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36-year-old’s ‘aha moment’ helped launch the creator economy—and turned her blog into a $2 billion company

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By Tom Huddleston Jr.

This story is part of CNBC Make It’s The Moment series, where highly successful people reveal the critical moment that changed the trajectory of their lives and careers, discussing what drove them to make the leap into the unknown.

Amber Venz Box only wanted to earn a reliable income doing what she loved. She didn’t intend to help create an entire online industry.

The 36-year-old is the co-founder and president of LTK, a Dallas-based marketing company that connects more than 250,000 influencers and bloggers with over 7,000 retail brands with advertising budgets to spend. She’s credited as a pioneer of the creator economy with a business most recently valued at $2 billion, following a 2021 fundraise from Japanese investment holding company SoftBank.

In 2010, Box was an unpaid fashion blogger trying to promote her services as a personal shopper. She’d held some low-level positions in the industry: a fit model, an intern at Thakoon, an assistant buyer at a luxury boutique in Dallas.

When an article in The Dallas Morning News pointed readers to her blog, Box realized she’d made a mistake: Potential clients were reading her fashion tips and buying the clothes themselves. She wasn’t making a penny, and affiliate marketing — where blogs link out to retailers in exchange for a cut of sales — wasn’t yet commonly used in the fashion industry.

“That was an ‘aha moment’ of, I have to modernize my business so that I can actually continue to charge for the sales that I’m driving to my customers,” Box tells CNBC Make It. “That was the impetus for us starting [in 2011] what was RewardStyle, and is now LTK.”

She and her then-boyfriend, an electrical engineer and tech analyst named Baxter Box — they’re now married with four kids — adapted existing affiliate linking tech to fit her blog. Once she started making money, she realized she could sell the technology to other bloggers, who could benefit similarly.

Since launching, LTK has helped online creators earn at least $2.7 billion in pay-outs from retailers, according to the company. It has turned 240 influencers — all women — into millionaires, Box says.

Here, Box discusses the challenges of launching LTK, the risks of completely devoting yourself to an uncertain venture and where any aspiring entrepreneur should begin.

CNBC Make It: Can you describe the process of turning your fashion blog into an online business?

Box: [Baxter] saw me really struggling. We went for a walk one day, and he was like, “Anything’s on the table. How would you want to make money on this?”

My old business model [as a personal shopper] involved getting paid a commission. That seemed fair. That’s what I wanted to do here. So he researched and found some technology that we could apply back to this space.

I put between $500 to $1,000 towards engineering to get this going, and he did the same. I drew up, on PowerPoint, what I wanted it to look like. We met with this guy on the weekends and paid him piecemeal, hourly, to start coding it.

In 2011, we launched and I was able to start earning commissions.

Did starting a business feel like a big personal risk?

There was also almost no [financial] downside. I was in my early 20s, living at home, still eating my dad’s cereal. Worst case, this stays the same. Best case, you have a business where you get to do the things you want within this lifestyle that you wanted to create.

But there was a pressure of, “This better work, because I’m sacrificing everything to make it happen. And what if I do this for X period of time and it doesn’t? That’s going to just be this huge hole and pit in my life.”

I was spending 24 hours a day [on the business]. I was silencing phone calls. I was not spending time with friends. I abandoned a lot of relationships, and very quickly.

How confident were you that this would become a viable business beyond your own blog?

I was confident that people would be excited about it. Bloggers didn’t make money [at the time], and I knew that the second they made $100, that they would want to keep doing this. But I really didn’t know how we were going to pay the bills that we were incurring from hiring an intern, hiring an engineer.

One of the biggest challenges with retailers was getting them to believe that someone who had a website on the internet should be part of their marketing plan. The feedback I would often get was: “We work with celebrities or models. This is not part of our plan. We are a luxury brand, we are elevated.”

There were two key businesses at the time that were selling [luxury items] online, ShopBop and Net-a-Porter. I basically asked them to pay me a commission for the online sales that I was driving, and that’s when the business really took off.

You started LTK before most people knew the term “creator economy.” Did you feel like you were ahead of the curve?

No, I really didn’t even think of it as an industry. I struggled until 2015, when we fundraised for the first time, to try and explain the space that we were creating — articulate it in a way that investors were interested in.

I was talking about blogging, young girls on the internet, fashion. I was a young girl. This was my first business and I was from Dallas. It was very challenging to get investors excited about it and raise money around it. Most of the comments were like, “I’ll ask my wife,” or “I’ll ask my girlfriend.”

We raised $300 million [from SoftBank] in 2021. I think it’s probably one of the largest investments, if not the largest, in the creator space. That was when the industry, to me, really arrived.

What’s your best advice for recognizing a window of opportunity and deciding to commit to pursuing it?

The time isn’t “always now” — it’s always yesterday. If you have a real problem, then other people have that problem too. Solve it now, because someone is going to eventually be able to solve it.

It’s who gets there fastest, spreads the word and builds that community around it best. And that’s with almost every decision as a founder — you move with urgency to win.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Feature Image Credit: Amber Venz Box, 36, is the co-founder and president of influencer marketing company LTK. Source: LTK

By Tom Huddleston Jr.

Sourced from CNBC make it

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Amazing, incredible, superb: The effect of high-arousal language used by social media influencers

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By Marilyn Stone

Researchers from LUISS Guido Carli University have published a new study that examines whether and how subtle shifts in language arousal might shape consumer engagement and the way it affects perceptions of influencers’ trustworthiness.

The study, published in the Journal of Marketing, is titled “How High-Arousal Language Shapes Micro Versus Macro Influencers’ Impact” and is authored by Giovanni Luca Cascio Rizzo, Francisco Villarroel Ordenes, Rumen Pozharliev, Matteo De Angelis, and Michele Costabile.

