1. Understand the Assignment

Step 1

Have a crystal clear understanding of what TikTok users want. It doesn’t matter how much money you throw at TikTok- it will fall flat if it doesn’t resonate with the people of the Tok. Conduct a deep dive into customer insights annually to make sure your message is on target across media.

Step 2

Create multi-purposed content that can live across TikTok. Make your TikTok content easily searchable with hashtags and video descriptions. Once a TikTok video is developed, identify ways to activate that asset across channels: it’s a short road from TikTok to Reels, just sayin’.

Step 3

Promote organically to draw TikTok users in, instead of creating a standard ad.

Top tip: It’s not always about the product or service (yep – we really did just say that, and we mean it, too). Create fun, engaging pieces of content that inspire TikTok growth and virality. 

2. Trend-mine, build content around moments, rinse & repeat

Let’s cut to the chase: TikTok for business is important. With the right strategy, most brands are able to drive brand affinity, engagement and revenue on TikTok. Not only are TikTok ads a power revenue stream, TikTok is also the leading catalyst when it comes to social and generational trends. Viral moments may come and go but there should be a content strategy mainstay. Build a process where you continuously monitor trends and jump on them quickly to become part of a larger narrative. What’s more, the traction and views will follow. It’s not just because we’re a leading TikTok agency (or maybe it is), but we’ve defined the right posting cadence and framework for viral trends and engagement, driving traffic to:

• Website
• Physical stores
• Social media pages
• Blogs 

Client success: How a consistent organic presence boosted an outdoor brand’s engagement

In just one month, we kicked a leading outdoor recreation brand’s TikTok into gear. The formula was simple: posting multiple times a week, committing to immediate, regular audience engagement, and paying close attention to what is being talked about across industries and competitors to elevate the brand’s name in conversations. The results speak for themselves: 

• Video views: +96%
• Profile views: +794%
• +120% shares
• +950% comments 
• +82% like 

3. Make the TikTok Shop your storefront

Sync product catalogs to create a shoppable experience that is seamlessly integrated into the scrolling journey. Here’s how.

• Promote products – Tag products in organic posts and measure impact in the Store Manager. Once in the Shop tab, simply tag products to create shoppable experiences for active users. 
• Direct conversions – Convert directly within the app without the need for a landing page – a complete checkout process. You can even connect the app to your Shopify store and automatically get product data.

4. Make people stop, shop and listen

Use TikTok’s advertising program to reach your future customers in 3 ways. 

1. Content – Create quality content that is audience-specific. 
2. Promoted Posts – Reach out directly through video ads. 
3. Influencers – Partner up with influencers on the social platform. 

5. Project main-character energy with paid ads

The challenge: brands need to build relationships by becoming part of the story rather than simply telling it. Marketers that master their storytelling will experience a two-way audience-to-brand experience that no other social media platform can offer. The end result drives massive engagement and conversion. 

Let’s take a look at a SparkAds case for a leading fashion brand. Power Digital turned to Influencer Spark Ads to resonate with the brand’s target audience. This authentic, quality content resulted in Power Digital delivering a 257% increase in ROAS. The strategy leaned on restructuring the fashion brand’s account to support a Spark Ads-focused creative strategy with a strong posting cadence of 6+ new pieces of content a week. The TikTok algorithm had more to work with and, in return, drove more revenue.

Client success: Match-market testing yields delicious results for SmartSweets

A match market test (MMT) measures how incremental a marketing channel is and assesses its impact on holistic business performance. By experimenting at the Geo level across multiple channels, measuring at this level makes the data impervious to issues and limitations. The outcome is always objective because an MMT doesn’t rely on third-party data. Compared to Meta/Instagram MMT results, Power Digital’s TikTok strategy for SmartSweets drove a 287% higher incremental ROAS with a significantly lower budget. MMT results positioned TikTok as incremental to SmartSweets’ holistic business performance and offered a tangible impact on brick & mortar sales.

Following the success, SmartSweets increased their TikTok ads investment by 50%.

6. Hit different with authentic influencer relationships

The importance of brand buy-in from influencers cannot be overstated. The holy grail of TikTok is to create meaningful relationships with creators who are open to making content and driving reach.

You can’t just throw a script at a TikTok creator and expect results. Involve them early in the planning and get their input.

Equally as important – get creative. Use TikTok as an always-on platform to get any sort of longevity when it comes to building engaging content libraries through creator relationships.

Client Success: Prebuilt gaming PC company NZXT sees nearly 250% growth

NZXT, a prebuilt gaming PC company, looked to drive TikTok growth through Power Digital. Power Digital activated influencer content as Spark Ads, driving a 246% increase in account growth, and ultimately, a 12-fold return on ad spend. Within the first month of influencer activations, NZXT saw immediate results and success, generating $65k in Earned Media Value. Needless to say, the strategy paid off.

7. The conversion conundrum

Attribution explains the credit or blame for conversions or actions taken (or not) by a user. When a user converts after seeing a brand on TikTok, marketers want to know: WHY? What percentage of conversions came from an ad or other factors – such as organic discovery or word-of-mouth referrals? The problem with most attribution models is that they’re incredibly opaque. They don’t provide visibility on what happens after users leave a social media platform.

If you’re running an ad campaign where conversions happen in the first few days (or less) of viewing the content, this may not matter much. But with campaigns where purchases happen months or weeks after people have interacted with the content – what do we know about them now?

Ask:

1. Do they even remember who we are?
2. Are they still using our product/service?
3. What else may have influenced their choice?

These questions become especially important as we consider longer-form content like music videos or skits that might only be watched once, but remembered for weeks.

Strong attribution signals

The TikTok Insights tool is powerful, offering a bird’s-eye view into what works best for brands.

Attribution window time is the amount of time it takes for views or clicks to be attributed as an impression, view or click. For example, suppose your attribution window is set at one day (24 hours). In that case, all of your impressions and views will be counted on the same day they were received by users.

Say 10 people watched your TikTok video after seeing it yesterday, but they didn’t watch it today. It doesn’t count toward the total number of views for your campaign. But, if you change the setting to 7 days (168 hours), all impressions/views from this time frame now count toward your total number of impressions/views. These will however drop off in another seven days as long as there’s no more activity from the original users who first saw them.

Say a user watches one minute into a five-minute video today but doesn’t watch any further until three weeks later, when they complete the video. Both scenarios will score points for the campaign because the attribution window was set accordingly.

Impactful creative & audience signals

The Insights tool also gives visibility within each creative on the exact point a user took action – think: clicks, conversions and the associated efficiency metrics. Though not possible in the ads manager alone, Insights saves significant testing time and dollars by highlighting the most efficient areas for testing broad audiences or interests. Use these insights to optimize future campaigns around specific winning creative elements.

• Getting demographic breakdowns (like age and gender) of each individual creative can unveil where the majority of revenue is coming from.
• Gain insights into interests, demographics, geographic and technological audiences from a birds-eye view, something that isn’t possible in ads manager alone.
• Power Digital delivered a 133% increase in conversions and a 163% increase in number of clicks in the first 3 weeks for one of our top clients after incorporating learnings from their video insights page.

Grow Your Brand’s TikTok Account With Power Digital

Power Digital can help you craft the perfect TikTok strategy to maximize your visibility as efficiently as possible. Our team of experts will help you identify which type of videos best suits your brand’s goals, create an engaging and comprehensive content strategy, and use data-driven insights to target and track the progress of your campaign. 

We know that developing a successful TikTok marketing campaign is about more than just creating video content; it’s also about understanding your target audience, identifying trends in the algorithm, and knowing how to leverage influencers. We have the knowledge and resources to help you get the most out of your TikTok campaigns and ensure your content reaches its desired audience.

We understand that managing a TikTok presence can be intimidating, but with the right team and strategy, you can capitalize on this powerful platform and tap into new audiences. Let our digital marketing agency help you create a TikTok strategy that drives growth for your brand. Reach out to us today to learn more about our TikTok agency and services offered.

The post POV: 7 Paths to Growth on TikTok appeared first on Power Digital Marketing.

The below knowledge will strap you with the tools you need to succeed on TikTok – ultimately, what we like to call, the TikTok marketing magic recipe. Your brand’s performance on TikTok is not only dependent on your paid advertising strategy, but also other factors at play: organic presence, creator partnerships, and more. Playing into the TikTok magic recipe, there are a number of “ingredients” that, when combined, will not only increase your brand’s performance on the TikTok platform, but drive your business’s overall success. 

Ingredient #1: Organic Presence

Establishing how your brand will be represented on the TikTok platform is critical when developing an effective strategy. With users spending an average of 85+ minutes per day in the app and opening the app at an average of 19 times per day, creating an immersive, engaging experience is of utmost importance when bringing your brand to TikTok audiences.

The TikTok community thrives on exploring and discovering new content. By building a brand presence with organic content, especially with access to TIkTok business features, a brand will, without a doubt, get discovered and form a TikTok community. When establishing your brand on TikTok, keep in mind “organic beats” – an ongoing stream of TikTok organic posts on your organic profile, keeping users engaged and familiar with your brand. An established organic presence on TikTok strengthens brand credibility, as well as aids in building your community. When a brand’s organic profile is curated and utilizes creative that is in line with TikTok best practices, credibility and trust are strengthened, and brand awareness grows. 

Ingredient #2: Paid Ads

Once your brand’s organic presence is strong on TikTok, amplify your presence through an expert paid ads strategy. Depending on your overarching business goal, craft a strategic campaign structure and achieve optimal performance, expanding your reach to new audiences and creating awareness when users are in the mindset to consume videos. Now, you might ask, why is organic presence necessary when pushing paid ads? An organic presence on TikTok in tandem with TikTok ads plays a significant role in a brand’s overall performance, specifically regarding TikTok’s key ad format: Spark Ads. 

