The Latest Social Media And Influencer News In March

March Madness is in full swing and if you’re like me, the first few days of the tournament are always the most exciting. And in even better news, my alma mater, The University of Missouri, has a chance to move on to the Sweet 16.

But you’re not here for college basketball, you’re on this page because you want to stay up to date on the latest social media and influencer news that can affect your agency or brand. This week, I’ll talk about the latest from the U.S. government regarding TikTok, some interesting stats about Instagram from Sprout Social, and how Sephora is collaborating with TikTok to create an incubator program.

TikTok Facing Another Hurdle 

We've talked about TikTok a few times recently and how its future is in flux. Now the threat of a popular social media platform no longer existing in its current form is real. According to CNBC, the White House has urged TikTok to split from its Chinese-based parent company, ByteDance, or face being barred from operating in the United States. 

It follows a series of bills in Congress that target TikTok to varied degrees and a successful push to ban TikTok on federal government devices last year. What does this mean for apps like TikTok that Chinese companies own? 

Well, the thing is, some of the most popular apps in the US right now are from Chinese companies. The recent top three free apps on Apple's App Store were Temu, CapCut, and TikTok, while Google Play's were Temu, TikTok, and Street Fighter: Duel—with Chinese fast-fashion company, Shein chilling at No. 4. So stay tuned for what that means.

Instagram Stats You Need To Pay Attention To

Our partners at Sprout Social recently shared some interesting stats about Instagram and how brands can better understand the platform. Here are some of our favorites: 

• Data from the 2022 Sprout Social Index, 35% of US consumers use Instagram for customer support, placing it second only to Facebook as the most popular platform for customer support.

• Instagram users continue to spend significant time on Instagram, and American users are on the platform for about 30 minutes each day.

• According to internal Instagram analytics, 50% of users get more interested in a brand after seeing an Instagram ad for it. This speaks volumes about the power of Instagram advertising for our brands.

Sephora and TikTok Team Up

Wait, if TikTok may no longer exist in its current form, why are brands still investing resources into this platform? Let me explain why with a recent partnership between TikTok and Sephora. 

Sephora and TikTok have collaborated to develop the Sephora x TikTok Incubator Program, connecting TikTok creators to brands from Sephora's Accelerate program to assist emerging beauty brands in raising overall brand awareness and growing their audiences on TikTok. According to Brent Mitchell, Sephora's VP of marketing, social, and influencer, the new relationship intends to assist brands in understanding creator content on TikTok, which is crucial for the success of beauty brands.

Beauty brands like Topicals, Eadem, and Hyper Skin will be among the first brands to join the Incubator Program. Companies taking part in the program will be able to learn about social content strategies and hear from popular creators. Sephora's business plan has been to increase its inventory with up-and-coming products founded by a diverse set of people and become a wholesale partner for numerous DTC brands.

As always, thanks for taking the time to read my writing! If you’re new to my blog or website, I’ve put together a bunch of freebies to help with your social media marketing efforts.

Use These Two Tactics When It Comes To Paid Social

Want more social media and influencer marketing news worth using? You can read more of my writing, covering my favorite social media tools to use, like GoCharlie.ai. and more deep dives on specific topics on my blog.

Creating A Comprehensive Facebook And Instagram Ad Campaign From Scratch

Are you looking to create a comprehensive social media ad campaign from scratch? Well, you're in luck! In this blog post, we'll cover all the steps you need to take to create a successful Facebook and Instagram ad campaign, from setting up Meta Business Suite, to optimizing your campaigns for maximum return on investment. By the end of this post, you should have a firmer understanding of creating a comprehensive Facebook and Instagram ad campaign from scratch.

Just like any other form of digital marketing, social media is a crucial part of any business these days, but it can take time to know where to start. First, creating a Meta Business Account (formerly known as the Facebook Business Manager Account) is important. This requires logging into a personal Facebook profile to ensure accountability across all related Social Media platforms. Once logged in and business information entered, such as name and email address, users will be taken through to the Meta Business Suite, which serves as a central location for managing all of our Meta-related assets like pages, profiles, and more!

Take a Full-Funnel Approach To Paid Social

When it comes to strategy, I recommend to my clients that they take a full-funnel approach to their paid advertising efforts. Here’s what I mean by that. At the top of the funnel, we’ll look to raise brand awareness and encourage new follower growth. At the middle of the funnel, the goal would be to drive consideration by sending web traffic to relevant landing pages, and hopefully encourage users to consider your products. 

And then, at the bottom of the funnel, we want to drive conversions, and if we can track overall consumer applications using UTMs and custom landing pages, you have an opportunity to provide a more accurate ROAS. 

