Instagram Tests Option For Gift Card Link Via Business Profiles

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This week in social media news, Instagram is testing a new option that would allow businesses to add a quick link to their profiles, Pinterest launches a new verified merchants program to help more retailers get discovered and more.

Instagram Tests New Business Profile Link For Gift Cards

Social Media Today reports that Jane Manchun Wong has discovered a new option for businesses to add a quick link to their profiles for gift cards and donations.

Why it matters: The timing of these tests suggests that Instagram is looking for ways to alleviate the strain businesses are currently suffering from due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The details: Testing has begun to allow businesses the ability to add links to gift cards from Stories stickers profiles. As Social Media Today reports, “there’s an added ‘Links’ option here beneath ‘Profile Display.’ That would be in addition to your main website link, which is included in the bio section above these ‘Public Business Information’ settings.”

Pinterest Launches New Verified Merchants Program

In a company blog post, Pinterest announced a new Verified Merchants Program that will help retailers get discovered and give qualified profiles a special blue checkmark.

Why it matters: With people forced to stay home online shopping will only continue to grow, giving retailers more opportunities to reach consumers via social commerce.

The details: Pinterest kicked off its program with retailers like Quay Australia, Ruggable, Filson, Coyuchi and Lotuff Leather. Brands that qualify for the program become eligible for increased distribution within high-intent shopping experiences and metrics such as Pinterest’s impact on site visits, checkouts and sales. Pinterest also updated its Catalogs via new metrics, near real-time feed ingestion, user experience upgrades and feed ingestion scheduling. Advertisers in global markets can also now retarget via Pinterest’s new optimization levers. Brands can sign up for the new program at pinterest.com/verified. 

Facebook Sees Weakening In Ads Business Despite Increased Traffic

In a company blog, Facebook shared details on how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting its services and how it’s keeping its apps stable during the crisis.

Why it matters: Many platforms have acknowledged a surge in user activity amid coronavirus but also lost revenue, which could impact ad-supported platforms and the digital advertising sector as a whole.

The details: Facebook says in many of the countries coronavirus has affected most, total messaging has grown more than 50 percent over the last month and voice and video calling have more than doubled on Messenger and WhatsApp. In Italy, Facebook saw up to 70 percent more time spent across its apps since the virus outbreak, Instagram and Facebook Live views doubled in a week, messaging increased over 50 percent and time in group calling increased by over 1,000 percent during the last month.

To alleviate network congestion, Facebook is temporarily reducing bit rates for Facebook and Instagram videos in certain regions.

Instagram’s New Co-Watching Feature Lets Users View Posts Over Video Chat

The new co-watching feature is one of many updates Instagram announced this week including a donation sticker and the removal of coronavirus accounts from recommendations unless posted by credible health sources.

Why it matters: Social distancing has caused a surge in social media use and a new co-watching feature allows Instagram to keep the experience fresh and fun, and users connected during quarantine.

The details: Per Instagram, “. . .we’ve launched media sharing, a new feature that allows you to view Instagram posts together with your friends over video chat. You can start a video chat by tapping the video chat icon in the Direct inbox or in an existing Direct thread, then view saved, liked and suggested photos/videos by tapping the photo icon in the bottom left corner in an ongoing video chat.”

Instagram has also banned misleading ads for products that refer to coronavirus in ways “intended to create urgency, guarantee cures or prevent people from contracting it.” It also removed the ability to search for coronavirus-related augmented reality effects.

Additional updates from Instagram include new educational stickers to help users share accurate information about the virus in stories. Instagram has also included a notice at the top of feeds for countries affected by the pandemic.

Twitter Reports An Increase In Users Concurrent With Q1 Revenue Decline

While user activity is up on Twitter, the platform warns that “while the near-term financial impact of this pandemic is rapidly evolving and difficult to measure, based on current visibility, [we] expect Q1 revenue to be down slightly on a year-over-year basis.”

Why it matters: Disruptions are rippling through the industry with a profound impact on revenue, despite rising social media usage.

The details: “Twitter is predicting broader revenue impacts – yet, at the same time, Twitter usage is rising.”
Twitter had this to say in their press release around this decline:

“While the near-term financial impact of this pandemic is rapidly evolving and difficult to measure, based on current visibility, the company expects Q1 revenue to be down slightly on a year-over-year basis. Twitter also expects to incur a GAAP operating loss, as reduced expenses resulting from COVID-19 disruption are unlikely to fully offset the revenue impact of the pandemic in Q1.”

Pinterest Unveils “Today” Tab With Popular Search Trends For Android And IOS

Pinterest introduced their “Today” tab, which the platform launched as “a source of daily inspiration with curated topics and trending Pins,” including relevant and timely information about coronavirus.

Why it matters: Pinterest is literally putting its efforts to increase the availability of expert information, especially around the current health crisis, front and center.

The details: The Today tab will surface trending searches and provide recommendations, starting with those curated by the Pinterest team, around popular topics. Over the next few weeks, the tab will feature COVID-19 precautions. Users can access the tab at the top of the home feed on Pinterest’s iOS and Android app.

TikTok Donates $10 Million To World Health Organization 

TikTok announced it’s giving $10 million to WHO’s Solidarity Response Fund, which carries out important work against coronavirus.

Why it matters: This marks another step in TikTok’s drive to help alleviate the effects of coronavirus on communities and schools. Last week, TikTok announced it’s donating $3 million through a partnership with After-School All-Stars to help provide food for families who have lost access to free or reduced-cost school meals.

The details: Per TikTok, the donation will assist WHO in “sending essential supplies to front line health care workers, ensuring communities have access to the latest science-based information, and accelerating efforts to discover life-saving treatments or vaccines.” TikTok has also hosted livestreams with WHO experts and created an informational page on TikTok to highlight preventative tips and dispel myths around coronavirus.

WhatsApp Launches Free Chatbot To Inform Users About Coronavirus

WhatsApp has launched the World Health Organization Health Alert, a free chatbot designed to answer questions from the worldwide public about coronavirus 24 hours a day.

Why it matters: Social media platforms are going to great lengths to combat misinformation around coronavirus. Not only will WhatsApp’s chatbot help prevent the spread of inaccurate information but WhatsApp says it will serve “government decision-makers by providing the latest numbers and situation reports.”

The details: WhatsApp users can click “WHO Health Alert” then text the word “Hi” in a WhatsApp message. The feature responds to a series of prompts and is updated daily with the latest virus information.

Facebook, Instagram To Reduce Video Quality In Europe

According to Engadget, Facebook and Instagram are lowering video quality in Europe to alleviate any potential network congestion as a result of coronavirus.

Why it matters: With social distancing and work-from-home policies in place, social media use has grown significantly in the last few weeks.

The details: Facebook and Instagram said they would temporarily reduce bit rates for videos. The social media platforms have followed in the steps of Disney+, which last week announced it would reduce its overall bandwidth utilization by at least 25 percent in all EU markets where Disney+ will launch on March 24. 

Our weekly social media news post is updated daily. This installment will be updated until Friday, March 27. Have a news tip? We’re looking for changes to and news surrounding social media platforms as they relate to marketing. Let us know at editorial@alistdaily.com.

