With the rise of social media platforms, influencer marketing has gone through a significant transformation. Influencers have come to be key players in the marketing scene, appearing on platforms like YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and more. To build more genuine and meaningful connections with their target audience, brands take advantage of the reach and power of these digital personalities. 

Evolution of Influencer Marketing 

Influencer marketing was simple in the early days of social media. Companies partnered with well-known bloggers and YouTubers to market products using endorsements and reviews. Influencer marketing became much broader as sites like Instagram and TikTok became popular.  

Influencers in today’s world can range in size from small influencers with fewer but very engaged audiences to large influencers with millions of followers. With this diversity, marketers can tailor their campaigns to appeal to certain groups and demographics. Influencers are becoming more than just brand ambassadors; they are content creators that include brand messaging into their own personalities and styles to relate to and de-commercialize marketing.  

The Challenges Going Forward

Influencer marketing presents challenges even with its benefits. Keeping authenticity is important because audiences can recognize fake endorsements, leading to openness on sponsored collaborations. Since influencers’ behavior might affect related brands, proper screening is important. Return-on-investment tracking can be difficult, requiring companies to use tools and set exact key performance indicators. A brand’s values consistency, popularity, and follower demographics are all important factors to consider when choosing a good influencer.  

To sum up, influencer marketing is an effective tool that helps businesses engage with their target audience by providing real and interesting content. Despite the challenges, it can still be an exciting and significant part of current marketing campaigns with proper preparation and successful execution. 

2023 was full of digital marketing trends. So as the digital landscape continues to rapidly change, staying ahead of the curve is crucial for marketers. Trends come and go, and this year features trends that are tech-based and evolving. Overall, 2024 will bring new innovations and strategies for digital marketing. Here are some of the top emerging digital marketing trends for 2024. These trends will redefine the way brands interact with their audiences. 

AI-Driven Personalized Advertising 

First, one of the biggest trends shaping the future of digital marketing is artificial intelligence. It will deliver hyper-personalized experiences. Personalization is key to growing an audience. AI algorithms are becoming increasingly adept at analyzing consumer data to identify potential consumers. This enables marketers to create highly targeted ad campaigns that resonate with these individual consumers and bring them into the brand. 

Voice Search Optimization 

Next, with the growing popularity of smart speakers and voice assistants, optimizing for voice search is no longer an option. It is a must-have. Thus in 2024, expect to see more brands adapting their SEO strategies to include voice. Brands can include keywords and phrases, making their content more accessible via voice search. In other words, this represents yet another unique way to get consumers to the brand.

Virtual Reality in Digital Marketing Trends

Virtual Reality is changing from a novelty to a practical marketing tool. Brands are beginning to use VR to create experiences for their customers. These experiences will engage consumers in a more memorable way this year. From virtual store tours to interactive product demonstrations, VR is opening up new possibilities for engagement. 

Influencer Marketing 

Influencer marketing continues to evolve, with a shift towards micro and nano influencers. These individuals often have smaller, more loyal followers. Brands can create a stronger connection with their audiences. For example, brands might work with several different influencers for different products. In 2024, expect to see brands working with influencers for more authentic and effective partnerships. 

Green Marketing 

Sustainability is becoming a priority for consumers. Consumers are looking to brands to be more responsible toward their people and the planet. So brands are responding with green marketing initiatives. For instance, look for eco-friendly packaging and more sustainable business practices. So green marketing is not just good for the planet, it’s good for business. 

The Integration of Augmented Reality in Digital Marketing Trends

To begin with, augmented reality usage in marketing offers unique ways to interest customers. Augmented reality creates a new way of showcasing at a product or service. Also look for uses like virtual try-ons or AR-enabled ads. As this technology becomes more accessible, we anticipate a rise in AR campaigns in 2024. 

Data Privacy and Ethical Marketing 

Lastly, with increasing concerns about data privacy, ethical marketing practices are an important part of brand trust. In 2024, transparent data practices and respect for consumer privacy will be more than just legal requirements. They’ll be essential for building customer loyalty. Consumers want to trust the brands they do business with.