Companies increasingly turn to popular personalities to promote their brands, products, and services. The influencer marketing economy was valued at $21.1 billion in 2023, and more than 90% of brands enlist influencers with a small audience (micro) or with massive reach (macro) to connect with consumers and achieve a variety of marketing goals, from creating awareness to increasing sales.

Influencers have the potential to diffuse marketing messages and drive actions, but it is unclear why some of their posts get a lot of engagement while others do not. One possibility is that consumers are increasingly aware that influencers get paid to promote products, raising questions about their motives. Additionally, anecdotal evidence suggests that when influencers use high-arousal language (e.g., “it’s totally amazing!”), it leads to questions about their trustworthiness, which in turn leads consumers to engage less with the content.

Micro vs. macro influencers

Consumers typically see micro influencers as regular people, so if they say something like “this shake is AMAZING!” consumers believe they really are excited about that shake and just want to share this discovery with their friends and followers. This belief in their sincerity increases consumers’ trust in micro influencers.

However, macro influencers do not seem like regular people. Consumers know these influencers receive substantial sums to say positive things about products, so they judge their posts as an attempt to persuade, just like any other form of advertising. Believing that someone has manipulative intentions tends to decrease trust. Yet the negative effect of high arousal posts by macro influencers could be mitigated if their posts offer more informative (vs. commercial) content or if the messages are more balanced.

The researchers collaborated with an influencer marketing agency to acquire a sample of 20,923 Instagram-sponsored posts across industries from 1,376 U.S. influencers. They measured engagement as the sum of likes and comments that a post receives. To measure language arousal, they combine a words-based lexicon (including terms like “hectic,” “amazing,” and “sensational”) with paralanguage (i.e., exclamation marks, capitalization, and emojis).

They used 100,000 followers as the cut-off to classify micro versus macro influencers. To measure how informative the post goal would be, they validated a dictionary with words like “explore,” “read,” and “watch.” Finally, more than 100 controls were employed, including details about the influencer, the text and images shared, and so forth. Combining the field data and controlled experiments led to some compelling results.

The researchers note, “For micro influencers, we find that a 10% increase in arousal is associated with a 5.4% increase in engagement, on average. Recommending a product by saying, ‘It’s superb’ rather than ‘It’s great,’ for example, would attract 49 additional likes or comments. However, our findings raise concerns for macro influencers. If macro influencers increase arousal in their posts by 10%, it reduces consumer engagement by 8.4%, on average.”

However, macro influencers are not completely forbidden to express excitement. Since signalling an informative goal is associated with a 1.8% increase in engagement, they can share informative rather than commercial posts. Also, admitting some concerns or noting some negative aspects of the promoted product can help macro influencers seem more genuine, which also increases engagement.

Finally, macro influencers can use high-arousal language if they also include words that signal trustworthiness (e.g., “learn,” “help”). Thus, brands and macro influencers should collaborate to make sure their posts include phrases like “that’s what I learned about this incredible product” rather than “that’s how to use this incredible product.”

From Instagram to TikTok

These findings are not limited to Instagram. The study provides evidence that language arousal also plays a role in TikTok, with relevant influences on its young target market. “We gauge influencers’ vocal cues and the level of pitch in their voices as proxies for arousal. A higher pitched voice can signal greater arousal, and in line with our Instagram study, we determine that a higher pitch, and higher arousal, voice exerts a negative effect for macro influencers,” the researchers say.

This research underscores the importance of aligning social media posts and language arousal strategies depending on the type of influencer. For micro influencers, using high-arousal language authentically can enhance , but macro should focus more on informative content to maintain their trustworthiness.

Exploring the impact of arousal on emerging platforms like TikTok is especially crucial when it comes to targeting young, savvy consumer audiences effectively. This research could be extended to politicians, scientists, and other high-profile individuals and the statements they issue.

Feature Image Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

By Marilyn Stone, American Marketing Association

Sourced from PHYS.ORG

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Why Influencers and Ecommerce Should Be the New Power Duo for Your Business

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BY KARTIK JOBANPUTRA 

The convergence of ecommerce with social media influencers creates a dynamic symphony of trust, engagement, and sales.

The digital revolution in ecommerce has brought forth numerous innovations, with the role of social media influencers standing out distinctly. These online mavens, each with distinct flair and following, are crafting a new narrative in online marketing. Central to this transformation is social commerce, an innovative strategy that weaves shopping into the tapestry of social media.

Unpacking the phenomenon of social commerce

Social commerce signals a paradigm shift in how consumers experience online shopping platforms. Rather than the traditional browsing and searching, it offers a richer, more engaged shopping journey. Modern consumers, especially those in the millennial and Gen Z demographics, are tightly intertwined with their social media accounts. Platforms like Instagram, TikTok and Facebook aren’t just for entertainment; they serve as lifestyle compasses, guiding users in everything from pop culture to shopping choices.

In this digital landscape, influencers have carved a niche for themselves. Their content, genuine and relatable, shines bright amid the bombardment of traditional advertisements. When these influencers vouch for a product, it’s seen not as a sales pitch but as a sincere recommendation. Augmenting this is the allure of convenience that social commerce brings. The process is incredibly streamlined; one can spot a product on a post or story, swipe or click on it, and be led directly to an online checkout. The entire experience is swift, smooth, and satisfying.

The inimitable role of influencers

At the core of the social commerce machine are influencers. These individuals, with their varied followings, are more than just digital personalities; they’re pillars of modern marketing. Unlike celebrities who might endorse various products, influencers are selective, ensuring their endorsements often stem from personal experiences and align with their brand. This selective approach, combined with their domain-specific expertise, makes influencers trust magnets.