When leveraging Spark ads, you boost organic content to get authenticity at scale. Spark ads are not only an effective way to create TikTok ads, but they drive deeper engagement through an authentic integration with TikTok’s community of creators. Most importantly, users trust organic UGC more than traditional brand ads.  When you have a strong organic presence, Spark ads stemming from your brand’s organic profile should be leveraged significantly. A Spark ad stemming from your brand’s organic profile allows a user to click on the handle, bringing them to your organic feed, driving trust between a user and your brand, leading to increases in not only conversion-focused metrics, but also increases in engagement, specifically driving upticks in your organic profile’s followers, shares, profile visits, and more. 

Ingredient #3: Creator Partnerships

A significant reason why TikTok continues to take the world by storm is its community of creators. Tapping into this community of creatives instills realness and reflects the creativity that makes TikTok the platform that it is. With unique storytelling capabilities, authentic voices, and a strong knowledge of TikTok’s hottest trends, TikTok creators help brands drive results. 

When partnering with TikTok creators, a brand can reach and impact new audiences as TikTok creators understand how to get noticed and create an impact on TikTok. Creators drive positive, immersive, inclusive engagement with their creativity and ability to form communities of active creators. TikTok creators know their audience and are familiar with what their audience would engage with – creators can recommend products to their followers while creating a seamless shopping experience as their creatives are paired with a clear CTA and deep links. With 49% of TikTok users purchasing a product or service after seeing it promoted, advertised, or reviewed in the app, partnering with TikTok creators plays an integral role in your brand’s success. 

With a comprehensive strategy in place, your brand can effectively grow and connect with the TikTok community, driving positive impacts across your business’s performance. Get started on your TikTok marketing magic recipe today with our digital marketing services.

The post The TikTok Marketing Magic Recipe appeared first on Power Digital Marketing.

With the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, however, more and more users in the United States began signing up for TikTok accounts to keep themselves entertained. In July 2020, TikTok launched the creator fund—which gave influencers and brands the opportunity to create deals and make money from their content.¹

Fast forward to today, and TikTok is now the number one social media platform on the app store. 

With such a meteoric rise, it would be a missed opportunity for businesses to leave TikTok marketing out of their marketing strategy. Getting the hang of this novel app isn’t always easy for beginners, however. Tack on the fact that going viral on TikTok can often seem utterly random, and you’re left with quite a few questions for your marketing team.

Fortunately, you’ve come to the right place if you’re looking for answers. Read on for a crash course on how to develop a TikTok marketing strategy.

#1 Use Hashtags

Hashtags contribute largely to the content that lands on the TikTok for you page (FYP). Trending hashtags will also be clumped together and displayed on the discover page, so it’s crucial to pay attention to these keywords when using TikTok for a marketing campaign.

While many users tend to throw any trending hashtag into the caption of their TikTok video, this isn’t necessarily the best tactic for gaining views or brand awareness—especially for marketing purposes. Instead, you’ll want to be selective about which hashtags you choose to include. The best way to do this is by studying other videos under the same hashtag, taking note of trends, and trying to recreate them in a way that shows off your unique brand. 

#2 Know Your Audience

The TikTok audience is much younger than many other social media platforms. With 60% of users between the ages of 16-24, it’s important to understand the unique challenges of marketing to gen Z.² 

It’s also crucial to note that by 2022, 74 million people in the United States will be members of gen Z, making it the largest generation in history. So, how do we gear our digital marketing efforts towards this age group?

While many people consider generation Z to be strictly children, this notion actually isn’t accurate. Gen Z consists of people who were born between 1997 and 2012. This means that our oldest gen Z members are currently in their early 20s, which is an ideal demographic for a number of different industries. 

Gen Z’ers are considered trendsetters. They understand the internet better than anyone because they were raised with it. If you’re looking to market toward this group of individuals, you’ll want to keep a few things in mind:³

• Keep it casual – Gen Z’ers have grown up in a world where everything is at their fingertips. This means it can be hard to sell younger individuals on certain topics, especially when they’re capable of doing the research themselves. In order to appeal to this age group, you’ll want to keep things casual. Don’t try too hard to sell your brand. Instead, make it seem as though your brand is already trendy. Keep marketing tactics effortless, cool, and authentic. This will help you build an ethos that resonates with the younger generation.
• Keep it quick – The whole point of TikTok is that it’s quick and to the point. Don’t use the TikTok app to try and create a lengthy, in-depth advertisement. Keep it simple, keep it short, and keep your viewers from scrolling onto the next video. 
• Keep it up to date – If your marketing campaign consists of outdated trends, memes, and pop culture references, you’ll be written off as out-of-touch by gen Z viewers. It’s vital to have a team member who can dedicate their time to staying on the pulse when it comes to trends. 
• Keep it sustainable – Many members of gen Z are more eco-conscious than their older counterparts. If you’re looking to reach a younger audience, it never hurts to focus on sustainability and products with a smaller carbon footprint.

#3 Reach Out to Influencers

It’s no surprise that influencers are everything when it comes to social media, especially TikTok. Popular creators like Charli D’Amelio, Addison Rae, and Khabane Lame are just a few names that come to mind, and these influencers have follower counts upwards of 100 million. So, if you’re really looking to maximize your visibility, you’ll want to reach out to a content creator who has already built up a large following. 

Reaching the younger audience on TikTok can be tricky, especially since many of these users are accustomed to scrolling through ads on a daily basis. Rather than putting out a marketing campaign on its own, it’s advised that brands create deeper relationships with bigger content creators. One of the best ways to do this is by sending out PR packages.

PR packages are an easy way for influencers to try new products and promote them to their audience. Many content creators will negotiate with brands in order to receive these packages. In return, creators will do ads and unboxing videos to show off the products.

Choose the Right Influencer

It’s also vital that brands take their time to research influencers before deciding on a spokesperson for their company. You’ll want to make sure the audience you’re reaching through an influencer is the right TikTok demographic for your brand. For example:⁴

• Beauty brands – Beauty brands will often reach out to either professional makeup gurus or young female influencers. PR packages may consist of makeup, skincare products, or hair extensions that can be featured in tutorial videos.
• Meal kits – Meal kit brands, like Freshly or Daily Harvest, typically reach out to millennial influencers and family channels in order to reach a slightly older audience of individuals who live on their own.
• Fitness brands – Fitness brands, like Gymshark, often reach out to athletic influencers who wear the clothes for sponsored videos. An easy way to show off these products is through workout tutorials on the fitness side of TikTok (sometimes referred to as GymTok).
• Amazon – Looking to reach a larger audience, Amazon has chosen to partner with members of David Dobrik’s vlog squad. Most notably, they have sponsored skits created by influencer Jason Nash who has followers of all genders in the gen Z and millennial demographics

While the possibilities don’t stop here, these are just a few examples of how influencer marketing can be used to reach a specific target audience. 

#4 Use Effects

One of the more unique aspects of TikTok is their library of different visual effects. While these may seem unrelated to marketing, they can actually be used as a powerful tool for gaining views.

Here’s the thing: when you see a video with an interesting effect on it, you can click on the effect. From there, you’ll be taken to a new page full of other videos that have used the same effect. Many users will see interesting thumbnails and find themselves clicking on other videos in the collection, purely out of curiosity.

If a brand can get their video on one of these discover pages, they can increase their views through this method alone. Not to mention, some of these visual effects can be pretty eye-catching—so it never hurts to try them out!

#5 Use Humor

Humor is one of the most influential strategies you can use in your TikTok marketing campaign. Even if a video is clearly sponsored by a brand, many users will continue watching if the narrative is interesting enough—and especially if it makes them laugh.

Brands can gain a larger viewing if they incorporate relatable, down-to-earth humor into the marketing videos. Try creating a short, well-crafted skit that doubles as an advertisement. This way, you’ll be selling your brand while also providing an enjoyable experience for the viewer.

#6 Engage with Other Users

While going viral on TikTok can sometimes happen out of pure coincidence, the social platform is no different from any other form of social media. If you make an effort to connect with other users, you’ll have an easier time building a substantial following. 

If you’re struggling to gain traction on the app, try some of the following techniques:

• Follow more users, especially celebrities and content creators
• Leave unique, interesting, or funny comments on other users’ videos
• Like other users’ videos
• Stitch other users’ videos, or encourage followers to stitch your videos
• Create a trend, or recreate a trend started by other users
• Tag other users in videos and comments (when appropriate)

Hone Your TikTok Marketing Skills with Power Digital

When it comes to an app as viral and unpredictable as TikTok, creating a marketing campaign on your own isn’t always easy. Don’t worry, though—when it comes to how to advertise on TikTok and create a TikTok presence, that’s what our digital marketing team is for.

Our digital marketing agency has the experience, expertise, and strategy to help you create a unique and effective TikTok marketing campaign. From our powerful Nova marketing platform to our personalized consulting, we’re here to help you every step of the way.

Make the most of your marketing campaign, and reach a larger TikTok audience today.

Sources:

1.  Dexerto. The History of TikTok From Musical.ly to the number 1 app in the world. https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/the-history-of-tiktok-1569106/ 
2. Wallaroo Media. TikTok Statistics.  https://wallaroomedia.com/blog/social-media/tiktok-statistics/ 
3.  MNI. How to Market to Generation Z. https://www.mni.com/blog/research/marketing-to-generation-z-it-s-time-to-forget-about/article_e1ec8b94-053f-11e9-9bbb-638dddb33ff3.html 
4.  Social Bakers. Brands That Rule TikTok.  https://www.socialbakers.com/blog/brands-that-rule-tiktok 

The post Six Tips for Your TikTok Marketing Strategy appeared first on Power Digital Marketing.

