Influencer Marketing News and Resources: February 2023

The Motherhood’s analysts curate the latest in influencer marketing news and social media updates. Here are the top headlines for February 2023, which we update on a weekly basis throughout the month.

Influencer Marketing News

The Why And How Of Employee Ambassador Marketing

Like clockwork, the start of every new year generates a surge of marketing predictions, trends and tips. Just a few months into 2023, we again are flooded on the daily with information from influencers, content creators and ambassadors. So much from so many; who and what to believe? Let’s break it down.

The Unexpected Rise of Micro-Influencers and Their Impact on Marketing

The concept of influencer marketing has been around for a while, but it has traditionally been focused on celebrities and individuals with large followings. However, the rise of micro-influencers has changed the game. With a small but dedicated following, these individuals are considered experts in their respective niches, be it beauty, fashion, games or health and wellness. This makes them extremely valuable to brands that target specific groups. Let’s analyze why this shift came about in recent years.

AI Is Changing The Influencer Space. Here’s How To Prepare

With the release of AI tools such ChatGPT, Dall-E, Lensa and others, creators and consumers across industries have been racing to understand how their work will be affected and how they can get ahead of the changes. But for influencers and content creators specifically the question is perhaps more dire. Because if AI tools become advanced enough to create viral online posts, at scale, and at a fraction of the cost of traditional influencer work, the industry cannot remain the same. And according to Ryan Detert, CEO of AI-based influencer marketing company Influential, the existence of tools that advanced is not a matter of “if” but “when.”

Why Gymshark has handed over creative control of the brand to an influencer

Gymshark has appointed a bodybuilding influencer as its creative director in a bid to bring the brand back to its roots. The DTC fitness retailer has hired David Laid to lead its creative and brand strategy reporting to chief brand officer Noel Mack. His appointment comes amid a resurgence in celeb creative directors. Louis Vuitton recently appointed Pharrell Williams as creative director, and other notable tie-ups include Kate Moss for Diet Coke, Cardi B for Playboy’s influencer platform Centerfold and fellow influencer Molly-Mae Hague’s work with Pretty Little Things. The industry has historically been cold toward this strategy, seeing it more as a PR stunt that undervalue the hard work it takes to reach a creative director role.

81% of consumers embraced influencer marketing in the past year, study finds

Influencer marketing continues to show signs of strength, with 81% of consumers reporting that social media posts from influencers, friends or family members drove interest in an item or service within the past year, according to findings from agency Matter Communications. Of influencer marketing categories, food and beverage saw the most success in terms of interest and the potential to drive action. Behind it was health and wellness and beauty and personal care, with the latter replacing technology, which held the slot in 2020. When asked which platform hosts the most authentic influencer marketing content, 36% of consumers placed YouTube at the top of the list. Steady interest for influencer marketing follows continued buy-in by brands and increased creator resources by social media platforms.

Influencers And Content Creators: Find Your Niche To Find Your Success

Have you ever thought about joining the world of influencers? You’re not alone. In fact, SignalFire estimated that as many as 50 million people around the world already considered themselves creators. Broken down, Hubspot’s 2022 “State of Consumer Trends” report found that 30% of surveyed 18- to 24-year-olds and 40% of 25- to 34-year-olds considered themselves as such. Not all little kids want to be astronauts when they grow up anymore: Now it’s also about YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. But are they wrong?

‘A flag in the sand for authenticity’: what does de-influencing mean for brands?

De-influencing – the trend of social media personalities recommending which hyped products you shouldn’t buy, undermining the messaging of positive coverage – is causing no small amount of online discourse. One thing is certain: it marks, for some, an end to phony partnerships, and another step toward a more community-led ‘creator economy‘. The rebellion happening on social is proof that influencer credibility (and, more broadly, what it means to be an influencer) has shifted.

Trends In Influencer Marketing: How Brands Can Navigate The Future

Influencer marketing has become an increasingly popular way for businesses to promote their products and services. By partnering with social media influencers who have large and engaged followings, companies can reach a wider audience and build credibility for their brand. However, as the influencer marketing space continues to evolve, it’s important to consider what the future of this industry might look like. As the founder of an artificial intelligence-powered influencer marketing platform, there are a few trends I’m keeping an eye on.