From a calendar view, we typically look to activate quarterly campaigns to support product seasonality and engage with our client’s consumers on the products most relevant to them based on the time of year. This will likely break out into four to five total campaigns over the course of 12 months across each product line. Our team focuses most of our efforts and media spend on the Meta ad platforms and explores other marketing opportunities based on the objective.

Applying The 40/40/20 Rule And The Marketing Rule Of Seven

When creating Facebook ads, the first rule of thumb is to adhere to the 40/40/20 rule. This rule tells you that you should divide your efforts between creativity, an understanding of your audience, and specific tactics for success. For example, if you apply it to marketing, you might spend 40% of your time creating the ad itself, 40% of your time researching your target audience, and 20% of your time using specific tactics (such as targeting a geographic area) for success.

Effective, high-converting, and profitable Facebook ads require nailing the message and doing so with strong creative. Another important principle to remember when creating Facebook ads is the Marketing Rule of Seven. This rule states that potential customers should see or hear about your product or service at least seven times before deciding whether they want it. That's why it takes multiple touchpoints to drive a consumer to take action. 

However, even the “best” Facebook ads only sometimes succeed due to the messaging being unrelatable or unappealing. Rather than focusing on product features (which can be overwhelming), focus on benefits, which will be more relatable and attention-grabbing for viewers. Additionally, make sure that your message is data-driven so that you can optimize it for maximum impact. By doing all of these things correctly, you'll be on your way to making money with Facebook Ads!

To Wrap Up

Creating a successful Facebook and Instagram ad campaign requires a lot of planning, research, and optimization. From setting up your Meta Business Suite to optimizing your campaigns for maximum return on investment, each step must be carefully considered to maximize the success of your campaign. By understanding the 40/40/20 Rule and the Marketing Rule of Seven, you can create effective ads that match your audience's needs and interests. Additionally, focusing on benefits rather than features and using data-driven insights to optimize your message will help you increase your return on investment.

By following the steps outlined in this blog post, you should have a better understanding of how to create a comprehensive Facebook and Instagram ad campaign from scratch. So take action today - start building an impressive Facebook and Instagram advertising campaign to help you reach your business goals!

And if you’re new to my website, you can also download one of my freebies to help with your social media marketing efforts.

Social Media News For You In March

Let’s get right into the social media and influencer news you can use to start your week. This week, I’ll be covering TikTok experimenting with in-feed shopping, the struggles content creators and influencers face, and the latest app update from Spotify that feels a lot like TikTok.

Looking for more social media news worth using? You can see more of my latest social media updates and more deep dives on specific topics on my blog if you’re new to my website.

TikTok Experimenting with in-feed Shopping.

While most social media platforms have had limited success with in-app shopping, TikTok is pushing ahead with its in-stream commerce initiatives.

According to AdAge, several US retailers now appear to have a new in-stream shopping tab enabled on their profiles. In contrast to the regular TikTok shop functionality, which redirects users to the retailer's website for conversion, the in-stream shopping flow includes a shop overview and direct purchase capability within the app.

TikTok, in particular, relies on in-app purchases as part of a larger strategy to provide more revenue potential to app creators. If TikTok users do not behave similarly to those on Douyin, TikTok's revenue opportunities will be limited.

Content Creators Struggle as Social Media Platforms Evolve

It's no secret that the social media landscape is constantly changing. It takes time to keep up with changes, such as which platform is most popular, which medium is most effective, algorithm updates, and more. These trends are having the most impact on social media content creators, who are still caught in the middle.

Content creators are under pressure to publish content on every platform and meet their followers where they spend their time. This includes legacy and new apps, such as BeReal and Hive. However, not all platforms are where a content creator's audience lives, which is ultimately detrimental to the creator.

The ever-changing algorithms on each platform also play a significant role in some of the difficulties these creators face. Creators say dealing with Instagram's constant shifts is particularly discouraging and troublesome. Learn more about the challenges that content creators face here.

Spotify Unveils New App Design Inspired By TikTok

The audio streaming service recently redesigned its mobile app, similar to TikTok. The most noticeable changes include vertical, TikTok-style discovery feeds for music, podcasts, and audiobooks that allow users to scroll through previews of each type of content. What else makes this Spotify update similar to TikTok? 

• Spotify also added a "Smart Shuffle" mode for premium subscribers, which suggests new songs for your queue while you listen to a playlist. 

• And when you finish a podcast episode, similar podcasts will start playing automatically. 

Spotify joins Reddit, Netflix, Instagram, and YouTube in capitalizing on people's desire to see bite-sized versions of content while using their phones. Some of these features were rolled out on Wednesday, and the company announced additional updates coming later.