The landscape of digital marketing trends is dynamic and ever-changing. Overall in 2024, successful marketers will adapt to these emerging trends while staying true to their brand’s core values. Again, brands can embrace these innovations and succeed. Finally, they’ll be able to create more engaging, personalized and meaningful experiences for their consumers. Using these digital marketing trends they’ll build business in new ways.

What are AI Influencers in marketing?

AI influencers are virtual personalities managed by brands or agencies. They are created using computer graphics and machine-learning algorithms to appeal to a brand’s audience. These influencers serve the same purpose as other real influencers. But they are designed to reinforce a brand’s particular marketing objectives. AI Influencers can wear a retailer’s clothing or visit their store — all virtually. They can express their thoughts about the benefits of products. They can help elevate a brand’s social media.

AI influencers have already worked for brands from Red Bull to Tinder, since 2016. They interact with consumers using conversation, photos and videos. Often hyper-realistic, they create attention-getting, stylish interactions with the products they represent.

What are some benefits of AI Influencers?

AI influencers work 24/7, whereas real humans cannot keep up this pace. This keeps active engagement rates high, and is beneficial to consumers engaging globally in multiple time zones. With round-the-clock content creation, these spokespeople can quickly build a large global following.

Often, they can create content specifically tailored to answer their audiences’ questions. Further, they can engage with thousands of consumers in a personalized way — without the conventional challenges of doing all of this as a real person. AI influencers, and their accompanying data, can also guide brands to find new or specific audiences. They can introduce new products, create more engaging content, and help optimize campaigns. 

How do they help brands specifically?

Everything listed above is incredibly beneficial to growing a brand. But did you know AI influencers can also track consumer engagement so you don’t have to? These influencers can sum up analytical data from a brand’s work with them. That’s influencer and data are rolled into one. This makes it easy to view analytics and make decisions going forward.

From social media engagement to sales reports, an AI influencer can become an important part of helping brands build business. This data is valuable in offering ideas on which demographic to reach. It is valuable to know when to reach them, and how to reach them as well. Brands like Calvin Klein, Samsung, and Prada have all worked with AI influencers. These brands have incorporated influencers on social media platforms with success.

In the future, look for innovative new uses as AI influencers evolve. They’ll continue to talk with consumers and build value for brands in platforms beyond social media.

Over the weekend, a friend sent me some screenshots from the Instagram account of an event we are both familiar with. “HAVE YOU SEEN THESE???” she said. The series of posts featured a scantily clad woman and her friends promoting the event. Slightly confounded by the choice, I took a quick visit to her Instagram page. She had a gaggle of followers, but no real connection to the audience or the event itself, and unfortunately, it didn’t play well.

The idea of using a social media influencer was not a bad one. Influencer marketing is on the rise – Google alone saw a 325% increase in “influencer marketing” searches last year. It’s based on the practice of using influencers in your niche to create and distribute relevant content and share it in an authentic way. It can be a fantastic way to find and reach your people.

However, influencer marketing is a wasted exercise (and investment!) if you aren’t using the right influencers. And while it’s tempting to use metrics like number of followers as a measure of influence, it’s important to take a closer, more comprehensive look at a potential ambassador before you ask them to promote your brand.

Fit

How relevant is the influencer to what you do? How aligned is their content with your messaging? The best partnerships are natural fits – their audience must believe that the endorsement is genuine and your audience must be able to relate to them.

Engagement

Is the influencer engaging with their followers in a meaningful way? Or are their pages just a collection of selfies? If people aren’t commenting and interacting with the person, keep looking. Your audience will get bored with someone who is just skin deep.

Reach

Reach is certainly a valid consideration, so take a look at traffic and followers. But ask yourself who they are reaching. Is it your target audience? Reach is irrelevant if the influencer isn’t reaching the right people.

Authenticity

Influencers must be viewed as authentic and genuine. Is this person partnered with too many sponsors? If so, they will not appear trustworthy.

