer and employee relationship is a two-way street, and the organizations that recognize and lean into that fact retain the best employees and spend less time and money on rehiring and training.
And as leaders, we owe our teams at the very least, setting realistic expectations and communicating those clearly. It's then up to us as employees to decide if that's a good fit for us as professionals. I once worked on a nightlife brand, and due to a new project we sold in, would require someone from our social media team to be online late-night Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, engaging with our target audience.
That responsibility landed on my plate, and I directly asked my manager at the time, "Is the expectation for me to work a full day Thursday, and then either stay awake until the early morning or nap for two hours. And then do the same thing over again on Friday?" The response, as you can imagine was not straightforward and neither of us are there to this day.
How have your colleagues, your teams, and leaders responded to the trend of Quiet Quitting? Do you see similar things to what I mentioned above? Am I completely off?
Let me know!
How To Make Your Brand Show Up Authentically On Social Media
Whether you work at an agency or are on the brand side, there is always an ask to connect better with one's target audience. Easier said than done, right? The latest data from Social Media Week states that the attention span of consumers is roughly 2.5 seconds. How can we as digital marketers connect authentically with a consumer when you have the same time it takes for a human to take a breath?
Ensuring your brand's content fits authentically within the platform and providing an engaging experience for your target audience. This blog post will dive deeper into what that means and provide you with actionable steps.
Understanding The Platforms
There's a saying I believe in that goes, "Every season serves its purpose." Applying it to social media, it's "Every platform serves its purpose." Before you can create authentic and engaging content, you need to understand why consumers are on that platform in the first place.
When looking at the most popular social media platforms, there are a few key trends, including:
On Facebook, consumers use the app to stay connected to the people in their lives. When everyone and their mother have a Facebook, it's easier to feel close to those we care about.
On Instagram, consumers use the app to seek inspiration, be entertained, and get educated on various topics. Many users consider the platform a place for their "best of" moments. Think of moments like engagements or wedding photos, or a big vacation.
On TikTok, consumers want to be entertained. TikTok's algorithm works hard to keep you on the feed for as long as possible.
And on Twitter, consumers look to stay informed as the platform is often the home for breaking news compared to other platforms.
Whether creating organic or paid content, ensure that the creative matches users' motivations on each platform. If you create content that doesn't align with a specific platform, your brand will disrupt their user experience and, in turn, create a negative association with your brand.
Just ask David Kavanaugh, VP of Marketing Operations & Planning at Hootsuite, who stated, "The key to social ads is aligning them with the reason people are on the network in the first place. So your brand can enhance that experience instead of being a jarring disruption within it."
What Are Consumers Looking For in Their Content?
We discussed how brands could show up authentically on social media at the 30,000 ft. level. We now need to understand more of the tactical approaches brands can implement:
We understand that consumers are looking to be educated, entertained, or informed through their social content. Through social content, brands can fulfill that need through immersive and engaging creative.
From a tactical perspective, look for ways to leverage platform-specific assets or features. On Instagram, utilize Stories and their features, like Link Stickers or Polls. For Pinterest, use shoppable pins to make it easier for consumers to duplicate a recipe. On Twitter, leverage the Thread feature to tell a more cohesive story.
How Does That Translate to Paid Ads?
I'll speak about it from a thematic standpoint on the paid front. If you're looking for more tactical approaches, check out one of my blog posts.
Just because you're serving ads with a specific goal doesn't mean you can disregard the above notions. As an advertiser, brands are essentially paying to interrupt the feed of consumers' daily feeds. We as marketers need to help shape those ads so that when we do interrupt their feed, we're creating content that truly resonates with them.
When you try to cut corners, like leveraging a 15-second TV spot as an Instagram Story ad, consumers pick up on that quickly. They'll tap, swipe, skip or close their app. And as such, an advertiser's Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) goes down. Do the hard work upfront and earn the attention you're seeking on social.
Thanks for taking the time to read through my latest blog post! What were your biggest takeaways?