Of course, not everyone has experienced the same virality that creators like Charli D’Amelio and Addison Rae have achieved through TikTok. The key to ensuring your TikTok video lands on everyone’s for you page (FYP)? Understanding TikTok’s algorithm. So, how does TikTok algorithm work?

If you’re interested in maximizing your outreach through TikTok marketing, or influencer marketing, read on for everything you need to know about the TikTok algorithm.

The History of TikTok

Before we can dive into what TikTok is, we’ll need to start with the platform’s first iteration: Musical.ly.

Musical.ly was an app created in 2014. The format of Musical.ly was fairly similar to our current version of TikTok. Users would create videos centered around a chosen audio clip. Audio clips were typically popular songs, and videos usually portrayed users lip syncing and dancing. 

Musical.ly had a small user base compared to larger social media platforms at the time, such as Facebook and Twitter. That isn’t to say Musical.ly was a completely unheard-of app, however. By 2016, this platform had approximately 70 million downloads under its belt.

In 2017, a Chinese company known as ByteDance created an app called TikTok. With its similar structure and quick rise to fame, TikTok soon merged with Musical.ly to create the current version of the app that we use today. This merger came at a hefty price tag of nearly $1 billion dollars—but it’s no surprise that this cost paid off in the long run.¹

While TikTok’s initial release in the U.S. wasn’t the smash hit ByteDance was hoping for, the app became a household name in years to come. Most notably, the COVID-19 pandemic brought hoards of users to TikTok, with an 800% increase from 2018. 

Today, TikTok has been downloaded approximately 2 billion times, with nearly 50 million daily users in the United States alone.²

How to Use TikTok

Figuring out how to use TikTok can be a little complicated for new users. In order to master the TikTok’s algorithm, it’s important to understand the ins and outs of using TikTok and creating content.

Once you’ve downloaded the app and created an account, you can begin perusing everything TikTok has to offer. When you open the app, there are five main pages you can select:

• Your profile – First, you have your profile. This is where videos you create and like will appear. You’ll also have access to your followers list and any private videos you’ve uploaded, as well. 
• Your inbox – Next to your profile page is your inbox. This is where you can exchange messages and videos with other users. This page also shows you any notifications you’ve received, like likes and comments on your videos. 
• Create – In the middle of your screen you’ll see a black plus sign. This button allows you to create a TikTok. Here you’ll have access to your camera to record or upload footage, and you’ll also have the option to add audio clips and visual effects. 
• Discover – On the discover page, you can scroll through a trending hashtag, audio clips, or search for specific videos and users.
• For you page – Finally, we have the star of the TikTok app (and also the main topic of today’s article): the for you page. Colloquially referred to as the FYP, this is your main feed of videos from both people you follow and strangers. If you select the “following” part of your for you page, you’ll only see videos from users you follow—but most people utilize the “for you” category, which shows you viral videos from all over the world. This element of TikTok is what makes the app truly unique, and it’s all thanks to the algorithm. 

The TikTok Algorithm

Whether you’re an avid TikTok content creator or simply a casual viewer, you’ve probably asked yourself this question at least once: how does the TikTok algorithm work?

The reason so many users find themselves curious about the TikTok algorithm is that it’s fairly complex. When you scroll through and like certain videos, you’ll find that TikTok curates a unique FYP with videos you enjoy. Tailoring your TikTok FYP and TikTok algo is fairly easy—all it takes is a few strategic likes and comments. This is the reason why so many relatable videos on TikTok are peppered with comments like “ wow, this really is the for YOU page, huh?”

While creating a newsfeed that’s perfect for each individual user is pretty remarkable, it takes quite a bit of programming to achieve. TikTok’s algorithm is influenced by three main factors:³

• User interaction – This portion is all about the content you interact with, including videos you like, share, and comment on. For creators, this also includes the type of content you make yourself.
• Video information – Certain attributes of the videos you interact with will also influence your feed. This includes hashtags, audio clips, and keywords in captions. 
• Account settings – Finally, your FYP will also be influenced by specific settings on your account. These include location services, language preferences, and the type of device you’re browsing from.

While this may seem simple, the techniques used by the TikTok algo to calculate these preferences are actually pretty high-tech. The most notable example of TikTok’s unique algorithm is known as “interest level.” This is how the app indicates what types of videos a user is interested in seeing.

For example, if a user finishes watching a video from start to finish—or watches a video multiple times—it’s more likely that this video will influence their FYP. Compare this to a video that a user skips past after a few seconds, which will be classified by the algorithm as uninteresting to the user. 

So, the bottom line is: it’s not just about likes and comments. TikTok monitors your activity far more closely than you may even realize. That is the true key to creating such a personalized FYP.

How to Use the TikTok Algorithm to Your Advantage

Now that you have a better understanding of the TikTok algorithm, it’s time to talk about how you, as a TikTok user or content creator, can take advantage of it for influencer marketing. Here are some tips and tricks for getting your video on the FYP:⁴

• Hashtags – TikTok Hashtags play a major role in getting on the for you page. Most users add the hashtags #foryoupage and #fyp, but you can also add trending hashtags to your video to boost your chances of going viral. Adding a trending relevant hashtag might work for your advantage even more.
• Trends – Following trends is a great way to increase your audience and get on the FYP. Most TikTok trends will follow a similar format while using the same audio clip. If a trend is frequently popping up on your FYP, it may be wise to recreate it with the same audio if you’re looking to gain more viewers.
• Quality – The TikTok algorithm tends to prioritize clear, high-quality videos. If you’re looking to get on the FYP, it’s recommended to film in a well-lit area with a newer device. Audio quality is also important if you don’t plan on using a pre-existing sound. 
• Use analytics – For serious creators, utilizing TikTok analytics can do wonders for your visibility. The analytics page will show you what time of day your followers are most active, what TikTok demographics your followers belong to, and what countries your videos are being viewed in. 
• Engage with other users – At the end of the day, TikTok can be used like any other social media app when it comes to user interaction. By engaging with other users, following different accounts, and responding to comments, you can slowly build up your following over time and ensure more views per video.
• Don’t break the rules – Since TikTok has a larger audience of underage users (compared to other social media platforms) the app tends to take its community guidelines against harmful content pretty seriously. If you want your video to go viral, you’ll want to avoid any topics, images, or harmful content that could be flagged by the app’s moderators. The community guidelines for TikTok restrict any videos with the following content:⁵
• Violent extremism
• Hateful behavior
• Illegal activities, weapons, drugs, gambling, and personally identifiable information
• Violence and graphic content
• Suicide, self-harm, and dangerous acts
• Harassment and bullying
• Nudity and sexual activity
• Unsafe treatment of minors
• Spam, misinformation, and impersonation
• Viruses and hacking of the platform

Promoting Videos

If you’re using the algorithm tips listed above, and you still find that your TikTok content isn’t reaching a large enough audience, there is the option of promoting your videos. 

TikTok Promote is an advertising tool that users can pay for in order to have their videos displayed on the FYP. This service does, however, cost money—$0.10 per thousand views, to be exact.

PDM: The Secret to the TikTok Algorithm

Using the TikTok Promote feature can only take your content so far. With our team at Power Digital, you can unlock your true potential as a creator. 

Here at PDM, you’ll have access to marketing services provided by digital marketing professionals who are ready to help you grow your brand and go into depth on how to advertise on TikTok. By creating a unique and multifaceted TikTok marketing strategy, you’ll gain a following that’s deeper than a few thousand views.

Start using TikTok to your advantage today, with us. Learn more about our TikTok advertising and digital marketing services today.

Sources:

1.  Christina Gayton Medium. The Origins of TikTok. https://christinagayton.medium.com/the-origins-of-tiktok-5efa7da4b3e6 
2.  CNBC. TikTok Reveals Detailed User Numbers for the First Time. https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/24/tiktok-reveals-us-global-user-growth-numbers-for-first-time.html 
3. Later. This is How the TikTok Algorithm Works. https://later.com/blog/tiktok-algorithm
4.  JungleTopp. TikTok Algorithm: How it Works and 7 Tips to Hack it. https://jungletopp.com/tiktok-algorithm/  
5.  TikTok. Community Guidelines. https://www.tiktok.com/community-guidelines?lang=en#29 

The post How Does the TikTok Algorithm Work? appeared first on Power Digital Marketing.

“TikTok” has taken on a whole new meaning—one that could significantly boost your business. 

As a social media app, TikTok has amassed millions of users across the world, especially in the younger generations. Its addictively short video content has made it a rising social media star, and in turn, a hot advertising social platform. Curious if TikTok has an audience for you? From trend-starting dancers to influential personalities, here are the primary TikTok demographics and how to target them for your business.

Who Use TikTok?

So, who’s creating all the viral content on TikTok? In short, young people. But the app’s user base has widened extensively, spanning continents, races, and ages—and the available TikTok marketing opportunities for growth-minded businesses.

With users averaging 52 minutes on TikTok per day, it’s not too hard to grab the right person’s attention.¹ To investigate your potential target customers, let’s explore TikTok’s user base.

Ages

TikTok has one incredible advantage: novelty. As a social media platform, TikTok is definitely part of the newest generation, drawing younger users with its personal, unfiltered, and creative content.