Influencer Marketing During The Coronavirus Pandemic

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Originally published on ION.

(Editor’s note: AList is published by a.network. To get up to speed on the rapid changes affecting the influencer marketing landscape, click here.)

Influencer marketing during coronavirus has come to favor Instagram Live and TikTok as social distancing forces brands to shut down experiential initiatives and go digital-only to stay connected with consumers. 

A survey conducted by IZEA between March 12-13 found that 66 percent of social media users expect to increase their social media use during social distancing. With more eyes online and on social, brands that capitalize on relevant influencer content will have a major advantage during the coronavirus crisis.

Brands are already taking steps to beef up content creation and influencer marketing during the lockdown as mentions of Instagram Live on Instagram and Twitter jumped 526 percent from March 8-15, according to Comperemedia. 

With gyms and all other nonessential businesses closed, users are looking for ways to get in their workouts at home. Rumble Boxing’s co-founder Noah Neiman is meeting this need by hosting daily 45-minute Rumble-inspired workouts in his New York apartment on the brand’s Instagram Live. The first workout live stream video, which Rumble later posted to its account, received 54,300 views and 327 comments. Rumble teased an upcoming Instagram Live workout hosted by boxing coach Jeremiah Maestre. 

MTV jumped on the Instagram Live bandwagon too by featuring artists at home, even going so far as to update its Instagram bio to “Staying home and watching my faves on Instagram Live.” Recently rapper Hoodie Allen and singer Nick Anderson from The Wrecks went live from Anderson’s Los Angeles home where the artists are living in quarantine. Allen and Anderson both performed songs, respectively, and teased snippets from unreleased songs they’re working on while answering users’ questions.

In December, e.l.f. Cosmetics launched a TikTok campaign called #EyesLipsFace featuring an original song. The challenge amassed over 4 billion views and over 2 million videos were created to the campaign’s song. 

Now in an effort to spread the Center for Disease’s best practices on staying safe amid coronavirus, e.l.f. is repurposing the #EyesLipsFace challenge by remixing the campaign’s original song and enlisting influencers to create videos around it. The brand tapped mega TikTok influencers like Micah Cow (3 million followers and 68 million likes) and Madi Monroe (3.8 million followers and 108 million likes) to create videos around the challenge, which involves washing their hands and not touching their face.

TikTok users can incorporate the song in their own videos by visiting e.l.f.’s TikTok and tapping the spinning disc at the foot of the new #EyesLipFace video.

An increase in social media consumption spells good and bad news for marketers. More active users means more concentrated attention on products and services but also means marketers have to cut through the noise.

IZEA also found that 99 percent of social media users said there’s a chance they’ll buy something online if they’re in household quarantine. But just because online spending is up doesn’t mean brands can get away with tone-deaf messaging and activations. For influencer marketing during the pandemic to stand out, content must be genuine and tailored to the dramatic life changes people are experiencing such as layoffs and medical crises, otherwise it’ll fall short.

Instagram Tests Hashtags For Instagram Stories Highlights

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This week in social media news, Instagram tests the capability to add up to four hashtags and a location to your Instagram Stories highlights and more.

Instagram Is Testing Hashtags For Instagram Stories Highlights

According to a report from Social Media Today, Instagram is testing out the ability to add up to four hashtags and a location to Instagram Stories highlights.

Why it matters: Until this point, Highlights content has not appeared in searches on Instagram or in Explore listings. Jane Manchun Wong’s discovery could indicate a change in the discoverability of Stories Highlights.

The details: Select users are able to add up to four hashtags, as well as a location, to Instagram Stories highlights.

Facebook And Instagram AR Effects Approvals On Hold

Social Media Today reports that staffing changes, as a result of COVID-19, have caused Facebook to announce a hold on AR effects approvals.

Why it matters: Analyzing the impact of COVID-19 on Facebook can help us take the temperature of how media players are reacting. It also serves as a reminder of the major impact of the current crisis.

The details: “Facebook says that all of its Spark AR reviewers will soon not be operating. As a result, no user-submitted AR effects, for either Facebook Stories or Instagram, will be approved until further notice.”

Facebook Expands Ban On Ads Capitalizing On Coronavirus Crisis

According to Social Media Today, Facebook’s ‘Trust/Integrity’ team director for ads & business products at Facebook, Rob Leathern, shares further bans on the platform that seek to capitalize on the coronavirus crisis.

Why it matters: “It’s another step in Facebook’s ongoing effort to protect its users and ensure they’re getting accurate, timely information about the pandemic.”

The details: Facebook will extend their ban on ads that are deemed as attempting to profiteer from COVID-19, including all listings of hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes and test kits.

Spotify Releases Podcast API For Developers

According to a new press release, Spotify will allow developers to “explore and build unique experiences to help […] shows reach new listeners in new ways.”

Why it matters: It all leads to enhanced discoverability and more control over the listening environment.

The details: “Our API, just like any other API, simply provides access, but does not prescribe how it’s used; the only limit to how an API is used is a developer’s creativity. In this case, it means third-party developers will be able to build really powerful new experiences for listeners leveraging Spotify’s podcast ecosystem.”

TikTok Penetrates APAC Markets With The Trade Desk Ad Partnership

The partnership will allow marketers to directly access TikTok content across APAC via The Trade Desk platform.

Why it matters: This makes TikTok the first short-form video platform to integrate its ad offerings with The Trade Desk, a lucrative opportunity for APAC brands looking to reach audiences and incorporate short-form videos into their omnichannel campaign.

The details: Pepsi is the first brand to leverage TikTok inventory via The Trade Desk for Lays in Thailand. The partnership between TikTok and The Trade Desk covers 11 APAC markets including Australia, Southeast Asia, India, Russia and Japan.

Facebook Adds “Mood” Mode To Stories Tools

First spotted by social media expert Matt Navarra, the feature lets you incorporate GIFs into Facebook stories. 

Why it matters: 500 million users engage with Facebook stories every day but the format has yet to be as popular as Instagram stories. Introducing GIFs could indicate Facebook’s efforts to appeal to the platform’s older user base.

The details: Upon selecting “mood” from stories tools, users are shown a library of GIFs, any of which can be reposted in square or vertical format on their stories.

Short-Form Video App Likee Is Fourth-Most Downloaded App In The World 

Singaporean app and TikTok competitor Likee said in a press release that it’s making its move into the US.

Why it matters: With 4D effects and a deep-fake style tool called “FaceMagic,” which lets users swap faces with any celebrity in a film, Likee could prove to be TikTok’s biggest competitor. 

The details: Likee saw a 200 percent jump in its audience in 2019 and now boasts 115 million monthly active users (MAU), earning a top spot on App Annie’s ‘Breakout Apps and Games’ report for 2019.

Social Media Consumption To Increase During Confinement 

IZEA conducted a survey between March 12-13 and found that 66 percent of social media consumers expect their social media use to increase during coronavirus confinement and 99 percent of social media users say there’s a chance they’ll buy something online if they’re in household quarantine.

Why it matters: Due to the virus, many employers have implemented work-from-home policies and 20 states have banned in-person dining. Confinement will inevitably lead to a surge in social media content creation and consumption as well as ecommerce activity, making it important for brands to tailor messaging and strategy accordingly. 