If you’re looking for more ways to build advocacy for your or your client’s brands, check out the latest of my freebies. I even created a quick infographic that contains a five-step framework for building brand advocacy on social media.

3 Strategies For Efficient Content Creation

Content creation is vital to any business's success, but it can take time and resources. However, you can create content quickly and efficiently with the right strategies. This blog post will cover five strategies for efficient content creation that will help you save time and maximize productivity. From creating social media content in 24 ours to repurposing content for vertical videos, creating engaging content lightning fast, you will be able to create content quickly and effectively. Let’s dive in!

Looking for more social media and influencer marketing news worth using? You can read more of my writing, covering my favorite social media tools to use, like GoCharlie.ai. and more deep dives on specific topics on my blog.

1) Lean Into Vertical Videos Across Multiple Platforms

If you want your audience to stick around, you need to provide them with valuable information they can use and share. Meta says content should either educate, entertain, or inform audiences when on their platforms, and that’s a good rule to follow.

Creating social media content can be daunting, but with the right approach, you can take a single video and turn it into multiple video assets. it can be done in just a few short hours. One of the most effective strategies for efficient content creation is to create vertical video content in 9x16 format.

With so many platforms demanding video content, it can be overwhelming to figure out how to create engaging social media content. Thankfully, the majority of the most popular social media platforms use vertical 9x16 videos. This means you can theoretically create one video in a 9x16 format, and repurpose it across multiple platforms.

2) Improve Your Content Creation Capabilities With Canva and Canva Pro

Another great resource for creating social media posts is Canva and Canva Pro. Canva has a library of templates that can make the content creation process easy while still giving your content a professional look. Using their graphics editor and preloaded videos, you can quickly produce multiple pieces of content in a more efficient manner. Leaving you plenty of time to spend on other related tasks, like community engagement. Whether you're looking to create simple images or video content, Canva has everything you need to get started.

If you’re looking for more, one of the newer features in Canva Pro is the Background Remover. This feature can remove the background from your videos, making them easy to edit without distractions. This is great for creating videos focused on one topic or removing unwanted elements from footage you want to use in your content.

Another great feature of Canva Pro is the ability to create batch content. With this feature, you can easily create a series of images or video content without starting from scratch each time. Enter a set number of parameters (such as resolution or video length), and Canva will take care of the rest!

3) Turn Long-form Into Short-form Content

As a content creator, one of the most important things you can do is ensure your content is created as efficiently as possible. With so much content out there, it's hard to stand out from the crowd. However, by using repurposing content, you can publish multiple short-form videos that are just as effective as more traditional long-form videos.

One of the best ways to do this is by taking a long-form video and cutting it up into multiple short-form videos. This is where templates on Canva come in handy.

For behind-the-scenes footage or photos, repurposing content often requires more effort than simply taking an existing video and cutting it down. However, with the help of tools like Adobe Photoshop CC and Adobe Audition CC, you can easily edit existing videos into what you need them to be without having to create them from scratch. Using these tools together saves you tons of time and energy in your content creation process!

To Wrap Things Up

Creating content for social media can be daunting, especially when it needs to be done quickly. However, with the right strategy and tools, you can easily create engaging content in no time. Canva Pro is an excellent option for those looking to unlock new possibilities and save time while creating stunning visuals. Repurposing content and creating vertical videos is also an effective way to create eye-catching visuals without breaking the bank. With these tips and tricks in mind, you can now easily create engaging content at lightning speed!

If you’re new to my website, you can also download one of my freebies to help with your social media marketing efforts.

Social Media News You Can Use In March

Let’s get right into the social media and influencer news you can use to start off the month of March. Today, we’re cover the latest around TikTok’s potential ban in the U.S., see how a CPG brand used influencers to reach GenZ, and why your brand needs to utilize organic and paid social to achieve your goals.

If you want more ways to build advocacy for your or your client’s brands, check out the latest of my freebies. I even created a quick infographic that contains a five-step framework for building brand advocacy on social media.

U.S. TikTok Ban Moves a Step Closer

You might need to find a new way to kill time on your phone. On Wednesday, the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee voted to give President Biden the authority to ban TikTok in the United States. But what exactly does this mean?

The White House already has a total ban on TikTok on government-owned devices, and Biden now needs Senate approval before the ban can be implemented nationwide. Former President Donald Trump demanded that TikTok be sold to a U.S. company or face a complete ban, which may still be an option now.

Much depends on China, and whether or not they continue to cause friction with the United States, as security officials are concerned about TikTok. If this concern has already resulted in a ban on government devices, it may soon apply to all citizens.

 How IPG Talked to GenZ About Healthy Food Choices 

Plenty of articles about how agencies and brands want to reach Gen Z for their advertising efforts. Instead, let's look at how one holding company and its client took on that challenge. To encourage Gen Z consumers to "dare to try" new foods for the sake of the environment, Unilever's Knorr has resorted to the power of influencers. 