As of April 2021, the ages of TikTok’s userbase in the United States break down as follows:³

• Below 18 years old – 22% 
• 18 to 29 years old – 48% 
• 30 to 49 years old – 22% 
• 50 to 64 years old – 4%
• 65+ years old – 4%

The clear message? TikTok is a youth-oriented playground. While user ages have diversified since the app’s launch date in 2018, it’s an optimal platform for businesses targeting Gen Z and Millennial audiences. 

If you’re looking for more international reach, it’s also useful to know these global TikTok user facts:³

• Total international users – 732 million
• 16 to 24 years old, globally – 42% of users
• Under 30 years old, globally – 60% of users
• 45+ years old, globally – 7% of users

Race

Overall, TikTok is relatively secretive about its racial demographic breakdown. However, the Pew Research Center has examined the app’s popularity among US users, reporting on the percentage of adults in each racial demographic that use the app:²

• 31% of Hispanic adults
• 30% of Black adults
• 18% of White adults

Gender

Currently, this social app is dominated by women, both creating and consuming TikTok content. The app’s global user base is split between:¹  

• 59% female
• 39% male
• 2% other genders (non-binary, genderfluid, etc.)

The US user base is similarly split, with 61% of users identifying as female and 39% as male.⁴

Location

Another promising feature of TikTok is the app’s global popularity. Since 2018, TikTok has spread to users across 154 countries, exhibiting serious potential in the worldwide advertising marketplace. 

To start, here’s how TikTok performs in different geographical regions:

• Asia – TikTok originated in China, so it only makes sense that Asian markets dominate its user base. TikTok is Southeast Asia’s most downloaded app, with over 300 million downloads and 198 million users.⁵ In China alone, over 600 million viewers access TikTok (still called Douyin, the original name under Chinese media company, ByteDance) every single day.¹ 
• North America – US is by far the most dominant North American TikTok market. As of 2020, the US holds 65.9 million of North America’s 105 million engaged TikTok users.⁶ US users are also especially active, spending an average of 68 minutes per day on the platform.¹
• Latin America – While less popular in this region than many others, TikTok still has 64 million Latin American users as of 2020.¹ And when you compare this to the region’s 3 million users in 2018, you’d be hard-pressed to ignore the value of this geographical market.
• Europe – European countries have a small but steady place in TikTok’s audience. Out of the continent’s 98 million users, Russia accounts for 16.4 million, France for 9.3 million, Germany for 9.1 million, and the UK for 8.5 million.⁷ 

The most impressive part? TikTok amassed a global following of 732 million monthly active users in just three years since the app’s official launch in 2018.⁸ To compare, Facebook and Instagram took four and six years, respectively, to earn the same number of international users. And the growth isn’t stopping. By 2022, TikTok is predicted to have one billion users.⁹

So while TikTok might be today’s trendiest social platform, it’s not going anywhere anytime soon, and it’s anything but a blip on the advertising radar. This social media platform is global, expansive, and increasingly diverse. 

How to Use TikTok as a Brand

If you’re itching to access TikTok’s impressive audience, you have a few options. Tiktok opens its doors to businesses via three main avenues:¹⁰

• User-generated content – Business channels allow companies to upload their own TikToks and interact with other users, the same way an individual would. Funny, creative, and compelling content is especially likely to gain traction among younger audiences who tend to dictate in-app trends.
• Influencer marketing – If there’s a particular TikTok creator who matches your brand or target audience, then your business can partner with them via TikTok’s Creator Marketplace.
• Advertisements – While only available in certain countries, brands can pay TikTok to run various ad content on users’ feeds.

To reach a maximum audience, most brands combine the above methods in some fashion. Let’s explore the ins and outs of each strategy when it comes to how to advertise on TikTok. 

User-Generated Content

As business owners know, branding is everything. Luckily, TikTok is the perfect space to shape a professional online brand, where your business can create videos that highlight your style, humor, aesthetics, and values.

To start, you’ll need a business TikTok account (not a creator account). These accounts open doors to professional resources like:

• Performance and audience data
• TikTok’s Business Content Guide
• A commercial, royalty-free music library
• The Web Business Suite with data and content tips

With a business account, you can start creating and sharing content. On TikTok, that means short videos up to three minutes long. From highest to lowest, the most popular video categories currently are:¹¹

• Entertainment
• Dance
• Pranks
• Fitness & Sports
• Home Renovation & DIY Projects
• Beauty & Skincare
• Fashion

Whether on the searchable Discovery page or scrolling For You feed, users receive precisely curated TikTok content. Every like, share, comment, and action informs the TikTok algorithm for each user. In the end, this helps businesses place their organic content and paid ads in front of the most viable TikTok users.

From here, further options like influencer marketing and direct advertising open up.

Influencer Marketing

Like Instagram or Youtube, TikTok offers businesses the chance to partner with influencers—content creators with established followings. 

On TikTok, businesses can select influencers on the Creator Marketplace, an exclusive database that holds vital information on the app’s certified creators. When picking an influencer, consider the creator’s:

• Channel content
• Total following
• Engagement metrics (likes, shares, etc.)
• Audience demographics
• Relevance

The right influencer sharing the right content can expose your company to a target audience and significantly boost business. 

Just remember the inherent differences between TikTok influencer posts and traditional ads. To put it simply, the teens and young adult TikTok users currently dominating this social app have very little tolerance for salesy, inauthentic content on their feeds. With this demographic, you’ll have to keep it real, especially if your influencer partner is known for their unfiltered honesty.

TikTok Advertising

As the newest advertising opportunity, TikTok’s direct ads show incredible promise. Across 25,000 TikTok users, 67% agreed that the app’s ads capture their attention, giving them a 10% lead compared to any other social media platform.¹² Additionally, 72% of viewers agreed that TikTok ads were “inspiring.” 

Not only are users watching ads, but they’re also enjoying them.

The best part of TikTok ads? They’re incredibly targeted. The platform’s Ad Group function lets businesses push their campaigns towards specific user demographics,¹³ such as:

• Placement (or location)
• Gender
• Age bracket
• Language
• Interest category

Once you’ve established an Ad Group, you can run single or multiple ads based on in-depth demographic information. 

The four main types of advertisements that TikTok offers include:¹⁴

• In-feed ads – Like Instagram ads, in-feed ads pop up in the middle of a TikTok user’s For You scroll. Companies often create short, trendy, and snappy videos for in-feed ads, since they must immediately attract the viewer. 
• Branded hashtag challenges – Appearing on the Discover page, branded hashtags are a TikTok-exclusive opportunity. If your company hopes to spark a viral trend, you can “challenge” followers to make videos with a branded hashtag related to your business. While expensive (up to $150,000 for six days of promotion), they’re an effective and organic ad method, with options to appeal to all ages and demographic groups.¹⁵ 
• Branded effects – Filters are popular camera effects for creators to use, particularly in a “selfie” fashion among Gen Zers. Like branded hashtags, custom filters are a great way for businesses to entice users to interact with their brand. 
• TopView or brand takeover ads – If you open TikTok andhttps://powerdigitalmarketing.com/blog/five-tips-for-your-tiktok-marketing-strategy immediately see an advertisement video, that’s a TopView ad. This method creates unavoidable ads with serious engagement potential, often containing clickable links and hashtags. While expensive, they’re incredibly effective. TopView ranks #1 on TikTok’s ad engagement index, and 71% of users agree that they grab attention.

Take TikTok by Storm with Power Digital Marketing

Yes, TikTok is a young person’s game—but that doesn’t mean you can’t win. With a growing audience across countries and age brackets, TikTok is just beginning to show its true marketing value. And with Power Digital Marketing, you can create a TikTok marketing strategy that even the cool kids will love. 

No matter the platform, Power Digital Marketing has the expertise and tools to help your business shine online with our exceptional marketing services. Explore our professional digital marketing services today for a strategic advantage in the digital realm.

Sources: 

1. Business of Apps. TikTok Revenue and Usage Statistics (2021). https://www.businessofapps.com/data/tik-tok-statistics/
2. Pew Research Center. Who uses TikTok, Nextdoor. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/chart/who-uses-tiktok-nextdoor/
3. NME. TikTok users watch app for average of 89 minutes per day. https://www.nme.com/news/tiktok-users-watch-app-for-average-of-89-minutes-per-day-2923460
4. Statista Research Department. Distribution of monthly active TikTok users in the United States as of March 2021, by gender. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1095201/tiktok-users-gender-usa/
5. Tech Wire Asia. Is SEA now the key to TikTok’s global strategy? https://techwireasia.com/2020/10/is-sea-now-the-key-to-tiktok-global-strategy/
6. ContentCareer. TikTok Demographics – Age, Country, Gender & Income. https://contentcareer.com/blog/tiktok-demographics-age-country-gender-income/
7. Insider Intelligence. TikTok Users Around the World 2020. https://www.emarketer.com/content/tiktok-users-around-world-2020
8. DataReportal. Global Social Media Stats. https://datareportal.com/social-media-users
9. TechCrunch. New forecast pegs TikTok to top 1.2B monthly active users in 2021. https://techcrunch.com/2020/11/10/new-forecast-pegs-tiktok-to-top-1-2b-monthly-active-users-in-2021/
10. AdEspresso by Hootsuite. TikTok Advertising: The Ultimate Guide for Marketers. https://adespresso.com/blog/tiktok-advertising/
11. Statista Research Department. Most popular content categories on TikTok worldwide as of July 2020, by number of hashtag views. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1130988/most-popular-categories-tiktok-worldwide-hashtag-views/
12. TikTok for Business. Kantar finds ads on TikTok are seen as more inspiring, trendsetting and enjoyable than on other platforms. https://www.tiktok.com/business/en/blog/6-takeaways-from-our-latest-kantar-study
13. TikTok for Business. Business Help Center. https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article?aid=9539
14. TikTok for Business. It Starts on TikTok. https://www.tiktok.com/business/en-US/apps/tiktok
15. Hootsuite. The Complete Guide to TikTok Advertising for Marketers. https://blog.hootsuite.com/tiktok-advertising/

The post How to Use TikTok Demographics: A Guide appeared first on Power Digital Marketing.