For instance, a beauty influencer’s tips on skincare are valued because they’re backed by experience, while a tech influencer’s gadget review is awaited for its depth and authenticity. Additionally, influencers prioritize engagement. Their interactions aren’t limited to broadcasting content. They chat, conduct polls, share snippets of their lives, and create a shared digital space with their followers. This two-way communication fosters a bond, a digital kinship that’s deeply valued. Another feather in their cap is their expertise in visual content. In an age where visuals dominate, influencers, with their compelling images, videos and stories, hold their audience’s rapt attention.

Strategic collaborations for mutual growth

The collaboration between brands and influencers is multifaceted. There is sponsored content, where influencers create posts or videos infused with their personal experiences with products. While promoting, they ensure transparency, often tagging these as #ad or #sponsored. Then there’s affiliate marketing, a performance-centric approach where influencers reap rewards based on the sales generated via their unique links.

Some collaborations transcend regular promotions. Think of a renowned beauty influencer launching a limited-edition product line with a major brand. Such initiatives blend the influencer’s personal brand with the product, promising authenticity and unparalleled quality. Beyond these, some brands envision a longer journey with influencers, turning them into brand ambassadors. This deep relationship ensures that the influencer becomes an enduring face and voice for the brand.

Enduring impacts and considerations

The synergy between brands and influencers leads to tangible benefits. Enhanced brand recall, exponential growth in sales and spikes in website traffic are common positive outcomes. On the trust front, influencers act as a bridge, lending their credibility to the brands they endorse. However, like all strategies, this one isn’t without pitfalls. Over-commercialization can dilute an influencer’s authenticity.

Moreover, ensuring that the influencer’s personal brand aligns with the corporate brand is crucial. Then, there’s the challenge of measuring the intangibles. While metrics like clicks, views, and sales are straightforward, quantifying trust or brand perception remains nebulous. It’s also crucial to remember that influencer marketing isn’t an unregulated frontier. Clear guidelines, especially about disclosures, exist, and both brands and influencers must adhere to them to maintain credibility and avoid legal pitfalls.

Conclusion

The convergence of e-commerce with social media influencers creates a dynamic symphony of trust, engagement, and sales. For consumers, it offers a shopping experience that’s rich, trustworthy, and interactive. For brands, it’s a golden ticket to visibility and authenticity in a crowded digital marketplace. Looking ahead, with innovations on the horizon, this partnership promises to redefine the retail landscape further. In a rapidly evolving digital world, the bond between e-commerce platforms and influencers is beneficial and essential. They aren’t just changing the game – they’re crafting a new one for the next generation of online shopping.

BY KARTIK JOBANPUTRA 

ENTREPRENEUR LEADERSHIP NETWORK® CONTRIBUTOR

Founder & CEO Benevolent by nature, Kartik is a diverse man of diverse and unpredictable choices, a serial entrepreneur. One may find him not just reading stoics or seizing the present like jumping off a plane. He is pro skydiver/licensed scuba. He doesn’t speak in hypotheticals and lives life by doing.

Sourced from Entrepreneur

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Why are cafes, restaurants, and even towns banning influencers?

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By Meera Navlakha

From a picturesque town to a Brooklyn cafe, popular destinations are closing their doors to influencers.

Nowadays, it seems like every place “worth” frequenting is deemed that way by influencers. Lifestyle TikTokkers and Instagram foodies inform the world of which restaurants to choose, the pop-ups currently open, and where to eat when travelling.

But some spots are closing their doors on influencers, raising questions. Take Dae, a design shop and cafe in Brooklyn. As reported by Curbed, the space was inundated by influencers carrying tripods, to the point where the owners decided to ban them entirely. The issue was addressed on the cafe’s Instagram account, permitting visitors to take “quick snaps” at their own tables, but firmly adding their new in-store, no photos-and-videos policy: “We love food and drink photos (clearly) … but the TikToks and Instagram photoshoots have gotten a bit out of control for us.”

Just weeks earlier, a Vermont town came under the spotlight for invoking similar rules. Known for its picturesque autumn landscape, Pomfret closed its most visited and photographed spots to influencers and tourists. The town’s board voted to shutter these areas between Sept. 23 and Oct. 15, citing “significant safety, environmental, aesthetic, and quality of life issues.”

In July, some residents of the town created a public GoFundMe page to save Cloudland Road, a bucolic strip of land that served as a popular backdrop to fall-focused social media content. The fundraiser’s organizers allege that determined visitors, intent on capturing perfect photographs, “have changed the neighbourhood landscape to the point that it is untenable.”

Two TikTok screenshots of Dae Cafe and a spot in Vermont.
Both spots were highly recorded and featured on social media. Credit: TikTok: @euginanoh / @richardkrisak.

These are just two more recent incidents of this nature. In Jan. 2018, a hotel in Ireland banned all “bloggers”, after an influencer asked the owner for a free stay in exchange for content. In Feb. 2020, a cafe in Taiwan “strictly banned” influencers, frustrated by Instagrammers going to great lengths to obtain their perfect shot within the store.

For some, banning content creators in 2023 seems like an interesting choice. It’s hard to look past the rise of influencer marketing, and the subsequent reliance on influencers for promotion. That reliance comes from both businesses, wanting to promote products and places, and consumers, seeking suggestions from internet voices they trust.

One reason for such bans is simply logistical. Viral videos may be conducive to growth but oftentimes, the subjects of these videos aren’t prepared for a surge in popularity. Dr. Marcus Collins, marketing professor at the University of Michigan, says that some restaurants and local attractions “can’t handle the new demand” and do not hold the infrastructure for it, therefore feeling “a physical strain”. Sarah Blocksidge, a marketing director, agrees: “The reality is that some businesses just aren’t suited for the influx of people an influencer can attract, which can wind up hurting the business more than helping it.”

“The reality is that some businesses just aren’t suited for the influx of people an influencer can attract, which can wind up hurting the business more than helping it.”

