It’s no secret that social media platforms are constantly evolving; be that a new algorithm, platform feature, or update. But what does this mean for marketing strategies and content creators?
In our latest The Power-Up Series Session, our experts Steff Garrard - Senior Account Manager - and Edward Ogunrinde - Senior Creative Strategy Manager - dived into how these platforms are changing for an insightful webinar, reflecting on how this scenario affects influencer marketing and what brands can do to stay ahead of the curve.
What’s changed?
Over the past few years, there’s been a dramatic shift in how social media is used. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram had social networking at their core, primarily focusing on keeping in contact with friends and capturing social moments.
As a result, brands commonly focused more on ‘vanity metrics’, mainly valuing likes, follows and comments above anything else. However, as consumers have changed, so have social platforms. This means it’s now down to brands and marketers to adapt their approaches to not only keep up but to monitor these nuances and stay ahead of the game.
‘’Not to say these [vanity metrics] aren’t important, but nowadays they’re the tip of the iceberg, and there are more meaningful ways for brands to capture ROI.’’
What we’re now seeing is a shift away from the norm. Platforms like TikTok have disrupted this familiar landscape, and have set themselves apart from the competition by putting entertainment at their core. There’s been a shift from the ‘perfect feed aesthetic’ to nurturing and celebrating real human content. Creators are making content directly from their bathrooms, bedrooms and everyday environment, connecting with audiences in a more authentic way.
On top of this, short-form content popularity has skyrocketed - this could be down to the fact that the average attention span is now 5 seconds. Either way, TikTok’s formula has been a catalyst for other social media platforms' adaptation. Examples can be seen with Instagram introducing ‘Reels’ and YouTube introducing ‘ Shorts’. This isn’t to say long-form content isn’t relevant, but platforms are recognising this shift and are making changes to cater for their audiences.
"Short form content is hugely successful because people can digest so much content in such a short amount of time and which is generating great results for brands."
What does social entertainment mean for brands?
Responding to this shift is mission-critical for brands, and with 29% of consumers more likely to make a purchase the same day of using social media and with 49% seeking guidance from influencers before making a buying decision, it proves that an entertainment-first storytelling approach surges both brand growth and revenue.
"If an audience is provided consistent exposure to a brand through influencers' content, then that brand is eventually going to gain that loyal customer base – building that trust is crucial in generating sales."
Images source: Unsplash.
Adopting this change is a great start. But brands also need to strive to intertwine these new drivers with influencers’ natural feed narratives and start to monitor metrics like click-through rate, view-through rate, engagement rate, cost per engagement and sentiment.
Another approach to consider is building ‘shopability’ into content. It’s something that all brands and influencers should be thinking about and actually building into contracts for influencers moving forward, to make sure the investment is capitalised as much as possible.
Have you missed the webinar?
If you've missed our latest The Power-Up Series Sessions webinar and want to continue diving into the topic, click here to check the full conversation.
Interested in building an influencer marketing campaign?
Effective influencer campaigns can be a complex business. At MG Empower, we specialise in crafting bespoke campaigns that produce measurable results and can advise on ways to amplify any message across any channel in combination with digital, social, experiential and beyond.
Get in touch with our business development team today if you’d like to know more.
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