Plus, with a user-friendly dashboard and a wide selection of ad types, it’s easy to manage and to make it your own. In this blog, you’ll learn the ins and outs of TikTok marketing, how to advertise on TikTok, and how your brand can capitalize on its unmatched benefits. 

Tic tock…the time to maximize your potential is now. 

TikTok at a Glance

So, you already know just how wide of an audience TikTok has managed to create since its genesis in 2016, but let’s dive a bit deeper into how, exactly, people are using this social media channel and what’s projected for its future. 

Consider the following: 

• As of 2020, TikTok reported a total of 2.6 billion cumulative downloads.
• In 2020, TikTok earned around $1.9 billion in revenue. 
• 14% of marketers plan to increase their spending on TikTok in 2021. 
• TikTok has been given several thumbs-up ratings by its users, earning 88% positive reviews.¹

Not only do these numbers show TikTok’s immense popularity amongst users, but also its potential to remain as an on-the-rise trend that doesn’t appear to be losing momentum any time soon. 

But what exactly does advertising on this social media platform look like? Read on for all the specifics. 

Who Can Advertise on TikTok?

TikTok presents itself as a particularly inclusive platform on which businesses of all shapes and sizes can display their advertisements. Whether you’re a startup company looking to get your clean beauty products in front of a larger audience or a well-established brand interested in engaging with their audience in a new way, TikTok makes it easy for advertisers of all types to share their stories. 

Here are a couple of success stories from brands who have taken their marketing strategies to the TikTok platform:

• From just one advertising campaign, Universal Pictures was able to boost their followers by 11k and spark 19k user-generated videos thanks to TikTok’s branded hashtag challenge.²>a-level=”1″>Clean & Clear also took advantage of the branded hashtag format to rack up 1.9 billion TikTok video views and 2.6 million user-generated videos.³

Advertising on TikTok

Feeling inspired? Now’s the time to figure out how your own TikTok marketing strategy can take shape on this one-of-a-kind platform. Follow this step-by-step guide for TikTok advertising success. (Trust us—it’s easier than those choreographed dance moves you’ve been trying to get the hang of for months.) 

1. First thing’s first: Get set up on TikTok, (if you haven’t already). You’ll proceed by entering some of your company’s basic information and objectives which will later be reviewed by the TikTok team to be sure your business qualifies for an advertising account. 
2. Next, you’ll need to determine which type of advertising format you’d like to use to display your desired content. From in-feed ads to branded effects, you’ll find there are a number of different options to showcase your brand’s message in a unique way. (More on the specifics of those options below.)
3. From there you’ll be on your way to building your first campaign. This is where you’ll define your campaign objectives, select your target audience, manage your ad budget, and customize your ad type. 
4. You can set up multiple ad groups within each campaign which allows you to reach a wider TikTok audience by location, demographics, and on a number of different schedules and devices.
5. Upload an image or video to reflect the aesthetic of your campaign’s vision. Don’t worry—before going live you’ll be able to see a preview of your ad to be sure it fits the design mold. 
6. Your final ad proposal will need to be reviewed by TikTok and, if approved, you’ll be ready to go live! Be sure to track your ad performance by reviewing the data in TikTok AdsManager. The dashboard will give you insights regarding spending, impressions, conversions, clicks, and more. 

Now that you’re familiar with the general process of building a TikTok advertising campaign, let’s take a closer look at what, exactly, those ads will look like. 

Types of TikTok Ads

Perhaps one of TikTok’s most appealing features for brands interested in marketing on this platform is the diversity of advertisement options available. Whether you’re focusing on quick, snappy statements or engagement-oriented videos, TikTok offers a number of avenues through which to express your brand’s creativity and to foster authentic company-consumer interactions.  

If variety is the spice that brings life to your advertising campaigns, take a closer look at this colorful mix of TikTok ad formats:

• In-feed ads – As TikTok users peruse through curated content on the For You page, they’ll come across recommended videos that the TikTok algorithm delivers to them based on their browsing behaviors on the platform as well as their supposed interests. This is also where in-feed ads will be showcased in videos averaging about 15 seconds in length. In addition to the video, a clear call-to-action button will be clearly displayed for users who have taken an interest in the advertisement and are curious to learn more. 
• Top view ads – Launching a top view ad on TikTok is a bit like claiming the top spot in Google search results. As you may have guessed, these ads grab users’ attention by appearing at the very top of the content displayed on the ‘For You’ page. With an engaging 60-second video, it’ll be hard for TikTokers to miss whatever message your brand is trying to share. 
• Branded hashtags – If engagement is the focus of your advertising campaign, you may want to consider tapping into your brand’s creative side by getting involved with a branded hashtag challenge. TikTok calls this its most popular format because it allows users to get involved with your TikTok ad campaign by producing their own videos through your hashtag and sharing your brand’s story alongside you.⁴
• Branded effects – Following a similar format as branded hashtags, branded effects are another way to boost audience engagement with your brand. Whether you opt to create a green screen or interactive effect, one thing’s for certain: It’s a powerful way to get platform users directly involved with raising awareness for your brand. Mucinex’s branded effect campaign, which resulted in a 42.7% increase in purchase intent, is a testament to how community engagement can play a valuable role in guiding the flow of the sales funnel.⁵
• Takeovers – This sponsored ad format allows companies to create both still images and dynamic videos to display as full-screen advertisements. Although users don’t have the ability to interact with these ads in the form of likes and comments, brands can still make use of this valuable advertising space for short, powerful statements. 

Benefits of Advertising on TikTok

Come to TikTok for a wide range of creative advertising formats, but stay for the layers of benefits that are hard to find anywhere else. 

What do marketers have to gain from incorporating TikTok into their digital campaigns? Read on and see for yourself how this platform is making a nearly unbeatable splash. 

• Increased brand exposure – We’ve said it once and we’ll say it again: TikTok has a massive following—and not just in North America. Brands who want to put their TikTok content in front of millions of people around the globe will find plenty of reasons to launch their awareness-oriented campaigns on this channel. 
• Highly engaged audience – Perhaps more important than the number of total users, however, is the number of engaged users. It might feel good to have your ad campaign seen by millions of people but what if it doesn’t garner much of a response? Advertisers on TikTok can rest assured knowing that their audience isn’t likely to simply pass by their TikTok content without interacting.
  
  Consider this: Ad Age reports that “mega influencers had an average engagement rate of 11.83%—vs. 0.35% on Instagram.”⁶ This is a good indicator that conversion-driven campaigns are likely to see a high return on investment when channeling their efforts towards TikTok. 
• Precise targeting by location – Another way to ensure your marketing dollars are being carefully spent is by customizing your campaign objective to match the age, interests, and location of your target audience. When you have full control over TikTok demographics towards which your campaign is directed, it’s more likely that it’ll be seen by someone who is already interested in supporting a brand like yours—instead of pouring money into an audience that might not have much of an interest in the goods or services you offer to begin with. 

Time to Unlock Your Potential With Power Digital Marketing

Whether you’ve decided to take the leap into TikTok’s vibrant advertising scene or are looking to polish up your marketing strategies in some other way, look to Power Digital Marketing to help you draw up the playbook. 

Specializing in social media, SEO, content marketing, and more, the key to a dynamic, integrated marketing approach is just a click away. See for yourself why brands are reaching out to us to bring their business to the next level. Profound impact and limitless potential start with our TikTok marketing and other digital marketing services. 

Sources: 

1. Business of Apps. TikTok Revenue and Usage Statistics (2021).  https://www.businessofapps.com/data/tik-tok-statistics/
2. TikTok for Business. Universal Pictures.  https://www.tiktok.com/business/en-US/inspiration/universal-pictures-8
3. TikTok for Business. Clean & Clear.  https://www.tiktok.com/business/en-US/inspiration/clean-&-clear-1
4. TikTok for Business. 7 tips for an effective Branded Hashtag Challenge.  https://www.tiktokforbusinesseurope.com/resources/7-tips-for-an-effective-branded-hashtag-challenge
5. TikTok for Business. Branded Effect: Place your brand center stage.  https://www.tiktok.com/business/en-US/blog/branded-effect-place-your-brand-center-stage
6. Ad Age. TIKTOK’S ‘ASTRONOMICALLY HIGH’ ENGAGEMENT REVEALED: DATACENTER WEEKLY.  https://adage.com/article/datacenter/tiktoks-astronomically-high-engagement-revealed/2361161
7. Hootsuite. The Complete Guide to TikTok Advertising for Marketers.  https://blog.hootsuite.com/tiktok-advertising/

The post How to Advertise on TikTok appeared first on Power Digital Marketing.

Amazon, naturally, weaved itself into the app’s e-commerce realm through influencer partnerships and organic user-generated content. What has come to be known as the “I Found It On TikTok” phenomenon most likely is connected to products sourced on Amazon through an affiliate link. This came to fruition with Amazon’s Storefront program. Influencers with over 10K followers are able to apply to have an Amazon Storefront where they categorize and link their favorite products via one, swift link in their TikTok bio. 

This has allowed for Amazon and TikTok to mutually obtain massive growth in sales, as there will always be a demand for on-trend products, keeping the circle of virality always moving. 