When chosen thoughtfully, an Influencer partnership is one of the best ways to build your brand online and raise awareness among your target audience. Need some help choosing the right influencer? We can help!

To be influential, one must hold the power to determine, guide and/or impact the decisions and perceptions of others. When applied to marketing, the goal is advocacy. “Influencer marketing is getting others to share your story, generate interest and make your case.” ~ Ardath Albee

Influencer marketing is a marketing strategy focused on capitalizing on the power of people (influencers or brand ambassadors) to advocate for your brand.

“Never mistake the power of influence.” ~ Jim Rohn

By utilizing influencer marketing, your benefits are solid. You gain access to a pre-established, receptive audience which already has a built-in level of trust with the brand ambassador. This helps build credibility. You also get additional help creating content. This content meets your target’s needs. Know your content and message are getting out in the right way, to the right people at the right time.

Is influencer marketing right for you? That depends on what you’re trying to influence (see what we did there, friends?). Know your business and marketing goals, audience, strategies, tactics and measurement. These help determine if influencer marketing is worth the considerable amount of time it can take.

Mapping out an influencer marketing strategy up front can help you minimize the time it will cost you and maximize your results.

Four Keys to a Successful Influencer Marketing Plan

1. Know Your Audience. Make sure you are spreading your message to the (targeted) audience you need to see it, and in the places they are most likely to see it.
2. Know Your Goals. Make sure you have set, measurable objectives. Otherwise, it will be impossible to measure your success.
3. Know Your Ambassadors. The most powerful tool influencers bring to the table is the foundation of trust their audience has in them. This allows the influencer to authentically advocate your brand to your target. It is critical we don’t confuse influence with popularity. TIME does not grant their annual 25 Most Influential People on the Internet influential status based upon the number of followers they have on social media. Instead, they “evaluated contenders by looking at their global impact on social media and their overall ability to drive news.”
4. Know Your Space. Influencer marketing is not limited to social media platforms. The places where the people in your audience are hanging online (if they aren’t on your site) are key to know as those places are influencers. Depending on your audience, you may have better results through specific bloggers’ websites over Instagram (or vice versa).

YOU are your brand’s biggest ambassador. However, when done successfully, having others advocate for you is powerful. Influencer marketing can help you in cultivating the growth you want for your brand.

Happy 2018, friends! March is underway – which marks our 7th in business! We have a rockin’ team and the most amazing, difference-making clients around. We couldn’t be happier to be where we are today. Bringing you our love and passion for marketing and branding is our mission!

So let’s get to it!

The marketing landscape is a dynamic animal, and in this competitive climate, staying on top of it is imperative. So far, this year we are seeing some definite shifts in the world of social media marketing, so without further ado, here’s the skinny:

7 Things to Know About Social Media Marketing in 2018

1. Free reach on social media is dwindling.

There is no doubt about it, organic free reach is in decline. Algorithms have shifted consumer reach and increased content competition has made break-through infinitely harder. Bottom line? Your social media efforts aren’t reaching as many people as before. Time to pivot. This shift will require you to be more thoughtful, create unique and curated content for each platform, and monitor your audience more than ever before.

2. There will be more focus on influencers.

Did you see our very own Tara Engelland’s blog about influencer marketing? If you missed it, you may not know that this word-of-mouth advertising is taking off. We know that consumers are increasingly making purchasing choices based on recommendations. Users with large followings on social media have the power to influence their online friends and followers, therefore, more and more businesses are forming strategic partnerships with these influencers to lead them in their direction.

3. Marketing is gearing towards millennials.

Most social media users are millennials (technically those born between 1980 and 2000). This generation relies heavily on social media to form and maintain relationships, get news and information, and research brands and products. Right now, this generation is coming of age – leaving home, graduating college, getting jobs, and earning their money and independence. Appealing to this demographic will be key going forward.

4. Mobile ready content is a must-have. 

Here are the numbers: more than 2½ billion people around the world are using smartphones, and 80% of social media users use them to access their platform of choice. So you do the math! The majority of online traffic now comes from mobile devices, so your social media marketing content has to be mobile ready.