The details: Sixty-four percent of respondents expect to use YouTube more and 63 percent expect to use Facebook more. Ninety-two percent who make household purchasing decisions believe they’ll use grocery delivery services. Seventy-nine percent of children ages 3-17 at home think they’ll make a home improvement or DIY purchase while confined. 

Twitter Adds New Options To Invite Guests To Live-Streams Ahead Of Time

A tweet from Twitter Support announced that users could now invite live-steam audio guests before broadcasting.

Why it matters: Though a helpful addition, Twitter’s broadcast approach lags behind that of Instagram’s, which allows for split-screen participants. Twitter says it’s looking into video guests in the future. 

The details: When users start their Twitter stream, they can invite up to three people to join as audio guests. Guests will receive a notification DM instead of a tweet in order to maintain privacy between the broadcaster and guest. Users must start their stream solo before invitees can join.

Facebook Bug Marks Some Links As Spam Including Coronavirus

A bug that hit Facebook’s News Feed spam filter marked some posts from Medium, Buzzfeed and USA Today as spam, TechCrunch reported.

Why it matters: Despite not trusting Facebook, many Americans consume news via the platform, and given the coronavirus pandemic, ensuring information circulates properly is more important than ever.

The details: Upon sharing certain links, users were shown a warning notification from Facebook. Facebook’s VP of integrity/product management Guy Rosen tweeted, “. . . this is a bug in an anti-spam system, unrelated to any changes in our content moderator workforce. We’re in the process of fixing and bringing all these posts back.” Later Rosen said Facebook restored all the posts that were incorrectly removed.

TikTok Announces Content Advisory Council

In a company post, TikTok US general manager Vanessa Pappas said the platform has brought together thought leaders to “provide unvarnished views on and advice around TikTok’s policies and practices.”

Why it matters: The announcement comes a week after TikTok said it plans to open a transparency center in its Los Angeles office where outside experts could give feedback on TikTok practices. 

The details: TikTok council members include experts from the technology, policy and health and wellness industries who have spent most of their lives researching and analyzing issues relevant to TikTok such as child safety, hate speech, bullying and misinformation. The first meeting is set for the end of March and will focus on topics around platform integrity and policies against election interference and misinformation.

Facebook Offers $100 Million In Cash Grants To Help Small Businesses

Facebook says it will offer $100 million in cash grants and ad credits for up to 30,000 eligible small businesses in over 30 countries where Facebook operates.

Why it matters: The program is in response to the Facebook business community’s cry for help amid coronavirus induced restaurant and bar closures. Cash grants can help small businesses stay afloat to help cover rent and operational costs.

The details: Facebook says it will begin taking applications in the coming weeks. In addition to the grant program, Facebook is creating “new virtual training to support businesses operating in this new and unsettling environment.”

LinkedIn Rolls Out Conversation Ads To Increase Conversions

LinkedIn’s conversation ads will allow businesses to serve more personalized content based on where their consumers are in the journey, LinkedIn announced on its business blog. 

Why it matters: By giving recipients more ways to respond, brands can increase engagement and generate more conversions. In testing, one brand saw a five times higher click-through rate with the feature.

The details: Conversation ads build on LinkedIn’s current message ads offering to allow brands to create full-funnel campaigns with multiple customized calls-to-action like product education, webinar sign-ups and ebook downloads. The feature will be available globally as a public beta to all advertisers over the next few weeks.

Instagram Is Testing IGTV Monetization With In-Stream Ads

Instagram has confirmed it is testing IGTV monetization by launching in-stream ads for a number of selected channels and creators.

Why it matters: “The capacity to generate real, direct income from IGTV could be a critical lure for top creators – especially given that they’re already able to generate revenue from their content on both YouTube and Facebook.”

The details: The ability to monetize IGTV ads on Instagram will give creators another platform to expand their reach beyond Facebook and YouTube. There has yet to be any word on the threshold for participation as in-stream ads become available to creators, however, those in the program will receive a 55 percent share of all advertising in IGTV according to an initial Bloomberg report.

Instagram Tests “Mirror” Camera Mode For Stories

Instagram is testing a new ‘’Mirror’ camera mode, which comes with five different layout options and allows you to alter the view through your camera.

Why it matters: Instagram has been unveiling new additions to its platform to offer users more dynamic and unique options when creating standout content.

The details: Mirror mode, which splits your screens into different reflected views, is the latest feature to be tested by Instagram that will allow creators on the platform more creative options for Instagram Stories. 

Social Platforms Unify Over Combatting Coronavirus Misinformation

Social media companies and their parent corporations, including Facebook, Reddit, Google, LinkedIn and others issued a joint statement on their efforts to combat the spread of coronavirus misinformation.

Why it matters: This is an unprecedented move by major media platforms.

The details: TechCrunch shared details pulled from each social platform’s latest communications about coronavirus as well as a joint statement issued from those platforms. These communications cover how to deal with fraud related to the pandemic as well as evaluating misinformation.

Our weekly social media news post is updated daily. This installment will be updated until Friday, March 20. Have a news tip? We’re looking for changes to and news surrounding social media platforms as they relate to marketing. Let us know at editorial@alistdaily.com.

Nike, Adidas Saw Biggest Boost From Influencers In 2019

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Originally published on ION.

(Editor’s note: AList is published by a.network. To get up to speed on the rapid changes affecting the influencer marketing landscape, click here.)

Nike and Adidas are leaders of influencer marketing as both brands received over 300,000 mentions from US influencers in 2019. This is according to a new report from Traackr, “2020 State of Influence: Fashion,” which examines top-performing influencer strategies in the fashion vertical including luxury, contemporary, fast fashion and activewear categories. 

Traackr ranked brands by their overall Brand Vitality Score (VIT), a measurement of reach, engagement and brand affinity. A balanced distribution of VIT indicates a brand leverages a mix of influencers with different follower size.

In this report, Traackr defines six types of influencers: VIP influencers who have over 5 million followers, top influencers who have over 1 million followers, macro-influencers who have over 500,000 followers, mid-influencers who have over 50,000 followers, micro-influencers who have over 10,000 followers and nano-influencers who have over 1,000 followers.

Nike and Adidas top the VIT ranking in the US, UK and France. Nike received 221,739 mentions in the US, 44,497 in the UK and 13,069 in France while Adidas received 100,227 mentions in the US, 28,356 mentions in the UK and about 8,000 in France. In the US, Louis Vuitton earned the third spot. In the UK, ASOS landed the top spot. In France, Zara came in second, followed by H&M, ASOS and Adidas.

Nike’s use of influencers across tiers attributed to its high ranking in 2019. Though Nike and Adidas outpaced other brands in terms of influencer mentions, Under Armour in the US and UK outperformed both brands in terms of influencer loyalty, or repeat posts and content performance, posts on an individual mention basis. Coming in third and fourth on the loyalty list are Puma and Reebok, respectively.

ASOS’s success in the UK is due to its activation of top-tier influencers, from which the brand has amassed 10 percent more VIT than the average for the UK and fast fashion.

The data shows that micro and mid-tier influencers in the US dominate while micro-influencers lead the way in the UK and France. Nano-influencers in the US and UK saw the highest engagement across categories. 