How to Market to Gen-Z on Social Media, With Gigi Robinson

How do you reach an audience with $143 Billion worth of purchasing power? Gigi Robinson explains how to reach Gen Z. Gigi is a content creator, speaker and Founder of It’s Gigi, a creative media company that places focus on authentic content creation, partnerships, and consulting with nonprofits. Daniel and Gigi talk about why Gen Z demands authenticity in social media, the marketing hill she’d die on, and some of the trends you’re going to want to watch out for.

Advertisers Plan to Increase Investment in Influencer Marketing

A survey by Advertiser Perceptions found that 53% of advertisers plan to increase creator marketing spending in 2023. Despite a shaky economy, investment in influencer marketing continues to rise, according to a recent report by Advertiser Perceptions.

15 Industry-Specific Examples Of Effective Experiential Marketing

Consumers today expect a more personalized, relevant customer experience from the brands they support, making the creation of a more memorable CX a top priority for many brands in 2023. A brand’s CX begins with its very first touch point with a potential customer, and exceptional experiences are key at every stage of the marketing funnel—from building brand awareness to converting prospects and fostering loyalty. The most popular experience-based marketing tactics evolve from year to year, and approaches to engaging target consumers will vary according to the type of business, with some being better suited to sparking interest in certain industries than others.

Why Tabasco continues to go all in on influencer marketing

Christina Najjar, AKA Tinx, is known as a lot of things on TikTok: dating coach, the app’s “big sister,” creator of the “box theory.” She’s also a fan of hot sauce, and it wasn’t long until Tabasco capitalized on that. Now, the two are collaborating on a salad dressing, marking the latest step in Tabasco’s evolving influencer marketing strategy and expansion beyond sauce. Tabasco has more than 90,000 followers on Instagram and 500,000 followers on TikTok. Lee Susen, chief sales and marketing officer at McIlhenny Company, told us working with influencers is a key element of the brand’s social strategy, which is focused on forming “direct connections with consumers.

Niche Influencer Marketing News

Nonprofit/Philanthropy/Social Good

Nonprofit Growth Strategies For Social Impact

Nonprofit organizations serve an essential role in fostering civic and social engagement. Their important place in society is irrefutable. However, the nonprofit world can also be very insular. We know what works, we know how to work wonders with very little and, year by year, we repeat the same strategies. This status-quo mentality can lead to a lack of growth for nonprofit organizations, leading nonprofit leaders to seek ways of inspiring innovation and a growth mindset in their teams.

What Kinds Of Engagement Should Nonprofits Be Encouraging?

Recent events have changed the way many people view nonprofits and volunteering as a whole. During the pandemic, people could not leave their homes to volunteer, and many took time to educate themselves as a form of social responsibility in its place. Although doors are back open and volunteering in person is coming back, tides are changing in regard to social responsibility, with nearly 60% of Americans stating that companies should be responsible for sharing and promoting social issues, according to a report cited in the NonProfit Times.

Social Media Marketing News

State Farm went all in on TikTok for the Super Bowl—was it worth it?

Staring at a little screen while watching a big screen is pretty much the norm these days.

And ahead of this year’s Super Bowl, platforms like TikTok and Twitter seemed to be vying for viewers’ little-screen attention. TikTok offered ad credits to advertisers who spent money on Super Bowl campaigns; according to the Wall Street Journal, brands that spent at least $200,000 could receive ad credits worth 5% of their total spending, up to $15,000. Kristyn Cook, CMO of State Farm, confirmed to us that State Farm was one of the brands that took advantage of TikTok’s incentives this year, though she would not disclose the company’s spend on the platform. Rather than pay roughly $7 million for a 30-second TV ad, she said the brand was able to spend less on a TikTok-only campaign.

Meta Outlines Actions on Spam, Fake Accounts and Violations in Latest Community Standards Report

Meta has released its latest community standards enforcement overview, which outlines how many violations of its rules that it’s detecting across its apps, and the subsequent actions taken as a result. The report includes data on hate speech removals, restricted goods, fake accounts and more. You can read Meta’s full report here, but in this post, we’ll take a look at some of the key shifts in Q4 2022. First off, on spam – Meta saw a slight uptick in spam content towards the end of last year, with 1.8 billion posts actioned in the period.

How to make text-only content for Instagram and TikTok

I’ve got a figurative wastebasket full of “A picture is worth a thousand words” jokes I tried for this intro, but all were pretty terrible. I blame the math of the premise—show your work, Arthur Brisbane. Unnecessary tangents aside, I’m bullish on using written content across all social media platforms right now. Words aren’t just for tweets and long-winded LinkedIn anecdotes—they work on Instagram and TikTok, too. Let me show you a bunch of different ways the good word appears on social media outside of 280 characters.