The Big Three: Amazon, TikTok, and Gen Z

The product recommendation empire that has taken over Gen-Z has proved to be impactful for Amazon’s continual success on this platform and beyond. Gen-Z, roughly ages 16-24, dominates the app’s demographic and helps to drive the success of trending products and businesses. The unique element of this dynamic allows for Amazon to benefit from organic UGC content. From “Top 10 things in my Amazon Cart” to “You Need This Amazon Kitchen Gadget” and even popular hashtags like #tiktokmademebuyit or #amazonfinds, the possibilities are truly endless. Part of TikTok’s success can be attributed to their community of product suggestion videos that largely take up the platforms aside from dance, comedy, or cooking content. 

Thus, Gen-Z users are more inclined to actively search for and engage with content that adheres to a product of their interest, especially if it can be conveniently purchased on Amazon without leaving the app at all. As of June 2021, Amazon added an “Internet Famous” tab to their homepage that links viral products most likely found from TikTok, making things even easier for users.

The Future of Social Commerce

So, why don’t other platforms like Instagram or Pinterest yield the same results? The answer is simple: online in-app shopping is taking over young audiences. Yes, Instagram and Pinterest have these features, but their users do not visit the app to actively seek new, trending products to purchase. 

Pinterest, while providing inspiration for products, can not provide a direct link to every image on the platform. To Gen-Z, Instagram is still a photo sharing app, whether the company states otherwise as IG Reels mirror as a TikTok copycat. 

In order to gain success as a creator or an Amazon-seller, take these social media management tips into consideration:

• Microtrends pop up quickly and often
• Users on TikTok typically impulse purchase through the app
• Videos titled “Things You Didn’t Know You Needed From Amazon,”for example, garner a large response
• Influencers who create an Amazon try-on or testing video create a buzz for new products via their storefront

The culture of e-shopping is ever-changing and it’s up to us as a digital marketing agency to recognize the path for opportunity with the “Big Three:” Tik Tok, Amazon, and Gen-Z. 

Sources:

1. Amazon is trying to cash in on viral TikToks
2. Amazon’s ‘Internet Famous’ section is full of viral TikTok products
3. Viral TikTok Amazon products show how online shopping is unavoidable on social media
4. 16 TikTok Amazon finds: Olaplex, Bissell, and viral must-haves
5. What Is Amazon Storefronts? – businessnewsdaily.com

The post How TikTok and Amazon Have Created a Viral Superstorm appeared first on Power Digital Marketing.

Source: Instagram

Creators

In terms of creators, Adam Mosseri noted, “I’ve talked to a lot of creators and how they make a living. This has to do with individuals and institutions across different industries.” This comes after another recent Instagram update, introducing a new “native affiliate tool” that will allow creators on the social media platform to discover new products that are available to purchase on Instagram to then share with their Instagram followers, earning a commission. 

Placing a high importance on creators also means influencer marketing will become more prominent, which is a key opportunity for brands to partner with a content creator that increases their brand awareness and targets new consumers. The Digital Marketing Institute notes, “Not only do 49% of consumers depend on influencer recommendations, 40% had purchased something after seeing it on Twitter, YouTube, or Instagram. If consumers feel confident about an influencer’s recommendation, they are more likely to make a purchase. Brands are able to piggyback on the trust of influencers.”

Video 

The second Instagram update Adam Mosseri discussed was regarding video content, more specifically surrounding the Instagram Reel feature. “The number one reason why people use Instagram is to be entertained. There’s some really serious competition right now – TikTok is huge, YouTube is even bigger.” The platform is now transitioning to be an app where video content is if not more, just as prominent as a photo sharing app. Additionally, taking advantage of newer features such as Reels, has been noted to increase reach, as the Instagram algorithm will favor content that is utilizing its newest features by placing it on the Instagram Explore page. Creating an Instagram reel for a brand can often be one of the best ways to captivate new potential customers and spread awareness through a captivating way. With the average attention span of just eight seconds, reels are the perfect form of video content to keep the attention span of targeted audiences. Additionally, Instagram reels allow for a better entertainment experience with the added features of music and text to make your brand stand out and create a much more memorable experience for users. 

Shopping

With the Instagram shopping feature quickly evolving, Adam Mosseri touched on this Instagram feature in his update noting, “The pandemic shifted or accelerated the shift of online commerce, and we’re leaning into that social media trend.” As businesses continue to face the challenges of selling online as they shift their business models during the COVID-19 crisis, Instagram introduced shops as an “immersive full screen storefront that enables businesses to build their brand story and drive product discovery.”

Instagram shops present an opportunity for an immense amount of growth for brands of all industries. This feature gives users the ability to experience the joy of shopping versus the chore of buying. Additionally, collections in shops allow a brand to customize the shopping experience, and administer products into themes that tell their story. Showcasing a brand’s products on Instagram not only saves the user from navigating through to a website, but also creates a convenient shopping experience that increases the chance of additional purchases. 

Messaging

Finally, Mosseri touches on messaging, stating “How people connect with their close friends in the last five years has changed a lot, and has moved primarily away from feed and stories.” The Instagram direct message feature, also known as DMs, has evolved into much more than just simple messages between two users. Now, the app offers group chats, video hangouts, chat themes, and more. 

Brands can utilize this feature to benefit their experience for customers in many different ways. This allows for a convenient way for customers to contact a business, but also drives more brand awareness as it fosters more trust with customers. Additionally, making the time to respond to daily messages improves your social customer care and response rate, thus leaving customers feeling heard, valued, and more likely to refer your brand to people they know.

What this means for your business

Though it may seem like an overwhelming amount of new updates and features, Instagram is evolving to support both brands and creators to foster an enjoyable experience on the platform overall. With effective organic social strategies in place, Instagram and other social media platforms will allow your brand to stand out and connect with new users who more often than not, turn into customers. Contact our Power Digital social media experts today to learn how we can help grow your brand to its fullest potential.

Sources:

1. https://www.instagram.com/p/CQwNfFBJr5A/?hl=en
2. https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/20-influencer-marketing-statistics-that-will-surprise-you
3. https://www.instagram.com/p/CQwNfFBJr5A/?hl=en
4. https://marketinginsidergroup.com/content-marketing/thanks-social-media-average-attention-span-now-shorter-goldfish/
5. https://www.instagram.com/p/CQwNfFBJr5A/?hl=en
6. https://business.instagram.com/blog/introducing-shops-on-instagram

The post How to Leverage your Brand with Instagram’s Newest 2021 Update appeared first on Power Digital Marketing.

Pinterest is known as a social media platform where a user goes to find solutions for their problems or inspiration for their upcoming projects. It is not in the same realm as Instagram or Facebook where people are updating their network about their day-to-day activities and sharing selfies of themselves with friends. For these reasons, Pinterest pins tend to contain recipes, guides and links to a blog post or products. With regular pins, a quick glance at the imagery and text (if applicable) has to do all of the heavy lifting to obtain the consumer’s attention. Once the image is clicked, there is more information and often a link that goes into more detail about the topic. 

This is where an opportunity is brought to social media management. Rather than having a few seconds to catch someone’s attention while they are scrolling through pages of competing images, why not have a new feature that utilizes the whole screen and has multiple entertaining elements like sound and animation?

Pinterest Stories Overview

This is exactly what a pinterest story is, and they have even more fun features to offer! Not only do they offer what is listed above, but they also have prime “real estate” on the Pinterest interface. They are prioritized at the top of your feed while also appearing throughout the home feed, search results and Today tab, gaining more eye traffic than a normal stagnant pin. 

Stories also benefit from Pinterest’s “visual discovery engine” that searches similar pins according to how something looks. Another great feature of Pinterest stories is the amount of space for the creatives. With the capacity of 20 slides total, there is a lot of room to create engaging and eye-catching posts. Although there is room for 20 slides, Pinterest recommends that the optimal amount of slides utilized is around five. It is the perfect amount to get a consumer engaged without dragging out that catch for too long. 

A big reason that Stories were created in the first place was to condense and make a more easily digestible way for the Pinterest user to obtain information. That is why Stories are perfect for things like three-ingredient recipes and quick guides. One feature that differentiates Pinterest Stories from other social media versions of stories is the time element. With Instagram Stories, users post in “real-time” to engage with their audience and only have that content live for 24 hours. Pinterest Stories are for a whole different use. They are to be informative in the sense that the pinterest user is seeking answers. They also are potentially posted forever, with no “expiration date.” 

At this point you may be wondering if Pinterest Stories are the right choice for your Pinterest business account. If any of these sound appealing to your brand’s marketing model then Pinterest Stories are a great platform feature to look into. 

• You want your consumers to be able to easily interact and share your content
• You don’t have a blog that you often link to, or there is no need to include a link within Stories
• You want to include more than one link in a post
• You want to include multimedia content
• You want hold consumer’s attention longer
• You want to simplify and emphasize previous pin content

If none of these resonate with your business account model, then perhaps Pinterest Stories are not necessary for your business at this time.

Pinterest Story Best Practices

If you do decide to move forward with using Pinterest Stories, here are some best practices to keep in mind.

• Use high-quality images or videos
• Make sure content inspires action
• Add relevant link(s) (if applicable)
• Use relevant and clear text

Wrapping Up

The choice of incorporating Pinterest Stories is dependent on your audience. It is important to refer to your Business Hub on Pinterest and develop your marketing strategy around what type of content your target market engages with and where you see potential room for growth. Maybe Pinterest Stories are your key to creating a more interactive experience with your consumers. You don’t know until you or your digital marketing agency tries!