– Sarah Blocksidge

But it seems the era of being disillusioned by some influencers, and their choices, has also dawned. Earlier this year, de-influencing became a craze (somewhat ironically). Over the summer, TikTokkers expressed outrage at the influx of micro-trends that not only have a ridiculously short lifespan, but also lack meaning. A growing faction of the internet seems fatigued by influencing, especially when it entails a constant barrage of capitalist content or a lack of self-awareness.

The same concept can be applied to the leisure industry. Sam Shaw, strategy director at consumer insights firm Canvas8, says that some influencers are perceived as having “a superficial relationship with the places they visit.”

“Most places want sustainable customer-bases, not just swarms of people who are there ‘for the gram’ and then onto the next place,” says Shaw. “This an extension of the earlier banning of phones and taking pictures in certain restaurants and clubs, in order to protect the “presence” of the experience for those who are there for the substance.”

“Most places want sustainable customer-bases, not just swarms of people who are there ‘for the gram’ and then onto the next place.”

– Sam Shaw

It’s true that no-camera rules are not a new phenomenon: as early as 2013, major restaurants began to enforce stricter regulations for those intent on documenting meals. The New York Times described these diners as the “legions of amateur iPhone-wielding food lovers, who say what they do is a tribute — not to mention free advertising for the restaurants.”

Over a decade later, the act of taking food pics has evolved into full-fledged careers for many. While this has revolutionized the hospitality and F&B industries to some extent, there is another side to be considered. As Dae’s recent move illustrates, some spaces don’t feel that they require social media promotion from others to boost their own sales. Joe Karasin, owner of a digital PR and SEO agency, says that sometimes influencers are “greatly misguided in the value they bring to brands.”

“Sure, Kim Kardashian can help a brand sell products, but the overwhelming majority of micro-influencers bring little value,” says Karasin.

He adds that there’s a recent trend of influencers feeling a sense of misplaced ownership over both private and public spaces, also sometimes demanding free goods in exchange for content (as noted in the case of the B&B in Dublin). Baruch Labunski, founder of a digital marketing company, concurs, saying that “private businesses have grown tired of influencers because many go to cafes, venues, and even businesses like boat rentals to get items or services for free in exchange for a mention.”

This may not be a consensus – and let’s face it, influencers aren’t going anywhere – but there is a tangible backlash around algorithms and their ruling power. As Shaw says, many are asking for a return for “protecting ‘offline’ experiences”. Banning or limiting influencers seems like a way to offer this — even if the brands and businesses doing so have Instagram pages of their own.

Feature Image Credit: Vicky Leta / Mashable

By Meera Navlakha

Meera is a Culture Reporter at Mashable, joining the UK team in 2021. She writes about digital culture, mental health, big tech, entertainment, and more. Her work has also been published in The New York Times, Vice, Vogue India, and others.

Sourced from Mashable

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How To Find, Connect And Collaborate With The Right Influencers

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By Candice Georgiadis

One of the best strategies for reaching and interacting with your target audience in the digital world nowadays is influencer marketing. It’s been estimated that the global influencer market is currently worth $21.1 billion.

Through influencer marketing, you can take advantage of the credibility and trust that influencers have established with their audiences to help sell your services or products. Influencers help you accomplish a number of goals, including:

• Increasing brand exposure, visibility and traffic.

• Generating leads and sales.

• Creating user-generated content and social proof.

• Increasing audience trust and loyalty.

But how can you locate the ideal influencers for your company? How do you get in touch with them and work together to build profitable alliances?

Here’s my advice based on my experience running a digital influencer agency.

Finding The Right Influencers For Your Business

There are countless numbers of influencers, each with their own unique style, personality, niche and audience. How can you whittle down your choices and pick the ones who are best for your brand?

• Define your target audience: You must have a firm grasp of who your target audience is before you start hunting for influencers. What are their aims, pain spots, hobbies and psychographics? What kind of media do they watch? By identifying your target market, you can find influencers who appeal to them and have traits in common with them.

• Set your campaign goals and budget: Next, decide what you want to accomplish with your influencer marketing strategy and how much money you are willing to invest. What are your key performance indicators? How will you assess the campaign’s success? How much money can you afford to pay influencers? Setting your campaign goals and budget allows you to locate influencers who can help you achieve your goals while staying within your budget.

• Use influencer marketing tools: One of the easiest ways to find influencers is to use influencer marketing tools. These tools can help you filter, analyse and contact possible partners for your brands. They make use of data analytics to easily identify influencers with large followings, high engagements and strong connections.

• Look for authenticity and alignment: Authenticity is one of the most crucial aspects to take into account when selecting an influencer. Many consumers can recognize a sponsored post that doesn’t feel sincere right away. Find influencers whose material reflects your brand’s ideals and who genuinely care about your niche. Avoid influencers who advocate for an excessive number of irrelevant or incompatible goods or services.

Connecting With The Right Influencers

After you have a list of influencers who fit your criteria, get in touch with them and build a relationship. Here are some ways to do that:

• Do your homework: Check out an influencer’s profile, content, audience and prior partnerships before reaching out to them. This will enable you to more effectively target your message and demonstrate your sincere interest in working with them.

• Be both personable and professional when communicating with influencers through email or direct message. Use their names and make explicit references to their material or industry. Don’t send messages that may seem generic or like mass outreach or spam. Be kind, considerate and nice, but also explicit and succinct about your goals and expectations.

• Don’t merely ask an influencer for a favour or promotion; instead, offer value. Offer something worthwhile that will also be helpful to them. You could provide a commission or fee, a shout out or promotion on your site, access to exclusive material or events, a free product or service, etc.

• Follow up: Don’t count on an influencer to respond right away. They can receive hundreds of messages each day and may not have the time to respond to each one. Give them some time to consider your idea, and then get in touch with them again if you don’t hear anything back after a few days. Avoid being aggressive, but convey your enthusiasm about the prospect of working with them.