Influencers in the US and UK post more about fast fashion and activewear while those in France mention fast fashion and luxury more. VIP influencers in the US contribute over 50 percent of contemporary and luxury brands’ total VIT and 35 percent of activewear brands’ VIT value. In addition to mega-influencers (up to 5 million followers), mid-tier and macro-influencers drive the most VIT value for activewear brands. In the US and the UK, most of the VIT for fast fashion brands comes from mid-tier, macro- and top-tier influencers. In the UK and France, across all tiers there’s an equal distribution of VIT in the luxury category. 

These findings suggest that activewear, fast fashion and luxury brands saw the most success in 2019, while contemporary brands—those with clothing priced below luxury but above fast fashion—are struggling due to lack of a balanced activation of paid and earned influencer content across tiers. 

Still, contemporary brands like & Other Stories and The Kooples have been chugging along thanks to their repeated use of mid-influencers.

Another interesting thing to note is that influencer mentions of sustainable fashion increased by 55 percent from 2018-2019 and mentions of secondhand fashion increased 137 percent. Engagement among these topics also grew—engagement rates on sustainable fashion and secondhand fashion posts increased 150 percent and 106 percent, respectively.

Findings are based on 2,032,000 posts from 111,110 influencers across 123 fashion brands in the US, UK and France between January-November 2019.

Social Media Consumption Grows Amid Coronavirus

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Coupled with coronavirus induced self-quarantines, nationwide closures of bars, restaurants and public venues have inevitably led to an uptick in social media consumption, particularly on Instagram and TikTok. Tracking user behavior, Obvious.ly examined 260 of its own campaigns including over 7.5 million Instagram posts and saw a 76 percent increase in daily accumulated likes on #ad posts over the last two weeks. Q1 Instagram campaign impressions also increased 22 percent over Q4.

The company also analyzed data from 2,152 TikTok influencers and saw engagement jump by over 27 percent on average from February to March.

eMarketer predicts the pandemic is also likely to boost digital media consumption across the board including over-the-top video and online gaming, with the biggest growth in usage and time spent going to subscription based video on demand (SVOD). 

Pew Research Center found that over half (55 percent) of US adults got news from social media often or sometimes in 2019, up from 47 percent in 2018. As anxiety over the coronavirus pandemic grows, many will turn to social media not only to consume news updates, but also to connect with friends and family.

With the US in its first week of widespread school closures and the White House calling for millions of people to home-school their children wherever possible, social media apps favored by Gen Z and millennial such as TikTok, YouTube and Instagram will continue to see increased user behavior. As a result of the suspended NBA season, many professional players are also filling their time by creating TikTok content.

In response to deep fake videos and misinformation about coronavirus, YouTube said it would demonetize creators’ videos that mentioned coronavirus as part of its “sensitive events” policy. However, the platform made a U-turn when YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki tweeted recently that, “To better support the sharing of information we’re enabling ads for content on the virus for a limited number of channels, expanding to more soon.” 

Perhaps the platform had a change of heart because many employees are already working under telecommuting policies and people across generations are practicing social distancing—a winning combination for more screen time and social media scrolling, which could benefit YouTube’s views.YouTube said in a blog post that it’s taking new measures to remove videos that discourage people from seeking medical treatment or claim harmful substances have health benefits. It says automated systems will help with some of the content removal process normally done by human reviewers.

Brands Spend Nearly Half Their Budgets On Micro-Influencer Campaigns

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Originally published on ION.

(Editor’s note: AList is published by a.network. To get up to speed on the rapid changes affecting the influencer marketing landscape, click here.)

Nearly 65 percent of marketers now measure the return on investment (ROI) from influencer campaigns, with conversions and sales as their top measures, according to a survey conducted by Influencer Marketing Hub and CreatorIQ. 

The “Influencer Marketing Benchmark Report 2020” found that more than 380 new influencer marketing-focused agencies and platforms were established last year, with a total of 1,120 open in 2019, compared to just 190 in 2015. With an increase of at least 50 percent each year since 2016, when the industry was worth $1.7 billion, the industry will reach $9.7 billion in 2020. Searches for “influencer marketing” on Google also continue to grow, rising to 70,000 in 2019, up 9,000 from 2018.

Most (91 percent) of respondents said they believe influencer marketing is an effective form of marketing and 79 percent are dedicating a budget to influencer marketing in 2020. Among those respondents, 65 percent intend to increase their budget over the next 12 months. Thirty-nine percent of respondents plan to spend 10-20 percent of their budget on influencer marketing while 23 percent will allocate 20-30 percent of their total budget on influencer campaigns. Nine percent intend on spending over 40 percent of their budget on influencers.

How much brands are willing to spend on influencers varies as 43 percent said they spend less than $10,000 annually while 29 percent spend between $10,000-$50,000. Eleven percent spend $50,000-$100,000, 10 percent spend $100,000-$500,000 and five percent spend more than $500,000.

The most common measure of influencer marketing success is now conversions and sales, as noted by 39 percent of respondents. Thirty-four percent focus on engagement or clicks followed by 27 percent who focus on views, reach and impressions. 

The average earned media value (EMV) per dollar spent on influencer marketing increased in 2019 and more brands (77 percent) now favor the measure. Businesses that have a grasp on influencer marketing gained up to $18 in EMV for every dollar spent on influencers while average firms saw an EMV of $5.78 per dollar they spent on influencer marketing. 

The research shows there’s a clear move from mega-influencers to micro- and nano-influencers as these small but mighty players have higher engagement rates than influencers with big followings—particularly on Instagram, where nano-influencers have seven times the engagement rate than mega-influencers. 

Additionally, although Twitter has overall lower levels of engagement, Twitter nano-influencers have 1.4 percent engagement compared to mega-influencers, who only have a 0.3 percent engagement rate. The same pattern is evident on TikTok—users with small audiences have 9.38 percent engagement while ones with large audiences see just 5.3 percent engagement.

The proof is also in the budget brands are dedicating to micro-influencers—respondents spent 47 percent of their influencer budget on micro-influencers, compared to 23 percent for celebrity influencers.

When evaluating influencers, 41 percent of respondents rated engagement or clicks as being the most important criterion and 53 percent see great value in working with influencers who have a real influence on their audience.

Now more than 90 percent of all influencer campaigns include Instagram and 84 percent of creators have upped the amount of content they produced in 2019. As influencer marketing efforts get bigger and better, marketers must give influencers clear guidelines on how to disclose endorsements. The survey analyzed 4,200 posts on fashion micro-influencer accounts for a month and found that only 14 percent of posts were fully FTC- and CMA-compliant, compared to 11 percent last year. With more content also comes more influencer fraud as 68 percent of respondents said they’ve experienced influencer fraud, up from 63 percent last year.

Instagram is included in the majority of influencer campaigns, followed by Twitter at 45 percent, Facebook at 40 percent, YouTube at 20 percent and Pinterest at 10 percent. 

The findings are based on answers from 4,000 marketing agencies, brands and other industry professionals, 70 percent of which were business-to-consumer (B2C) brands and the remaining business-to-business (B2B). Nearly half of respondents are based in the US, 16 percent in Europe, 12 percent in Asia, five percent in Africa and 15 percent representing the rest of the world. Fashion and beauty represented the most popular vertical (24 percent), followed by travel and lifestyle (13 percent) and health and fitness (12 percent).