TikTok Launches New ‘Creativity Program’ to Provide More Revenue Opportunities to Creators

TikTok continues to explore more ways to share revenue with creators, this time via a new ‘Creativity Program’, which it’s launching in beta with selected creators to begin with. Varying from the current Creator Fund, TikTok’s Creativity Program aims to reward creators for posting longer videos, with only content longer than a minute in length eligible for funding.

19 Lead Generation Tactics for Marketing Agencies

This list of 19 lead generation tactics will help get you thinking about how you can broaden your outreach horizons, and boost brand awareness and response.

24 Do’s and Don’ts of Social Media Marketing

Looking for some quick tips to maximize your social media marketing efforts this year? Social media advisor Angie Gensler has put together a listing of 24 do’s and don’ts to help get you on the right track, and ensure that you’re making the most of your efforts.

Mobile’s Influence on Digital Commerce Soars, Study Finds

Digital commerce spend exceeded $1 trillion in 2022, a 21% year-over-year (YoY) increase, according to Comscore’s 2023 State of Digital Commerce Report. The total marks the highest year of digital commerce ever. Mobile also commanded nearly 40% of digital consumer retail spend in Q4, and spend on mobile devices exceeded that of desktop devices, growing 26% and 14% YoY in the same period, respectively. Social commerce also demonstrates a growing influence within the retail ecosystem. Sponsored content by retailers experienced higher consumer engagement across Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

Social News: TikTok

TikTok Provides New Insights into Best Performing Products, Based on Ad Content

This could be handy – TikTok has added a new element to its Creative Center which highlights how popular specific products are in the app, based on the amount of ads posted that feature the item, along with impressions, view-through rate, comments, likes – basically every data point you could need to dig into the performance of each.

TikTok’s Expanding Access to its Research API, Enabling More Analysis of How it Works

As part of its ongoing effort to show U.S. regulators that it’s totally transparent, and completely willing to work with them on compromises to remain in operation in the region, TikTok has announced that it will now allow more researchers to access and analyze its dataset, in order to provide more insight into how the platform works.

Unlocking even more opportunities for creators with the Creativity Program Beta

TikTok is a unique place where creativity and authenticity are celebrated. It’s where creators come together to entertain and connect with a global community over shared interests, turn their passions into careers, unlock life-changing opportunities and drive meaningful impact. As we continue on our path to offer a range of opportunities that reward the creativity and passion of our creator community in the US, today we’re introducing the Creativity Program Beta.

TikTok Tests In-Stream Shopping Options as it Pushes to Build on its Revenue Potential

While in-app shopping hasn’t caught on the way that social apps may have hoped, TikTok, for one, is continuing to push ahead with its in-stream commerce initiatives, launching a new purchase process with selected retailers in the app.

TikTok Provides 70,000 New Data Insights to Help Marketers Maximize Their In-App Efforts

Looking to get a better handle on key TikTok trends, and better fuel your in-app promotions? This will help: TikTok has added another 70,000 new insights to its TikTok Insights tool, which is an interactive app that you can use to drill down into specific usage trends and shifts.

TikTok Provides More Ways to Amplify Organic Content with Updated ‘Promote’ Tools

TikTok has added four new options to its quick Promote ad feature, which enables brands to essentially boost their posts via a simplified campaign creation process in-stream.

Social News: Meta

Meta Tests Product Promotions in IG Group Chats

In its most recent earnings call, Meta reiterated its push to monetize messaging, and enable businesses to tap into the growth of private messaging across its apps. Over the years, social media behavior has shifted – where users once posted to the news feed or their public Stories, they’re now, increasingly switching to messaging instead, which Meta’s now looking to lean into with new products, like its recently launched ‘Channels’ broadcast chat element.

Instagram Tests User Location Listings on Reels Clips

Instagram’s testing a new way to provide more transparency on Reels content, by listing the location of the profile that created the clip on the video itself.

The Giraffe Guide to Facebook Ad Types

Advertising on Facebook is one of the best ways to generate leads, expand your audience and boost brand awareness. There are several different Facebook ad types which can work well in your marketing strategy, depending on what you’re aiming for.

Click here to sign up to receive influencer marketing news straight to your inbox at a frequency that works best for you.