Effectively Collaborating With Influencers

Here are a few pointers when it comes to collaborating with your chosen influencer:

• Agree on the campaign goals, budget, timeline, deliverables, guidelines and metrics. Document them in a contract.

• Let the influencers create authentic and engaging content that fits their voice and style. Don’t micromanage them.

• Support them by engaging with their content.

• Pay them fairly and promptly. Respect their professionalism and influence.

Measuring Your Progress

Partnering with an influencer can help you grow your brand and get ahead of competitors. However, to measure your campaign’s progress effectively, here are some things to do:

• First, keep track of KPIs through Google Analytics, social media platform analytics and influencer marketing platforms.

• Second, examine how your business has progressed toward meeting the initial goals you set, while taking note of why things went well or not.

• Third, try to learn from both your wins and losses throughout the process. This will help foster a culture of continuous improvement.

Final Thoughts

Finding, connecting and collaborating with the right influencers are the keys to successful influencer marketing. Once you’ve done these things, be sure to measure your progress and adjust your campaigns as needed.

Feature Image Credit: Getty.

By Candice Georgiadis

Founder, Digital Day. Read Candice Georgiadis’ full executive profile here.

Sourced from Forbes

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Influencers Are Halting Brand Partnerships With Movie And TV Companies Amid Hollywood Strikes

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By Charlotte Phillipp

While there are some things they can still do, influencers are the latest group affected by the strikes

Hollywood is in a rather historic period of time — since Ronald Reagan was the head of the actors’ union, the Writer’s Guild of America and the Screen Actor’s Guild are both on strike at the same time. Massive film premieres have been cancelled, and release dates have been postponed as a result of the strikes. However, actors and writers aren’t the only groups being impacted.

In recent years, influencers have become a massive part of film and television companies’ marketing strategy. Influencers from all different backgrounds lined the pink carpet of the Barbie premiere, and it’s commonplace for influencers to promote the upcoming season of a show like The Summer I Turned Pretty on their TikTok pages.

“The devotion to this part of marketing is probably the biggest change during the COVID era,” Marc Weinstock, the president of worldwide marketing and distribution at Paramount Pictures, told Insider. “I think it was exacerbated by the fact that a lot of people were watching TikTok videos because they were stuck at home. So why wouldn’t you have creators have fun with your campaign and get the word out that way?”

But many of these creators fall under contracts that have been impacted by the SAG strike. The union has said that influencers who “[perform] covered work or services for a struck company during the strike will not be admitted into membership in SAG-AFTRA.”

According to the union, there are a few different forms of influencing that are prohibited during the strike, such as accepting new work to promote a theatrical film, TV show, or content from a streaming service or participating in conventions like Comic-Con “on behalf of, or to promote, companies [actors] are striking against.”

There are a few exceptions, however — the union advised that influencer should fulfill any already-existing contracts, and brand partnerships are 100% allowed.

iCarly showrunner and SAG-AFTRA and WGA member Francesca Ramsey took to TikTok, where she also has a substantial following for her influencing work, spoke frankly to social media stars with hopes to move into the traditional entertainment industry.

“If you are a content creator or influencer with any aspirations to become an actor or a writer in the future, now is not the time to take a job because the rest of us are on strike,” Ramsey said. “Taking an acting job or a writing job right now is considered scabbing and it will hurt your career in the future.”

Another influencer, Darcy Michael, told the New York Times that a network offered him $25,000 for a sponsorship deal — particularly high for someone with his number of followers — just days before the actors’ union went on strike. According to the Darcy and Jer comedian, he declined the offer after realizing the price may have been driven up because of the strike.

“I told my team, I was like, ‘In no uncertain terms until the strike is over. We’re not crossing picket lines,'” Michael said to the Times. “I also just feel like this strike in particular is monumental for all industries. I think we’re leading the pack in making sure that workers are protected, especially from A.I. intervention. If it means that we’re going to pinch our pennies for a few months, we’re going to pinch our pennies.”

The full details of what influencers are permitted to do amidst the strikes can be found on SAG’s website.

Feature Image Credit: VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images

By Charlotte Phillipp

Sourced from The Messenger Entertainment

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Here’s how two Colorado social media influencers are making a living and changing the game

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By Kati Weis

Whether we realize it or not, influencers are shaping our understanding of the world around us. They teach us new recipes, show us new looks and introduce us to new places.

In Colorado, there are some influencers who are shattering stereotypes and changing the game of influence.

“When I first got to Colorado and heard about hiking, I really didn’t know anything about it, and I just went out, because I wanted to try something new… and eventually I noticed that there weren’t too many people that looked like me out there,” recalls Nelson Holland, a Colorado transport from New York and outdoors influencer. “When I started hearing from people that they needed representation, they needed to know, they had no idea, and I found out that I could be the source for that, I mean, I just felt like I had to.”

buddy-dem-2.jpg
Nelson Holland Kati Weis, CBS

He added, “somebody’s got to let these people know that the outdoors is for everyone, and it can completely change your whole perspective on life.”

Holland’s handle on TikTok and Instagram says it all: @fatblackandgettinit. He says his TikTok videos about hiking in Colorado’s beautiful Rocky Mountains first took off about a year and a half ago and suddenly he went from driving food deliveries to a full-time career on social media.

“I guess North Face was the first brand to kind of reach out to me, saying they wanted to work with me, and yeah, that kind of opened the doors for other companies to see me,” Holland recalled. “I had the opportunity to work with Merril, and Colorado Tourism, and UCHealth last year, it was just an amazing year. Blessed.”

He says influencing wasn’t even something he ever imagined doing.

“I’m one of those early 90s babies that didn’t completely transition into social media,” Holland said. “I had no idea what an influencer was. I never saw myself as a leader or anything like that. So yeah, I never expected anything like this. I’m kind of an introvert, so really, I get starstruck by myself a lot.”