TikTok Hires Chief Information Officer From ADP

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This week in social media news, TikTok hires a chief information officer to keep watch on data and rolls out new native analytics tools, Facebook pulls out of SXSW and more.

TikTok Taps Roland Cloutier As Chief Information Officer

Roland Cloutier joins TikTok to serve as chief information officer, a role which puts him in charge of the company’s efforts to protect user data.

Why it matters: As the lead cybersecurity executive, Cloutier will be in a position to address concerns over how data is used and stored, particularly after accusations surfaced purporting that the company was secretly gathering user data.

The details: The Wall Street Journal reports that Roland Cloutier has joined TikTok as CIO and is tasked with leading the company’s security efforts. He previously served as chief security officer for ADP.

Facebook Expands Authorization Requirements For Political Ads

If you plan on running political ads on Facebook, you’ll need to provide some identification. See the latest press release from Facebook here.

Why it matters: Facebook is approaching 2020 with caution after widespread abuse of the platform during the 2016 US election.

The details: If you’re planning to run ads about elections or politics in countries like Chile, Japan, Mexico or Indonesia, you’ll need to confirm your identity with an ID issued from the country you want to run ads in, as well as providing disclosure regarding who is responsible for the advertisement.

Twitter Safety Updates Rules Against Hateful Conduct

Twitter updated its hateful conduct rules to require tweets disparaging of age, disease, disability or religion to be deleted.

Why it matters: Twitter cites Dr. Susan Benesch as well as Nick Haslam and Michelle Stratemeyer in their work on the link between dehumanizing language and its offline harm.

The details: “If reported, Tweets that break this rule pertaining to age, disease and/or disability, sent before today will need to be deleted, but will not directly result in any account suspensions because they were Tweeted before the rule was in place.”

Facebook Has Removed 6.6 Billion Fake Profiles In The Last Year

In response to the need for more aggressive monitoring of fake profiles, Facebook revamped its plan with an advanced machine learning system called Deep Entity Classification (DEC).

Why it matters: With over 2.5 billion active users worldwide, many advertisers are concerned about Facebook’s reach numbers given the abundance of fake Facebook accounts.

The details: In 2018, Facebook’s face account percentage neared four percent of its monthly active user (MAU) count, equating to 88 million fake profiles. That same year it removed 583 million fake accounts in one quarter. This year, Facebook has removed 6.6 billion fake profiles thanks to DEC, a detection tool that spots fake accounts based on a broader range of attributes and behaviors. DEC looks at the behavioral patterns of profiles including properties of the profiles, groups or pages that a user has made contact with. Still, Facebook’s fake profile percentage is five percent, which equates to 125 million fake accounts.

YouTube Demonetizes Videos That Mention Coronavirus 

YouTube has previously demonetized videos about sensitive subjects to protect advertisers. Now the coronavirus outbreak is being labeled as such, upsetting some influencers.

Why it matters: In 2019, YouTube made $15 billion in ad revenue alone. In keeping advertisers happy with less mention of the coronavirus, however, YouTube is ruffling influencers’ feathers, who, if they speak about coronavirus, won’t be able to make money from YouTube’s built-in ad service. 

The details: Tom Leung, product officer at YouTube said in a recent video, “As such, all videos focused on this topic will be demonetized until further notice.” Yet YouTube told The Verge that channels dedicated to covering sensitive subjects should be safe from demonetization. 

WeChat Has Been Censoring Coronavirus Content Since January 2020

A report from research group Citizen Lab found that WeChat started censoring key words about the virus outbreak before officials began acknowledging its severity.

Why it matters: China’s most popular messaging app, WeChat has over one billion monthly active users, making it one source for doctors to obtain professional knowledge from peers. Blocking references to the virus could risk the ability of the public to share information essential to their health.

The details: WeChat expanded the scope of censorship in February, blocking content that included rumors about the epidemic, criticism of the government and neutral references to the Chinese government’s efforts on managing the outbreak. Citizen Lab found that WeChat censored 132 keyboard combinations between January 1-31 and 384 keywords between February 1-15.

Facebook’s Fact-Checking Label System Has One Major Flaw

A new analysis from MIT shows Facebook’s fact-checking labels, which it launched in 2016, are helpful in detecting fake news, but have one major flaw: any story that Facebook doesn’t mark as fact-checked automatically looks more credible to users.

Why it matters: MIT’s findings show that Facebook’s fact-check labels reduce users’ tendency to share fake news by 13 percent but increase the credibility of untagged fake news by six percent.

The details: MIT says, “In Study, we find that while warnings do lead to a modest reduction in perceived accuracy of false headlines relative to a control condition (particularly for politically concordant headlines), we also observed the hypothesized implied truth effect: the presence of warnings caused untagged headlines to be seen as more accurate than in the control. In Study, we find the same effects in the context of decisions about which headlines to consider sharing on social media.”

Twitter Is Testing Tweets That Expire Called ‘Fleets’ In Brazil

Twitter said in a blog post that users have expressed interest in fleeting tweets to remove some of the pressure that comes with posting public tweets that are permanent.

Why it matters: Testing Snapchat-like tweets in Brazil follows Twitter’s efforts to give users more control over conversation. In November 2019, it made the option to hide tweet replies available to everyone around the world. 

The details: Twitter group product manager Mo Aladham said, “Twitter is for having conversations about what you care about. But, some of you tell us that you’re uncomfortable to tweet because tweets are public, feel permanent, and have public counts (retweets and likes).”  Ephemeral tweets would show up the same way that Instagram stories do at the top of users’ feeds. From there, users can type a tweet, which with this feature won’t have a like or retweet option. The tweet will disappear after 24 hours.

Byte Dedicates $250,000 To The First Pool Of Its Creator Program

Byte said in a blog post that come spring it’ll launch its Partner Program, a revenue-generating initiative for its creators.

Why it matters: The fall of Byte’s predecessor Vine was in large part due to the app’s lack of revenue generating options for influencers. Now Byte is taking steps to ensure influencers have an incentive to keep creating quality content.  

The details: Byte said it will establish a Partner Pool every 120 days that pays creators every 30 days over four months. Byte dedicated $250,000 to the first pool of 100 creators, which will hit the ground running on April 15. Creators must be based in the US as Byte works on expanding international efforts. Byte says it will reach out to influencers, but that anyone who regularly makes great Bytes and is a positive member of the community is eligible.

Facebook Redesigns Plans For New Digital Currency Libra

In an attempt to address regulatory concerns, Facebook is revamping its cryptocurrency project Libra to accommodate coins issued by central banks and backed by other currencies, Bloomberg reports.

Why it matters: If Libra is recast as a payment network that operates with multiple coins rather than as a single, global cryptocurrency, some consumers may not see the appeal and stick with existing systems run by PayPal, for example. 

The details: When Facebook first announced Libra, its goal was to create a digital currency that made sending money as easy as sending a text. Now Facebook is changing its tune to appease lawmakers and officials, some who said Libra could potentially undermine sovereignty of its own currencies.