To drive engagement with Gen Z on TikTok, the brand and its agency IPG partnered with 11 well-known influencers from different countries for a game of "Truth or Dare" in which they have to try, for example, eating insects. 

And to help connect things back to the brand, Knorr created a series of recipes to show how dishes can use diverse ingredients that reflect more sustainable choices, and he encourages people to be more mindful of what they eat. 

Organic vs. Paid? Why Brands Need to Use Both

The headline tells you right away, but I firm believer of utilizing both organic and paid social media to help my clients achieve their goals. I’ve written about this before on my website, but paid and organic social media are separate beasts that should be used in conjunction, albeit for different purposes. Knowing the benefits and downsides of each is essential for a comprehensive approach that balances awareness and conversion. 

Social media strategies that move the needle for their clients and often gain industry recognition are built on using organic content to satisfy their existing consumers while bringing new consumers into the marketing funnel with paid ads. See how brands like Impossible Foods, Publix, and Auntie Annes use paid and organic social to help achieve their business goals in this blog post from Sprout Social.

That’s all for today, but thank you for taking the time to read my blog post! Looking for more social media news worth using? You can see more of my latest social media updates and more deep dives on specific topics on my blog if you’re new to my website.

How To Improve Your Instagram Hashtag Strategy

Hashtags have become a staple on social media, particularly on Instagram. Hashtags can increase engagement, attract followers, and maximize your marketing goals. And they are a great way to help people find your content. Not only that but using quality hashtags can help drive more engagement on your Instagram posts. But what are the best practices for using hashtags on Instagram?

In this blog post, we will unlock the power of hashtags and provide tips on using them to increase engagement on Instagram. From finding your Instagram groove to using hashtags for high engagement, we will provide a guide to using hashtags on Instagram. So, if you are looking to grow your brand on Instagram, read on to learn more about hashtags on Instagram.

Setting The Stage

Hashtags are one of the most popular social media tools out there. Used correctly, they can help to increase engagement on your posts and amplify your voice. However, like anything else in life, hashtags can be used in a way that needs to be updated or more effective.

Before that, let's clear up some misconceptions about hashtags. Hashtags were originally created for photographers so that users across all social media platforms could find their work. However, as Instagram evolved and became more popular than other social media platforms, businesses started using hashtags too. In fact, according to the Head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, hashtags are now "a very important part of our strategy" on Instagram because it allows users on the platform to discover your content organically by looking at the relevant hashtags.

Tips For Increasing Engagements On Instagram With Hashtags

Now that we understand why hashtags are still useful, we need to start thinking about strategies when using them on Instagram. Adam Mosseri suggests avoiding trying to rank higher based on the amount of hashtag use, instead, focusing on using sound judgment when creating and using tags so that potential followers easily find your posts.

While there is no correlation between engagements and the number of hashtags used, posts with three to four hashtags tend to generate higher average engagement rates by impressions. So be sure to use as many relevant and descriptive tags as possible when posting content on Instagram!

You should select hashtags that are relevant to the photo or video content you are uploading. Additionally, be sure to use hashtags that are popular with Instagram users. By doing this, you will maximize the reach of your posts and attract more attention from potential followers.

I always suggest to my clients that they 5-8 hashtags in their organic posts, using a mixture of widely used hashtags (i.e. #Recipes, or #CuteDog), and more niche hashtags (i.e. #KetoRecipes or #CorgiNation). And finally, never stop experimenting with new hashtag ideas! Do research within the app to see what hashtags are being used the most.

It should go without saying, but ensure the hashtags you are using are appropriate for the content in question. For example, do not include offensive or inappropriate hashtags in your posts. Likewise, do not use irrelevant tags simply because they are popular – try to select hashtags that relate to the photo or post in question.

Tip: Be sure to check Instagram's Creator Lab for more information on best practices regarding hashtag usage on Instagram. There are some great resources to help you create better content.

In Short

Hashtags are an essential part of successful Instagram marketing. They are a great way to improve engagement, reach new followers, and boost your brand's visibility. Getting the hang of hashtags and how to use them effectively can be challenging, but with some experimentation and dedication, you can find what works best for your posts. Start by researching trending hashtags in relevant topics, leveraging more niche or unique hashtags to reach a more engaged audience, and using analytics tools (natively or through a tool like Sprout Social) to track performance. Keep experimenting until you find the perfect strategy for your Instagram account!

Want more social media and influencer marketing news worth using? You can read more of my writing, covering my favorite social media tools to use, like GoCharlie.ai. and more deep dives on specific topics on my blog.