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Instagram: @fatblackandgettinit

Katrina Nichole Tijerina, who moved to Colorado Springs from Ohio in 2019, also never imagined social media influencing in her future.

She used to work in higher education, and what was once a hobby for her on social media catapulted her into a full-time career as an influencer after someone else in the industry noticed her work online and gave her advice to move forward in a big way.

“I started this whole entire career because someone DMed me on Instagram and told me, ‘hey, I like your content, I’m looking for a plus size person to add to my content that I’m creating, would you be interested?'” Tijerina recalled. “So, I was not doing this as a career, wasn’t something that I was intentionally going after, at the time. In April of 2019, I met with her, and she kind of took me under her wing, and taught me everything, introduced me to people in the industry, and then we started sailing from there.”

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Katrina Nichole Tijerina The Katrina Nichole

She says what keeps her motivated are the comments and messages complimenting her work she gets from people around the world.

“What keeps me going is the contacts that I get from people who are just like, ‘thank you so much for that, I’ve never seen someone like you talk so openly or be so confident in themselves,’ and I really, really just feel so privileged and honoured to be able to be a voice for people who don’t necessarily feel like they are represented in the media,” Tijerina said.

She added, “I think so many women and men oftentimes say, ‘I’m going to wait until I’m a certain size, or I’m going to wait till I look X, Y, or Z until I’m going to fully live my life,’ and we’re not promised tomorrow. So, I just highly encourage you to start living your life for yourself and just start doing it now.”

Tijerina hopes her work can continue to inspire others for years to come.

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Katrina Nichole Tijerina Instagram: @thekatrinanichole

“I think just as in education, representation, and diversity matters, the same is true in content creation, in the fashion industry, in the creator and influencer space as well,” Tijerina said. “I think it’s so important to see someone that looks like you in the media, and represents who you are, who you aspire to be in your life. So, for me, I think it’s so empowering that I’m inspiring women of all ages, of all backgrounds, of all different races, to just live their life most authentically to who they are.”

Now, Tijerina has her own company called “The Katrina Nichole,” complete with deals and discounts on athletic gear and fashion and beauty advice.

“I would say that a lot of people think that being a social media influencer means that you’re just taking one quick picture of yourself, and that’s it, all you have to do is post a picture and you’re done, and truly, that’s not accurate. You are a full business owner. You have to file taxes for people that work for you. You have to negotiate deals and work with a legal team, and there’s so much that goes into creating that one post that you might see,” Tijerina said. “It can be really, really taxing… but I would not change it for the whole world. I absolutely love what I do.”

Marketing experts say mid-tier and micro-influencers, like Tijerina and Holland, are the most sought-after right now by major companies for advertising.

“Trust is really what it’s all about,” said Maia Brusseau, an account director with Left Hand, a media advertising agency. “The main reason that brands will want to work with influencers is because of the trust that influencers can bring to their brands, they have this following that they’ve built through native content, organic content, and then that gives them that sort of right to offer up something that they’re getting paid to do.”

Brusseau says 60% of people decide what to buy based on recommendations from influencers.

“The influencers that I grew up with were mostly celebrities,” Brusseau said. “Today, it’s really amazing to see that there are influencers of all different walks of life.”

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Maia Brusseau, Left Hand Agency CBS

She says of Instagram’s two billion users, 30 million of them are influencers, and the global influencing industry has an estimated value of about $15 billion.

Brusseau says marketing campaigns have an average engagement rate of 6.7%, compared to 1.5% for traditional forms of digital marketing and influencer marketing has an average return on investment of $5.20 for every $1 spent.

“If you ask children today what they want to be when they grow up, one of the top answers is that they want to be a social media influencer, because that’s who they see, there’s children that are influencers even online right now,” Brusseau said.

She says influencers tend to make about $100 per 10,000 followers for each ad post they create for a company. She says they also make money through affiliate links with companies, so when people buy something through their link, the influencer earns a percentage of the commission.

“I think it’s really great that we are able to see and hear from more people through these influencers,” Brusseau said. “It’s really cool to see just how many different people are out there and having the opportunity.”

So, how do you break through as an influencer on social media? Tijerina and Holland offer their advice:

“I would say whatever it is that you choose to share on social media, make sure that it’s something that you actually care about, because the more you’re passionate about something, the more that someone can see that this is something that you really believe in, the more successful that you’re going to be, because it’s going to be easier for you to want to talk about it and want to share that component of your life,” Tijerina said. “So, whether it’s cooking, or your life with your dog, or fashion, it can be anything, but find that thing that you’re passionate about and share it with the world.”

“You got to put in the time, it definitely takes longer than people make it look,” Holland said. “You have to be consistent. Make sure you don’t burn out, and go for it. So many people want to do it, but they take forever to get out there and post, and they’re second guessing themselves. You just got to get out there and do it.”

When asked what a day in life is like, Holland said, “there’s always nature involved, lately I’ve been trying to start my day with a sunrise, whether I hike or just go watch it from a spot. I’ll go back home, go through these social media comments and the emails and the messages.”

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CBS

He added, “I’m tired of being on my phone, so it’s about time to get outside. If it’s a little too cold, maybe I’ll just hit the gym, but… at least once a week I’ll go find someplace new to go check out. It’s pretty much random, except for the fact that nature is going to be involved in some way every day.”

Holland says for him, putting in the time has been worth every minute.

“Means the world to me,” Holland said. “The outdoors is for everyone, and nature is everywhere.”

By Kati Weis

Kati Weis is a Murrow Award-winning investigative reporter and multi-media journalist for CBS News Colorado. Read her latest reports or check out her bio and send her an email.

Sourced from CBS Colorado

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Finding Your Target Audience Through Social Media

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By Brian Wallace
Today, influencer and content creator are two of the most sought after jobs. Not everyone can go viral, but everyone can make an impact.