YouTube, Facebook Stories See Strong Growth

According to Animoto’s Social Video Trends: Marketer Insights for 2020 report, Facebook stories and YouTube are where brands need to be in 2020.

Why it matters: Consumers are increasingly using social and digital videos to discover and research new products, making it a top channel for brands to invest in. Pew Research shows that 73 percent of adults in the US use YouTube.

The details: Animoto surveyed 1,000 US adult consumers that own smartphones, use social media and have watched social media videos as well as 500 US marketers that have created at least one video in the past year. The findings show that 73 percent of marketers uploaded two or more marketing videos to YouTube in the last month. Fifty-nine percent of marketers surveyed have run video ads on YouTube in the last 12 months. Facebook stories was rated one of the top three platforms to watch videos from brands and 72 percent of marketers post branded content to Facebook stories once a week or more.

TikTok’s Creator Marketplace Now Has Analytics Tools

TikTok is rolling out new analytics tools to Creator Marketplace, the burgeoning platform’s native influencer marketing solution.

Why it matters: By baking analytics tools into its platform, TikTok is able to control the data they share instead of leaving this up to a third-party analytics tool; since this data comes from the platform itself, it should also be more accurate.

The details: The new campaign analytics will include data on views, engagements, engagement rate and audience breakdown including top markets, gender, age range and device.

Facebook Pulls Out Of SXSW Due To Coronavirus Concerns

Facebook won’t be attending SXSW this year, instead erring to the side of caution due to growing concerns over the spread of Coronavirus.

Why it matters: Your schedule is likely a lot lighter this year due to widespread concerns over Coronavirus. Facebook is just the latest company to drop out of planned marketing activities around SXSW, while Mobile World Congress and GDC have been canceled altogether.

The details: Facebook has pulled out of SXSW amid concerns over Coronavirus, as well as nixing its F8 event. SXSW organizers are proceeding with the event as planned at this time.

Twitch To Surpass 40 Million US Users By 2021

eMarketer reports that, according to the first-ever forecast for the platform, Twitch is set to surpass 40 million US by the end of 2021.

Why it matters: Twitch is an impossible platform to ignore, reaching 15.5 percent of US digital video views this year. It’s also primed for growth around non-gaming content which drove significant traffic last year.

The details: Twitch will grow by 14.3 percent this year and is already the “largest platform for streaming game content, well ahead of YouTube, Mixer and Facebook Gaming,” according to eMarketer forecaster Peter Vahle.

Poshmark Finds 58% Of Consumers Would Buy Items On Social Media

Poshmark’s 2020 Social Commerce Report found that 58 percent of consumers are comfortable buying items through a social media platform instead of directly from a company’s website and 75 percent are okay buying something directly from a person online.

Why it matters: The findings mirror the growth of the resale market, which ThredUp estimates will reach $51 billion in five years. The findings also highlight the growth of peer-to-peer transactions, which Etsy is helping lead the way— its revenue increased 46.8 percent in Q4 2019, up from 41.3 percent in Q3 and 30.2 percent in Q2.  

The details: The report found that of all the sellers on Poshmark in 2019, 48 percent used a portion of their earnings to also make a purchase on the platform in the same year. Nearly 40 percent of the items in Poshmark users’ closets are secondhand. Generation-specific findings include: resale is trending among Gen Z and Gen X, millennials’ wardrobes straddle traditional mall brands and emerging brands and Boomers look to value chains more than any other generation. About 20 percent of Poshmark users are Gen Z and 35 percent of all US Poshmark sellers live in the South.

The findings are based on online surveys conducted by Zogby Analytics of 8,573 respondents, a majority of Poshmark users and some non-users, aged 18-75, in the US and Canada. 

New AI-Powered Facebook Feature Turns Any 2D Images Into 3D 

Facebook is upgrading its 3D Photos features, which launched in 2018, with a new option to transform static images into 3D photos, it announced in a blog post. It’s also working on enabling high-quality depth estimation for videos captured on mobile devices.

Why it matters: Up until now, Facebook’s 3D image option has been limited to higher-end devices. Now the new feature will apply to any image, captured on any device, be it Android, iOS, or a “decades-old images recently uploaded to a phone or laptop.”

The details: Facebook says it trained a convolutional neural network (CNN) on millions of pairs of public 3D images and their accompanying depth maps and used Facebook artificial intelligence-powered mobile-optimization techniques to create the feature. It’s available on iPhone 7 or higher or a recent midrange or better Android device. 

Facebook Rolls Out New Faster, Smaller Messenger App

Over the next few weeks, Facebook is rolling out a newer, faster version of messenger on iOS, which became its own app in 2011.

Why it matters: A more responsive messenger iOS app that doesn’t take up as much battery or storage will improve user experience for those using an older device and in areas with lower connectivity. Facebook writes in a blog post that the new messenger also, “lays the foundation to fulfill our vision for private messaging and interoperability across apps, allowing us to scale our messaging experience in the future.”

The details: The new messenger app will be one-quarter the size and load twice as fast. Facebook says it reduced messenger’s core code by 84 percent, rebuilding its features to fit the new lighter infrastructure. During the rebuild, some messenger features will be temporarily unavailable, but Facebook plans to bring them back soon.

Editor’s Note: Our weekly social media news post is updated daily. This installment will be updated until Friday, March 6. Have a news tip? We’re looking for changes to and news surrounding social media platforms as they relate to marketing. Let us know at editorial@alistdaily.com.

Marketers Are Doubling Down On Micro-Influencers

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Originally published on ION.

(Editor’s note: AList is published by a.network. To get up to speed on the rapid changes affecting the influencer marketing landscape, click here.)

As influencer marketing matures, brands are recognizing what works and what doesn’t work. One important finding that has surfaced along the way is that nano- and micro-influencers have a greater influence than mega-influencers and celebrities. This had led to brands teaming up with figures who have smaller audiences, but bigger pull with their followers. 

Linqia’s “State of Influencer Marketing 2020: Influencer Marketing Grows Up” report found that 77 percent of marketers want to work with micro-influencers (those with 5,000-100,000 followers) versus 64 percent who want to work with macro-influencers, those with 100,000-500,000 followers. The desire to work with mega-influencers and celebrities, 30 percent and 22 percent, respectively, even fell short of marketers’ desire to work with nano-influencers, those with less than 5,000 followers, at 26 percent. Marketers rated micro-influencers 6.3 out of seven based on the amount of budget they plan to spend on micro-influencers, versus 5.8 for mega-influencers. 

Linqia found that engagement is the most important key performance indicator for marketers, as 71 percent measure the success of a campaign on this metric. Brand awareness and impressions came in second and third at 62 percent and 60 percent, respectively. If engagement is the top influencer marketing metric for brands, then micro-influencers are key to driving this metric. 

Micro-influencers have better engagement rates than mega-influencers across all channels, even on Twitter, according to Influencer Marketing Hub and CreatorIQ’s third annual Influencer Marketing Benchmark Report: 2020. This is particularly evident on Instagram, where nano-influencers have seven times the engagement rate than mega-influencers (7.2 percent versus 1.1 percent).

Another reason brands are betting big on micro-influencers? Because internet users lack confidence in mega-influencers. A GlobalWebIndex study proved this when 56 percent of US and UK respondents said they believe influencers with up to 50,000 followers are the most credible. 