Sources:

1. https://elle-linton.medium.com/introducing-story-pins-from-pinterest-keep-it-simpelle-2e9b4258d406
2. https://newsroom.pinterest.com/en/introducing-new-ways-for-creators-to-build-and-grow-with-pinterest
3. https://neilpatel.com/blog/pinterest-story-pins/
4. https://www.simplepinmedia.com/pinterest-story-pins/

The post Are Pinterest Stories Right for Your Marketing Strategy? appeared first on Power Digital Marketing.

This guide from our digital marketing agency will focus on the Reels feature and the opportunity they provide your business.

Instagram Reels, Explained

What are reels on Instagram? 

In 2020, Instagram enabled users to create videos with audio backtrack, special effects, and opportunities to remix other people’s content. The instagram reel is similar to TikTok in format, but since they’re accessible by Instagram’s larger user base, they provide high marketing potential for creators and brands.

First, let’s take a deeper look at Instagram Reels video history, functionality, and discoverability.

The Birth of Instagram Reels

Before the introduction of Instagram Reels, the instagram user could already create stories using filters, stickers, and other interactive features. But while Instagrams’ stories took their inspiration from SnapChat, late 2020 saw another competitor in the social media landscape: TikTok.

• By late 2020, TikTok had 800 million users (as compared to Instagram’s 1 billion) who loved the fun, curated videos on their home feeds. However, the viral video app was also hosting a suite of problems, including a potential ban.¹
• Introducing similar functionality in the Instagram app was a way to attract prominent influencers wary of TikTok’s legal issues while creating more engagement among the existing user base.
• Reels was launched globally in over 50 markets (including the US). However, it’s not yet available worldwide.

The New York Times referred to Reels content as a “TikTok clone.”² However, there are some differences when it comes to Instagram Reels vs TikTok.

• TikToks can be up to 60 seconds long, while Instagram allows you to select between 15 and 30 second lengths. (Your Reel can be shorter, too.)
• TikTok videos all appear in the main user feed, while Reels can appear in several different places—on the “Reels” screen, in stories, or on the newsfeed of any followed instagram account.
• TikTok allows you to remix and play with other users’ videos using features like Duet and Stitch. Instagram has just one option, Remix.³ Both apps have options for reusing popular background tracks including songs and voiceovers.
• Thanks to its long time on the market, TikTok has a wider variety of filters and effects.

However, Instagram Reels is catching up as it shares these video tools with its larger user base. 

What Can You Do With Instagram Reels?

Instagram Reels are videos up to 30 seconds in length. Users have access to a wide variety of tools for editing and customization, including:

• Audio effects – Users can browse the Instagram library for back tracks or upload original audio. As on TikTok, users can sample other public accounts’ audio backtracks by selecting “Use Audio.” Copyright restrictions apply.
• Augmented reality (AR) – Filters and time-modification tools enable you to tweak your appearance, create slow-motion videos, and otherwise edit your videos for maximum interest and engagement.
• Start timer – Don’t want viewers to see you struggling to click “Record” and compose yourself for your video? Luckily, you can use a start timer and countdown to disguise the process, eliminating the need to edit out the first few seconds of video.
• Alignment tools – As on TikTok, it’s possible to include multiple takes in one video. Need to pause for a costume change before your next video segment? Alignment tools help you ensure your angles and objects are on-point.
• Uploading – Want to give an update on a past reel? Upload prior video from the gallery, edit it, and keep telling your story.

Discoverability

After creating an Instagram Reel, users are given the option of where to ultimately upload their video.

• When you choose “Add to Reels,” Reels are visible on your individual feed and via the “Reels” button on your profile. They will stay there indefinitely (unless you delete them).
• If you have a public account, videos posted as Reels can show up on the Instagram Reels page. Instagram’s algorithm will potentially show your Reel to people interested in accounts or videos similar to yours. 
• If your instagram account is private, your Reels will only be discoverable by your followers. Reels are governed by your existing privacy settings.
• Following your privacy settings, other users can like, comment, and share your Reels via DM or their stories.
• When you choose “Add to Story,” the edited video appears in your story feed and is viewable to their followers. These videos are not discoverable via the Instagram Reels “Discover” Page nor are they posted to your grid.
• Like other stories, these Reels will disappear after twenty-four hours unless they’re added to your highlights.
• Other people will only be able to share your story Reels if they are tagged.

Reels for Businesses

So, how can Reels benefit businesses?

• Because Reels are discoverable by users beyond your followers, they can help to grow your organic reach, boosting your views and follower count in a new way.
• Reels are shareable, which can help extend your Instagram reach and impressions even further. Beyond directly sharing, users can remix your Reels, adding their own personal spin or story to your content.
• If you use a business or creator account that’s already set up with Instagram Shopping, you can tag the products in your Reel with stickers so that viewers have easy access to price and purchase information. (Not set up with Instagram Shopping? It’s free to get started. Check out our guide to assist you with how to set up instagram shopping.)

Tips for Successful Reels

How can you maximize the success of your Reels? Here are our top recommendations:

• Keep consistent with your brand image and voice – If you’re a haircare company that sees the humor in bad hair days, go ahead and post humorous Reels that relate to your brand voice. But if you’re a technology-driven fitness company with a focus on education, keep your content informative and on-brand. Your Reels are just a single part of a cohesive marketing plan, and you don’t want to go viral for the wrong reasons.
• Create your own challenge – Just as on TikTok, users can sample your audio. Invite them to do just that while responding to a challenge. It could show their fully-made up face using your cosmetics, their runway walk in your apparel, or their favorite recipe using your artisanal spices. Get creative! Users will be able to discover other participants who used the audio.
• Partner with an influencer – Ask an influencer to promote your product. Then, share their Reel with your audience. You could even create a side-by-side response using the “Remix” tool.
• Know your audience – Thinking of jumping on a trend or bandwagon? If you’re reusing audio, check to see which users are making posts using that background sound. If they’re not in your target demographic, it may not be a good use of your time and energy.
• Don’t hesitate to repost – If you’re already active on TikTok, you can save your videos on your phone and upload them to your Reels (or vice versa). That way, you’ll be able to reach users on both apps.
• Reply to your comments – The comments section is a great place to connect with potential customers, answer questions, and build an authentic rapport with your new fans.

Creating Instagram Reels

So, how do you create a Reel? There are several ways to get started.

• On the home screen, select the “+” at the top right. Then, tap the camera icon and scroll right to Reels.
• From the “Reels” page, click the camera in the upper right hand corner.
• Use the upper left hand corner “+” on your home screen to post a story. From the stories panel, swipe right to “Reels.”

Once you’re in the Reels creation panel, you’ll see a number of options, including:

• Search music
• Select time (15 or 30 seconds)
• Choose video speed (1x for regular, .3 or .5x for slow motion, etc.)
• Add filters and effects
• Touch up appearance
• Countdown

Go ahead and make your selection, then hit record. Once you’ve created your video, you’ll have access to a host of after-effects similar to those found in stories. These include:

• Audio mixing tools (add background music over audio)
• Voiceover tool
• Stickers
• Drawing and highlighting
• Text tools

If you’re brand new to this kind of video editing, have fun and play around—or bring in a professional marketer who can help you craft content that suits your brand voice.

Create a Strategy for Reels and Beyond With Power Digital

Reels are a great way to access Instagram’s massive user base while creating high-value content that can be used across your marketing channels.

A successful influencer partnership Reel could become part of a YouTube commercial. Likewise, video used on your website could be repurposed on Reels. The key is creating a holistic marketing strategy with a consistent voice and plenty of CTAs.

Not sure how to post, much less go viral? At Power Digital, we’re experts in Instagram marketing. Get in touch with us today to learn more.

Sources: 

1. Time. ‘I Can’t Put All My Eggs in One Basket.’ Here’s What Creators Think of Instagram’s TikTok-Style ‘Reels’. https://time.com/5875788/instagram-reels-tiktok/
2. New York Times. We Tested Instagram Reels, the TikTok Clone https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/12/technology/personaltech/tested-facebook-reels-tiktok-clone-dud.html
3. Gadgets 360. Instagram reels remix. https://gadgets.ndtv.com/how-to/features/instagram-reels-remix-how-to-tiktok-duet-short-videos-2420356

The post What Are Instagram Reels? appeared first on Power Digital Marketing.

For example, what’s the difference between Instagram reach vs impressions?

No matter how successful your campaign, you’ll usually notice your impressions are higher. Impressions refer to the total number of times a post or story is viewed, while your reach refers to the number of unique viewers.

Want to better understand these instagram metrics and the best ways to maximize your impact on Instagram? This is our guide to one facet of Instagram management.

All About Instagram Analytics

Business and creator accounts can view analytic insights from the Instagram app. While insights aren’t yet available for newer features like Instagram Reels, you can crunch the numbers on:

• Your overall account
• Timeline posts
• Stories
• Paid ads
• IGTV videos

To measure the success of your various kinds of posts, take advantage of Instagram data in the following categories:

• Reach – If you have 1,000 followers, you would ideally have 1,000 views on your timeline posts. While this rarely happens due to social media breaks, scrolling habits, and the algorithm, reach measures the number of users who see a post, story, or ad.
• Impressions – Even if you only have 1,000 followers, you might occasionally have 1,500 impressions. Why? Some users return to the same content multiple times—which is usually a good sign. This means you’ve captured their attention. Posts that have been on your timeline for longer will gradually accrue a higher impression count.
• Engagement – With any luck, your instagram followers will interact with your instagram post and instagram story. Metrics that are available to all viewers (i.e., likes and comments on posts and views on stories) are also viewable on business accounts. In addition, you’ll be able to see the number of saves garnered by post.