In today’s world, western countries, and the world at large, are not just influenced — but socially dominated — by social media. Platforms like Facebook have risen to have nearly 3 billion users, and others like YouTube and Instagram are not far behind. For younger demographics between the ages of 18 and 29, 90% have used at least one form of social media.

The interesting thing about social media, though, is the power rests in the hands of individuals. The top accounts and creators are individual people who tend to have extremely loyal and influenceable bases. This is why brands and companies are willing to spend so much on social media advertising; there are few other means to reach a consumer in such an effective manner.

Now Hiring: Influencers and Content Creators

Today, influencer and content creator are two of the most sought after jobs. For children the dream has moved from astronaut to YouTuber, and by definition, most content creators are destined to not be mega-stars. Still, anyone can find a perfect audience using social media, and it’s certainly not all up to luck.

Building a Loyal Audience

The way to build a reliable and loyal audience consists primarily of three major phases:

Phase 1

Phase 1 is the first two to three months and is all about the foundation. First a creator must understand their context, what platform they are on, what kind of content they would want to create, what would make them successful.

The next step is creating some wide-reaching content and seeing what sticks, using data to analyze their audience and specify. And the final step is an awareness of the base audience, what are the demographics, who is watching, is that changing depending on changes in the content? Through these steps a solid small viewer base can be built.

Phase 2

From here phase 2 begins. This phase is all about gaining control over the details of one’s content. The first step in this is securing one’s tone. Any content one puts out there is going to have a tone and natural reaction from the audience. More consciously turning that into a way to communicate a message is essential to growing an audience, moving beyond simply making content and starting to send a message.

Also vital to this second phase is timing. This consists of understanding both the timing of when to release content and what effects that has on the base one is growing. Releasing content at certain times may garner a different audience than others, and longer form content will certainly produce a different audience than shorter form. Working on this will help one’s content take on a deeper level of quality and depth.

Phase 3

Finally phase 3 is likely the most simple; it consists of emotions. Once a creator does start to build an audience, criticism and praise are going to be daily occurrences. This can be great, learning from the audience. Repeated comments can move a creator toward better content; although responding to every comment and set of criticisms is a sure fire way towards failure.

Instead, through phase 1 and 2, the creator should have confidence in their content. While there is always room for improvement, the strong base one builds should give them the mental strength to avoid any rash decisions based on criticism. The best creators are both reactive but not too reactive. Finding the balance between these two is phase 3.

Conclusion: You Can Make an Impact on Social

And once all of this is accomplished, with some creativity and a lot of hard work, one can expect to have a solid and loyal audience. This is not to say that everyone is destined for greatness, but that everyone can have an impact. Carving out an individual niche and going about it the right way is plausible for anyone interested.

By Brian Wallace

Brian Wallace is the Founder and President of NowSourcing, an industry leading infographic design agency based in Louisville, KY and Cincinnati, OH which works with companies that range from startups to Fortune 500s. Brian also runs #LinkedInLocal events nationwide, hosts the Next Action Podcast, and has been named a Google Small Business Advisor for 2016-2018.

Sourced from CMSWIRE

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Forget everything you know about influencer marketing and start from scratch

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By Crystal Duncan

Influencer marketing has evolved and so must your approach. Here’s what you need to do to make this powerful approach work as part of your full-funnel marketing strategy.

Like most nascent marketing channels, influencer marketing began as something of a Wild West. Metrics were thorny, processes were clouded, and many brands got burned working with influencer platforms or individual creators who produced scant measurable results.

The upshot is that, even now that influencer marketing has matured into a more structured discipline, some brands remain skeptical of the entire medium.

We are at the point where brands who have struggled to produce and prove value from working with influencers in the past, must consider starting from scratch. That doesn’t don’t mean scrapping your Influencer program, but effectively taking a beat to re-evaluate your approach and reset it.

Build an influencer marketing strategy from the ground up with the same scrutiny you would apply to any other strategy. That means a rigorous brand analysis and quantitative vetting process should drive discovery of potential influencers. While the process of engaging and partnering with or deploying an influencer should be as automated as possible. And, last, measurement should focus on influencers’ ability to drive sales. Influencers who can move the bottom line are the ones brands should redeploy to optimize over time.

Gone are the days when influencer marketing was purely a brand awareness play. In the right hands, influencer is now a full-funnel, full-service discipline, meaning it covers awareness and bottom-of-funnel activations, discovery upfront, and measurement on the back end. Here are three cores to building an influencer marketing strategy from scratch and turning it into a proven revenue generator.

Understand who you are and what you need to accomplish

Brands need to set clear specifications to select the right creators. Brands should ask themselves: What are your values? Which audiences are you trying to reach? What backgrounds would you like your creators to represent? What messages do you need to send to your audience?

Next comes the quantitative decision-making process that has historically eluded the discipline. What are your key performance indicators? What calls to action will you bake into your influencer campaigns? How will you measure success? Beyond numbers of followers (the conventional metric), what engagement rates do you expect influencers to command, and how do those rates line up with sales goals?

Once brands have figured this out, they can select influencers who meet their criteria. Brands should also implement a repeatable process for creating content briefs to set influencers up for success. These, too, can be optimized over time, allowing advertisers to eliminate ambiguities. Now is when cutting-edge influencer practices come in, transforming the discipline into a full-funnel strategy.

Maximize distribution, measure influencer success and optimize

The fatal flaw in most content marketing strategies is that brands focus all their attention on creating great content, and after they have created it, they simply slap it into a blog or repost it to a couple of social channels. The same failure has historically applied to influencer marketing.

But sophisticated practitioners can turn distribution into a source of value. For example, a video created for Instagram might be amplified by paid social, an OTT campaign, digital out-of-home billboards, or programmatic display.