Lyft uses micro-influencers to create a steady drumbeat of buzz around its brand campaigns and key cultural moments. To launch LyftUp—an initiative that provides access to affordable, reliable transportation for everyone, no matter their age, income, or zip code—Lyft focused on bike access, working with LeBron James and his company Uninterrupted to give one-year bikeshare memberships through the YMCA to youth all over the country. The campaign kicked off with LeBron sharing his story of how “it all started with a bike.”

The campaign continued with a series of social media posts from micro-influencers who told their raw stories of how bikes changed their life for the better. 

‘We tap into micro-influencers to tell our story in their own words. A best practice is to let them truly use their own voice. Putting too much creative direction, copy and rules on what you want the influencer to do is going to limit their creative genius. Remember, you chose to work with them because of their voice and aesthetic,” Lyft director of influencer marketing Bette Ann Schlossberg tells us.

When Lyft evaluates the success of campaigns, it looks at the typical metrics—impressions, earned media value (EMV) and engagement rate—but it finds that the most important metric is sentiment. 

“Seeing the community respond to the #LyftUp posts, and even seeing its drivers respond to these posts is often times the most valuable return on investment (ROI),” says Schlossberg. 

Although more marketers are interested in working with nano-influencers than celebrities and although micro-influencers cost less to work with, there are downsides to these partnerships. When asked to rate the top concerns in influencer marketing from a scale of one to six, Linqia’s respondents rated the amount of time it takes to manage influencer marketing programs a 4.2, making it a top-three concern. Given that more brands are working with micro-influencers these days, this could mean it takes more time to manage micro-influencer campaigns, allowing more room for mistakes and oversight.

They might have better engagement, but micro-influencer campaigns also have less reach, and that means less exposure. That’s why it’s important to tier your strategy, working with celebrities, macro-influencers and micro-influencers, says Schlossberg.



TikTok To Reach 52.5 Million Users In US By 2021

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This week in social media news, eMarketer reports TikTok will reach 52.2 US followers by 2021 and LinkedIn has announced it’s working on a stories feature for all users and college students, respectively.

TikTok To Surpass 50 Million Users In US By 2021

eMarketer reports that TikTok will reach 52.2 million users by 2021.

Why it matters: TikTok’s user penetration is the lowest among social networks but it’s one of the few whose penetration is actually growing. Though its growth has been explosive, big players like Instagram are coming for TikTok: Instagram introduced a Boomerang looping-effect that mimics a similar feature on TikTok. However, experts warn that growth cold slow given competition from other platforms and the questions it faces on censorship and data privacy. 

The details: This year TikTok’s US audience will grow 21.9 percent to 45.4 million people and that figure will reach 52.2 million by 2021. This follows TikTok’s 97.5 percent growth in 2019, when it went from 18.8 million users in 2018 to 37.2 million users in 2019. This year 21.6 percent of US social network users will use TikTok at least once.

LinkedIn Testing Instagram-Like Stories Feature

The company said in a blog post that it’s internally testing LinkedIn Stories, to be released in the coming months, as well as “Student Voices,” stories for university students to share their campus experiences.

Why it matters: Launching stories is part of LinkedIn’s continuous attempt to appeal to GenZ and millennials. Reverse engineer Jane Manchun Wong recently found 10 new Instagram- and Facebook-like features LinkedIn is prototyping like GIF comments, location sharing and reaction buttons.

The details: The student-focused stories feature lets users post videos to their “Campus Playlist.” The videos disappear from the playlist after a week, but stay permanently visible in the “Recent Activity” section of their profile. Given that stories were originally meant for users to post impromptu moments that disappear after 24 hours, many students may resist adopting the tool in fear that recruiters will use the material to inform hiring decisions.

Facebook Launches Creator Studio Mobile App 

The Creator Studio app is an extension of Facebook’s insights dashboard, which launched globally in August 2018 and helps publishers and influencers manage their content and track performance.

Why it matters: The app lets users analyze page and post-level insights and distribution metrics to inform their strategies. It also allows them to toggle between multiple pages, which could be helpful for creators who have a large following and brands that manage multiple creator pages.

The details: Now brands and creators have access to the Creator Studio on their mobile phones, allowing them to track engagement insights, edit video titles and descriptions, message followers and manage multiple pages on Facebook. The Creator Studio app is available on iOS and Android.

TikTok Holds First Summit For Black Creators

TikTok’s #MakeBlackHistory Summit brought celebrity speakers and 100 black creators together in Los Angeles for a two-day community building experience that included an intimate concert and kickoff dinner.

Why it matters: Following its explosive growth among the influencer and brand world, TikTok is now looking to call on the power of celebrity and experiential events.

The details: TikTok’s celebration of Black History Month included keynote speaker Tyra Banks and an interview between Tracee Elliss Ross and TikTok creator Drea Okeke, @dreaknowsbest. Ross, who shared details about how she branded herself, filmed her first TikTok while at the summit. Viral TikTok artist Doja Cat also performed. 

Facebook Acquires Virtual Reality Games Developer Sanzaru Games

Facebook has acquired veteran game developer Sanzaru Games, an independently operated studio known for creating virtual reality (VR) game experience.

Why it matters: Facebook has been buying up big players in VR —the Sanzaru Games acquisition comes after Facebook acquired VR game developer Beat Games in November 2019. 

The details: Sanzaru Games was the first developer to partner with Oculus in 2016, and since then has developed four games for Oculus including one of its most popular games, Asgard’s Wrath. Now the developer will continue to help Facebook create more VR game content out of its current offices in the US and Canada with support from Facebook and the Oculus Studios team. 

Twitter Rolls Out Hide Replies To Developers

Twitter is making Hide Replies available to its community of developers today, according to TechCrunch.

Why it matters: “With Hide Replies now available as a new API endpoint, developers can create tools that automatically hide disruptive tweets based on factors important to their customers.”

The details: Twitter unveiled the Hide Replies feature to users last November in a bid to reduce the impact of disruptive, toxic conversations on the platform. The unveiling was slightly controversial, as some believed it could lead to the silencing of criticism on the platform. 

For developers, participation in Twitter Developer Labs is free, but you’ll be required to sign up using an approved developer account.

Vimeo Launches ‘Vimeo Create’ To Help Marketers Create Video Content

Vimeo released a new video-editing platform for creating templatized video content, according to an official blog post from the video platform yesterday.

Why it matters: Vimeo’s new platform lets marketers efficiently collaborate on creative video content while leveraging creation tools to help reduce production time on those resources.

The details: Vimeo Create, released earlier this year in closed beta form, is now open to anyone who wants access to the open beta. The tool features brand customization options, “smart technology” for AI editing and integrated video marketing tools. 

Vimeo’s press release touts the platform as a way to “radically simplify the process of video creation and unlock powerful capabilities to make and distribute high-impact social videos in minutes.”

The Hill Finds Twitter Slow To Provide Verification Status For Primary Candidates

According to The Hill, about 90 primary candidates in five states holding congressional and gubernatorial primaries on Super Tuesday have not received the verified “blue check,” in their profile.

