September 20, 2017: If you’re reading this, there’s an app for that – the dirty deets behind Instagram’s latest and greatest, Facebook’s power trip, what’s up with WhatsApp, and the low down on student ambassadors.
Here’s what’s worth knowing this week:
It Goes Down in the DM
Instagram may have just one-upped Snap’s feature set. Last week, Insta added the ability to share Stories as Direct Messages. Although you’ve always been able to share regular posts, this is the first time you can share Stories – yours or someone else’s – through DM’s. Content is only able to shared if you have a public profile and if the feature is enabled in settings.
What it means, IRL: Since the launch of Instagram’s Stories feature last summer, users have flocked to the gram for an elevated ‘Snapchat-esque’ experience. Although the addition of this new feature may seem small, it has the ability to significantly amplify Stories’ reach and viewability. With more than 600 million users (compared to Snapchat’s 150 million), users are not only choosing Insta as the preferred platform to post, but are also receiving significantly more engagement when they do. So how do you capitalize on the gram’s latest and greatest?
Make it Work: Amplification is key. Beautifully curated content doesn’t matter when it isn’t distributed effectively. With the implementation of this savvy new feature, influencer-generated content and user-generated content can be amplified exponentially – if you’re able to mobilize your followers to do so.
If that doesn’t work, GIFs.
Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems
Who’s hot, who’s not. While the proliferation of fake news landed Zuck & Co. in the hot seat last week, brands’ are decidedly not thrilled over ad transparency.
Zuck & Co. are a marketing behemoth. Today, 92% of social marketers use FB for advertising. They’ve absolutely changed the game in the social media ad-space world. Props. Buuuut, with power comes responsibility – failure to regulate these ads caused brands to get angry AF. Simply put, brands want to know where their ads are being delivered and how. And they want to know now.
And to think, all it took was Marc Pritchard threatening to pull P&G’s entire ad spend and the rest of the industry to follow suit. Earlier this week, FB introduced a new series of ‘monetization eligibility standards’ that will provide placements be more honest and transparent. The new standards also apply to FB’s new influencer-generated content amplification capes, so you can do so with more confidence, transparency, and control. Ah, sigh of relief.
WhatsApp With That?
Earlier this week, WhatsApp was named among the top apps dominating the Millennial and Gen Z social media world, identifying the app as a ‘highly competitive outlier.’ If you’re not familiar with WhatsApp, get the low-down here.
WhatsApp could serve as a major opportunity for marketers to provide instant customer service. Also, the recent success of chatbot tech has illustrated consumer readiness to interact with brands on messaging apps. With the possibility of a WhatsApp revolution on horizon, marketers should begin to explore and familiarize themselves with the somewhat overlooked app. Who knows, WhatsApp could hold the key to the future of brand-consumer communication. We reserve the right to say we told you so…
We Want You!
To become an influencer … That’s what American Eagle, Nestlé, Lucozade, and Tinder are saying.The majority of college students are spending their money on ‘non-essential’ items (yes, that glass of rosé is considered ‘non-essential’). This being the case, brands are creating student ambassador programs to power their influencer marketing efforts … and it’s working. Student ambassadors appear to be the perfect micro-influencers for brands looking to increase awareness, engagement, and loyalty – while their loyalties are still up for grabs.
Are influencers the new interns? These ambassador programs are a win-win from a student and brand perspective. Ambassador-run initiatives allow for intimate one-to-one communications, generating instant product feedback. Also, many of these ambassador-led initiatives run at a fraction of the cost of other programs. Tbh, ‘mo money, mo problems.
INCYMI
- Step aside bullies – Facebook’s response to discriminatory behavior
- No more cookies for you – Major ad groups angry at Apple for cookie block
- Acquisition alert – Nestlé edition
- The end of the agency era – Unilever reports startups are coming in hot!
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