5. Algorithms are making decisions. 

We. Are. Being. Watched. Online behavior is constantly being scrutinized and analyzed, and social media platforms are increasingly using algorithms to determine what content is most relevant to the end user. So how do we work alongside this technology? Study the algorithms closely and understand how they work.

6. Consumer data restrictions are getting tighter. 

Legislation such as the CAN-SPAM Act and the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) leave marketers no choice but to offer transparency in their data collection. Use this opportunity to build trust in your brand: Ask consumers for relevant data with clear language addressing opting in.

7. Video marketing is here to stay.

Social media platforms are heavily focused on a video-first strategy, and it won’t be slowing down anytime soon. So jump on the video bandwagon!

Overwhelmed? Don’t be. This business is our business and we are here to help! Give us a call.

Influencer marketing has become a very popular form of social media marketing. Brands have discovered that an influencer partnership can have a positive impact on their revenue. This form of marketing allows brands to spread their content, connect with consumers, and build relationships more organically and directly.

An influencer is someone who acts as a mutual friend, and connects your brand with your target consumers. In today’s technological world, people are exposed to an abundance of purchasing choices, yet they don’t have the time to research them. Instead, buyers rely on friends, acquaintances, and fellow consumers to inform their purchasing decisions. The rise of social media has made it easier than ever for people to find other people who will help give them the information.

Luckily, social media has also made it easier for brands to seek out and partner with influencers who will get people talking about their company and products.

Partnerships with the right influencers can be extremely positive for your brand. A successful influencer will drive traffic to your site, spread your message across social media platforms, and grow your following. Ultimately, their recommendation sells your product.

When considering influencer marketing:

• Numbers aren’t everything. Don’t rely simply on the number of followers or social media likes an influencer has. Focus on who their followers are and what they are interested in. Those things matter more.
• Brand alignment is a must. Partner with influencers whose audiences align with your brand and the products you sell. Influencers come in all shapes and sizes: celebrities, industry experts, bloggers, YouTubers, journalists, etc.
• Authenticity is key. Collaborate and build relationships with influencers that truly believe in your brand. Buyers can detect partnerships that aren’t a genuine fit, and that may turn them away from your brand.

In 2018, influencer marketing is a powerful tool. If you’d like to develop relationships with social media influencers and aren’t sure where to start, call us. Front Porch Marketing can help!

Social media marketing is constantly changing and evolving, which is both good and bad. Keeping up with social media marketing trends is practically a full-time job! And so is figuring out the best social media marketing strategies for your brand.

As businesses are planning for the new year, there are several social media trends that appear to be here to stay (at least for now). You should consider these when putting together a strategy for 2018:

Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing has exploded over the past few years and there is no sign of it slowing in the near future. Using social media influencers is an excellent way to expand the reach of your brand messaging when you choose the right partners to work with.

Studies show that 74% of people look to their networks on social media for advice on buying decisions. In addition, 40% of people have bought something because they have seen it being promoted by an influencer on Instagram or Twitter.

Finding the right influencer marketing partnerships can seriously get your brand noticed!

Social Media Advertising Costs

Gone are the days of social media posting generating free organic reach. In order to gain new followers and grow your brand via social media, you must have a social advertising budget. Unfortunately, as the number of advertisers on social media increases, so will the cost of social ads.

As people realize that social media marketing provides an extremely cost-effective way to reach a targeted group of consumers, the competition for social advertising results increases. Therefore, to keep up with the competition, a social media advertising budget is a must for 2018.

You Gotta Have Video

Did you know that social videos generate 1,200% more shares than text and images combined? In addition, viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch it in a video compared to 10% when they read it in text. It’s estimated that by 2019, video will account for 80% of all consumer internet traffic.

Need I say more? It’s time to take video seriously! Social media video marketing needs to be an integral part of your social content strategy in 2018.

Social media marketing is constantly evolving. You won’t know if something is going to work for your business unless you test it. If you need help navigating the trends and reaching your audience, we on the Porch are here to help!