Why it matters: Back in December, Twitter declared it would help level the playing field between little-known challengers and established incumbents by providing verification status (the blue checkmark in profiles) to all candidates who qualify for primaries in 2020. The verification process ultimately helps lesser-known candidates gain more visibility and credibility. 

The details: As of today, The Hill found that in the 130 House, Senate and gubernatorial primaries scheduled for March 3 (Super Tuesday), 89 candidates who have a Twitter account and appear on ballots remain unverified. “The process we implemented is rigorous in order to ensure that we accurately identify and verify candidates’ legitimate Twitter accounts,” a Twitter spokesperson said in a statement to The Hill.

Twitter Is Testing Labels To Identify Misinformation 

According to NBC News, a leaked demo shows that Twitter is testing brightly colored labels underneath politicians’ and public figures’ posts that contain lies or misinformation.  

Why it matters: Since the 2020 election season began, Twitter has taken steps to combat deep fakes and misinformation. Last month, it rolled out a policy to remove tweets that include deceptive or manipulated media that are likely to cause harm.

The details: A spokesperson told NBC News that the leaked demo is one possible iteration of its new anti-misinformation policy. Twitter is also experimenting with a community-based points system. As shown in the leaked demo, users are asked whether a tweet is “likely” or “unlikely” to be “harmfully misleading.” Then they’re asked on a sliding scale of 1-100 how many community members would answer the same.

Facebook Releases New Data On Facebook Messaging Trends For Travel Businesses

Facebook’s research finds that consumers are increasingly turning to messaging to communicate with travel businesses.

Why it matters: Facebook messaging for business is key for brands looking to ramp up their customer service experiences as consumers demand faster, real-time interaction with businesses. The proof is in the data: Over 40 million firms globally are active on Facebook Messenger and Click-to-Messenger ads are one of the platform’s fastest-growing formats.

The details: In its report, Facebook emphasizes messaging as a tool that enables personalized communication at scale, noting that 64 percent of people would prefer to message rather than call a business. With the help of a bot messenger to help personify its brand, Canadian airline WestJet saw a 24 percent lift in positive sentiment among travelers. Additionally, Airline KLM recently used WhatsApp to deliver real-time booking confirmation, flight status updates and gate assignment to travelers. Despite the benefits of messaging for businesses, Facebook says a Spectrm study of 242 leading brands found that 45 percent didn’t respond within five days when messaged via their Facebook pages. 

Instagram Tests Feature That Would Allow Android Users To Remove Followers Directly From Their Profile

Reverse engineer Jane Manchun Wong spotted the feature in the backend of the Instagram app on an Android device.

Why it matters: The feature is already available to iOS users and adding it to Android users indicates that having the ability to remove followers gives users a better, safer experience on Instagram.

The details: Android users who want to remove a follower must find the user’s account from their own follower list whereas an iOS user can simply go to the person’s account who they want to remove and do so via the drop-down menu. That feature will potentially soon be available to Android users.

Editor’s Note: Our weekly social media news post is updated daily. This installment will be updated until Friday, February 28. Have a news tip? We’re looking for changes to and news surrounding social media platforms as they relate to marketing. Let us know at editorial@alistdaily.com.

How Brands Are Working With Top TikTok Influencers

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Originally published on ION.

(Editor’s note: AList is published by a.network. To get up to speed on the rapid changes affecting the influencer marketing landscape, click here.)

TikTok was downloaded over 104.7 million times since January 2019 and has amassed more than 1.65 billion downloads to date, according to Sensor Tower. What’s more, the app grossed nearly $177 million globally in 2019 and it recently announced the opening of a permanent Los Angeles office, reflecting its commitment to scale its US presence. In short: TikTok is taking over.

Although TikTok only recently launched an advertising process and hyperlinking capabilities for brands, many brands are seeking out top TikTok creators to promote their products and services. TikTok currently offers ad formats such as promoted hashtag challenges, in-feed native videos, influencer packages, brand takeovers and top-view videos.

According to Forbes, for a one-day buy of $50,000, a brand takeover ad is guaranteed five million impressions a day via a three to five-second long video that encourages users to click-through to an external or internal destination.

TikTok is slowly making it easier for brands to find influencers that align with their ethos. Last year, TikTok launched the Creator Marketplace, a program that brands can use to browse over 1,000 of the app’s top creators through filters like follow count, location, topics and insights on the audience reach. Yet the program, which is still in beta tasting, lacks automation and only offers marketers the reach and average view count of an influencer’s videos, metrics that aren’t as insightful as engagement.

Brands getting in on the TikTok action have their eyes set on the app’s undisputed king, Zach King, the 30-year-old creator who, in 2016, started posting six-second video “magic vines” to Vine that make it look as though he’s performing magic. King’s efforts have landed him 34.7 million followers and 326 million likes on TikTok.

Universal Pictures, BMW, Chipotle and the Cash App have all called on Zach to create one of his popular digitally edited videos. To create buzz around its Dolittle movie, Universal Pictures enlisted King to make a video that shows him creating a sidewalk chalk image of a polar bear that comes to life, scaring off passersby. The hashtags #ad and #TalkToAnimals accompanied the video, which generated 2.9 million likes and 7,600 comments.

For BMW, King’s mission was to highlight the car maker’s new x7 ZeroG Lounger models. In the video, King and his friend visit the BMW dealership. Intrigued by a roped off x7 ZeroG, King’s friend tries gaining access to the inside. King waves his hand and his friend magically appears in the car’s driver seat only until a security guard notices their shenanigans. The video received 1.8 million likes and 1,300 comments. 

Digital shopping app Flip Fit, which sends users clothing based on their brand preferences and interactions with friends and followers, launched a major influencer marketing campaign in October 2019 that included TikTok. Flip Fit’s user experience is similar to TikTok so it only made sense for the social retail platform to flex its muscles there. Part of Flip Fit’s TikTok lineup included Marina Leigh, who has 1 million followers and 18 million likes. In partnership with Flip Fit, Leigh created a video showing how to use the app on her phone then trying on different clothes that she received through Flip Fit’s service, highlighting via text the free delivery and free returns/shipping features. The video received 2,178 likes.

TooFaced, the beauty brand known for its robust influencer marketing approach on social, has also joined the TikTok influencer landscape. Recently the brand partnered with Kristen Hancher, the beauty and lifestyle influencer with 23.4 million followers who transforms her appearance by wearing a different colored wig and matching makeup look each week. Wearing purple hair, Hancher captured a selfie video and upon shaking the camera, showed how her lashes looked after applying the TooFaced Better Than Sex Mascara. The video received 63,000 likes and nearly 300 comments.

A quick Google search will yield a list of the top TikTok influencers, but how can brands working within a budget find micro-influencers on the platform? Enter: Fanbytes. The first dedicated TikTok platform uses machine learning and neuro-linguistic programming to assist brands in discovering over 500,000 influencers with the accuracy of different search goals. Fanbytes has been used by brands like Pretty Little Thing, Warner and Universal Studios.

For brands to understand whether their influencer ad spend on TikTok is successful, however, TikTok must provide more in-depth stats like Instagram and YouTube do currently. Brands that want in on TikTok should also keep in mind that TikTok influencers prioritize authenticity over quality, making TikTok not a one-size-fits-all social media marketing approach.