After brands have transformed what could have been a simple influencer Instagram video into an omnichannel campaign, they can leverage cross-channel data to quantify sales driven collaboration. This is a far cry from the old influencer measurement framework in which advertisers would report on the number of eyeballs a campaign reached or how many comments it spurred.

Once brands understand how much revenue individual influencers are driving, they can optimize campaigns, staffing a bench of key collaborators. Over time, by following this model, they can build an “army” of Influencers who deeply understand the brand and can convert their audience, ultimately making things more efficient and seamless. This process of distribution, measurement, and optimization should ultimately equip brands with a well-oiled machine of creators proven to be worth the investment – and then some.

Raise the bar for influencer marketing

It is understandable that many advertisers are wary of influencer marketing. But forward-thinking brands should not let past failures dictate future strategy for a channel that has evolved.

Influencer marketing should be part of a full-funnel strategy. It builds awareness and trust through powerful, authentic content that resonates with consumers on an emotional level. It also drives sales and lends itself to granular measurement, which allows for optimization so that influencer becomes not only more lucrative but also more efficient over time.

The only thing standing between many brands and a revenue-generating Influencer Marketing strategy is outdated assumptions about the channel. By challenging past wisdom and applying the same structure that governs other performance marketing channels to influencers, brands can unlock fresh revenue-generating opportunities.

By Crystal Duncan

Crystal Duncan is senior vice president, head of partnership marketing, Tinuiti

Sourced from The Drum

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These 6 Classic Marketing Tactics Stand The Test Of Time

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By NisonCo

In the age of digital marketing, it seems influencers, email marketing, SEO, and social media reign supreme. Are there any classic marketing tactics that have withstood the test of time? The answer is yes — there are quite a few “old school” marketing moves that still pack a punch. Let’s look at six tried and true marketing tactics you should still consider using in the modern era.

1. Networking and Relationship-Building

Networking online or in-person is just as important in the modern-day as it was in the past. Strong networking skills are essential for any marketing professional or business owner. Successful networking generates referrals and leads, encourages steady client retention, and helps to build a positive reputation among peers and patrons, alike.

Attending conferences in your area is a great way for you to meet other people in your industry and build connections with local businesses and clients that are geographically nearby. Attending national networking events or conferences can also help you expand your network across the country and meet prospective clients and professionals that are doing similar work and perhaps can partner with your business or brand to form a mutually beneficial relationship.

2. Actual Facetime with Your Audience

No, we’re not talking about FaceTime with screens. Investing in facetime with your audience or customers is still a necessary part of doing business and can be greatly beneficial to your relationship with clients, collaborators, and partners. You will develop stronger circular regional relationships by curating interaction opportunities as well, which in turn helps to build more resilient local economies.

When you have face-to-face time with clients or business partners you’re able to pick up on things that are often missed in emails or audio calls such as facial expressions, body language, and other social queues that can get left out in written text or audio-only interactions. This can help build trust and deepen relationships which can yield fruitful business opportunities.

3. Offering Freebies and/or Discounts

People like free stuff. It’s as simple as that. This is a marketing tactic that won’t be retired any time soon because it has proven time and again to be effective. Freebies and discounts allow your target audience to interact with your brand or business and engage more actively with your services and content or sample your products.

It also offers an excellent opportunity for free advertising. When hosting a contest or free giveaway you can get entrants to repost the contest on their social media accounts, follow your brand’s account, and tag other people to spread the news — extending your reach and engaging your target audience in a fun way. Everyone wins.

 

The USPS created a guide titled

The USPS created a guide titled “Still Relevant: A Look at How Millennials Respond to Direct Mail” (PDF) to help companies understand why millennials respond to mail and how to create an appealing mail piece.

4. Direct Mail Lives!

If you think paper mail is dead, then you would be wrong. It turns out everyone really does love mail. Direct mail is still a great way to reach out with the right purpose in mind, even for younger generations.  There are several benefits to using direct mail. Direct mail campaigns give a high return on investment (ROI)—even higher than paid ad campaigns.

It is possible to reach your target audience with the right information at the right time. Direct mail campaigns can work solo or in conjunction with a digital marketing campaign such as by integrating online sales or QR codes, and it is very easy to track their progress.

5. Radio Advertising

Audio is making a significant comeback, so don’t sleep on this medium! Listen to what the founder and CEO of NisonCo Evan Nison had to say about the benefits of radio advertising in Forbes:

The resurgence of radio-based advertising has become increasingly apparent. Podcasts and web-based streaming audio ads can reach national and global platforms. Radio ads can be used to target very specific local regions and varied audience segments.

For those with a brick-and-mortar business location especially, radio advertising is the fun, affordable option of choice for hyper localized advertising. For those looking to level up their findability in the technological age, look into optimizing your local SEO performance.

6. Testimonials and Reviews

People are generally more attuned to the tactics used to get them to buy things or engage with a brand. Testimonials provide both credibility and accountability for brands and businesses because customers are naturally more likely to trust feedback from other consumers. Creating space for testimonials and reviews allows for clients to leave positive feedback or bring attention to issues that can then be addressed to help better the brand or business. In addition to these benefits, bringing them into the modern era by dedicating time to respond on social media sites and to poor reviews will aid in your local SEO strategy so your site will rank better on search engine results pages.

Conclusion Caveat: It’s a Modern World

It is imperative to examine the past for the lessons it has to offer our present, with the caveat that the world we live in exists today in the here-and-now. Each marketing strategy — old and new — has strengths and weaknesses when placed in different applications and contexts. If your brand is uncertain what blend of old-school and digital marketing strategies to employ, reach out to our team of PR, SEO, and Content Writing specialists today to begin crafting a comprehensive plan.

This article was submitted by an external contributor and may not represent the views and opinions of Benzinga.

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