Which of these metrics is the most important? 

In short, all three help you understand how well your campaign is performing. The best place to focus your attention depends on your ultimate goals.

Next, we’ll take a deeper dive into each important metric and the ways you can boost your numbers.

Extending Your Reach

When it comes to Instagram marketing, reach is the name of the game. The social media giant has a base of 1.16 billion users.¹ In the U.S., 63% of those users visit the app on a daily basis.

While different campaigns have different CTAs, awareness is always an important goal and metric. And reach is one valuable potential tool to measure your success in creating brand awareness.

As we explained, your reach refers to the number of people who scroll past a piece of content—but it’s possible to get eyeballs beyond your Instagram followers’. How?

• Post at the right time – The Instagram algorithm can be a mysterious nut to crack, but more recent posts tend to appear at the top of users’ news feeds. That means posting at 3 a.m. might not help you connect with your target audience (unless you’re targeting users in another time zone or insomniacs).
• Create content on a regular schedule – Ever log into your account after a long social media break and find yourself disappointed with the number of likes? The Instagram algorithm seems to reward regular posters (perhaps because they foster regular engagement). However, there’s also such a thing as overposting. Scheduling your posts in advance can help you keep to a reasonable number of posts per week.
• Use hashtags – A post with one hashtag tends to get over 12% more engagement than a post with zero.² Because Instagram users can follow and browse hashtags, utilizing trending hashtags related to your business can help grow your reach (and, potentially, your follower count). But there is such a thing as too many hashtags. Make sure to leave room for a fun, engaging description below your post, too.
• Implement paid ads – Growing your organic reach is always a long-term goal. But for the most part, your newsfeed posts and stories will only show up to your followers—unless you’re lucky enough to get featured on the Instagram Discover page. Paid ads, however, will appear in other users’ feeds, and Instagram’s advanced targeting tools make it possible to micro target specific market segments.

Why Reach Is Not Enough

When it comes to Instagram reach vs Instagram impression, which is more meaningful?

While it’s important to grow your reach by exposing more users to your posts and ads, you want to make sure they’re actually paying attention.

This is where impressions come into play.

How to Make a Bigger Impression

If your reach and your impression numbers are similar, it could pose a problem.

Why is that?

Well, consider the number of times you’ve scrolled past an ad on Instagram without taking the time to read the caption—much less like, comment, or investigate the brand.

Your impressions refer to your total number of views (including by users who returned to a post twice or ten times). If someone’s interested, there’s a higher likelihood they’ll return to your post again and again.

Therefore, impressions are an even better measure of your campaigns’ success in generating awareness. Likewise, they can be used to gauge the stickiness of your posts.

To boost your impressions, try out the following strategies:

• Create content-rich posts – Instagram used to be synonymous with selfies, but in the past few years, text-based slideshows have garnered more popularity. If education is part of your platform, consider creating informational slideshows or IGTV recordings that your followers can share in their stories.
• Mix it up – If you currently focus on static images, it’s time to try out Instagram’s other tools. Fun or educational videos might garner rewatches, and IGTV is a great opportunity to engage with your target audience in a longer format. The only way to figure out which posts generate the most impressions is to dabble in each genre.
• Curate your stories – Stories go away within 24 hours—unless they’re saved to your highlight reel. Use your highlights to create a library of topics and memorialize your highest-performing content.
• Learn from the past – Take note of which posts generate the most impressions. Seek to duplicate their format and spirit in the future.

From Reach to Engagement

It’s great if someone views your content more than once—but keep in mind that the ultimate goal is for the user to take action.

More engagement signals the Instagram algorithm that your post is worth promoting in the newsfeed or on “Discover.”

Compare Engagement to Your Other Metrics

If you partner with an influencer, one of the first questions you’ll want to ask is how much engagement they receive.

There are several ways to calculate your engagement rate:

• Per post: Add up your likes and comments and divide it by your total follower count. if 33 of your 1,000 followers liked or commented on your post, your engagement rate is 3.3%.
• Per 30 days: Add up the likes and comments on all your posts over the past thirty days. Divide this number by the total number of posts during that same period. Then, divide the resulting number by your follower count.

You can also use third-party tools to track this information without the help of a calculator.

Keeping track of individual posts’ engagement can help you understand what motivates users to go the extra mile and comment or like. You can use this information to adjust your marketing strategy, striving toward an uptick in your 30-day engagement rate over time.

Tracking Website Clicks

As noted above, the Instagram Analytics tool also enables you to track your profile’s performance, including the number of website clicks.

Likewise, you can view your website referral traffic using Google Analytics or another tool of your choice.

While this data may not directly correlate to a specific post, it’s straightforward to cross-reference clicks with the timing of recent posts and stories. 

Website clicks are an important step in the sales funnel, so identifying successful posting strategies is key in converting clients.

Using Analytics With Instagram Shopping

Different campaigns have different goals. While awareness helps capture users at the top of your funnel, Instagram can also help drive more viewers down to conversion. In fact, Instagram Shopping can help them convert without leaving the app (depending on your checkout experience).

When you are in the process of learning how to set up instagram shopping, you’ll unlock new tools.

• Place stickers on posts, stories, reels, IGTV, and Instagram live so that viewers can easily access pricing, product details, and purchase information.
• Depending on your eCommerce provider, you may be eligible to let users check out in the app. Otherwise, you can redirect them to your website (or your DMs).
• Instagram Shopping’s additional analytic tools can help you get an even clearer picture of your ROI on a tagged ad.

Power Digital’s Instagram Expertise, From Reach to Reels and Beyond

Between mastering Instagram’s ever-multiplying features and keeping track of KPIs using native and third-party tools, it’s more complex than ever to grow your success on Instagram.

Tired of experimenting with posts, videos, and reels?

At Power Digital, we understand the importance of a holistic marketing strategy—and the key role that Instagram can play within it. We’re Instagram experts, which means we can increase your impressions and your ROI. 

Get in touch today to learn how we can help your business grow.

Sources: 

1. Search Engine Journal. Instagram facts. https://www.searchenginejournal.com/instagram-facts/314439/
2. Fohr insights. The State Of Influencer Marketing 2020. https://blog.fohr.co/post/the-state-of-influencer-marketing-2020?rq=hashtags

The post Instagram Reach vs Impressions appeared first on Power Digital Marketing.

According to TikTok’s Terms of Services, TikTok’s fyp is a customized page “in which the Service selects short videos to show you based on what the Service determines could be interesting for you.” This feature allows the Tiktok user to experience a completely personalized feed in order to maintain activity on the TikTok  app. To that end, the “For You” page algorithm has increased user engagement so much that viewers spend 52 minutes a day (on average) on the app!¹

If you are wondering how to get on the fyp, you might also wonder what factors contribute to formulate each individual user’s “For You” feed? The social media company explains that there are three main operators in determining one’s homepage: user interaction, video information, and device and account settings.² User interactions may consist of videos that a user shares, comments, likes, or even posted in the past. On the other hand, Tiktok video information involves popular hashtags, popular sounds, and captions. And lastly, the “For You” page accumulates information from device and account settings that are based upon country or location, languages, and type of device.  These special features truly engage users on another level as they do not have to search for what they want to see — it is simply already arranged to be shown to them in the “For You” feed. (Now you may be starting to see how highly addictive this social platform truly is.)

Most especially when COVID-19 hit, TikTok became the hub for new social media trends. From lip-synching to dancing to the best Amazon purchases, the app exploded with products and opportunities that users refuse to pass up. With over 600 million international users³, the “For You” page is a never-ending feed that has the ability to reach an unimaginable audience. 

Benefits to Your Brand

So, why should you partner with a TikTok agency and implement TikTok’s “For You” page into your digital marketing strategy? For starters, the “For You” page is the first thing that users see when they open up the TikTok app, which already generates new opportunities for businesses. Unlike Instagram, the company states that “neither follower count nor whether the account has had previous high-performing videos are direct factors in the recommendation system.”⁴ In this case, brands and businesses have the ability to completely transform overnight — sounds crazy, right?

Let’s take a look at the global sensation of The Pink Stuff by StarDrops, a UK cleaning brand that catapulted its sales from the “For You” page in 2020. This popular cleaning product went viral as users began to physically show it working in action. As one thing led to another, the product was being purchased uncontrollably through Amazon as users continued to post more results on TikTok. Today, The Pink Stuff is now rated #1 for All-Purpose Household Cleaners and #31 in Health and Household on Amazon.

Not only can brands blow up from the commonality of the “For You” page, but influencers as well. Although Doja Cat was already established in the music industry, her career skyrocketed after viral dances were based around her music. Doja’s song, “Say So,” was a “turning point for [her] career. It’s also the highlight of her astonishing, unprecedented TikTok reign.”⁵ Through the success of nearly eight of her songs becoming a trend, Doja Cat’s career evolution is largely in part due to TikTok’s “For You” page trends. 

Ending up on the homepage of TikTok can lead to opportunities like no other. The “For You” page allows for products and people to become overnight sensations, like Charli D’Amelio,⁶ whose East Coast lifestyle was quickly flipped upside down after she uploaded videos of her dancing to popular trends — now she is the most followed user on the app. TikTok contains such a large market of audience members to engage with that integrating your strategies onto the app can cause an immense boost in brand awareness. Utilizing the “For You” page on TikTok can also give your audience a physical representation of your product, which further enhances your brand’s overall credibility.

With all of this in mind, any brand or influencer video content can end up on the “For You” page — it’s just a matter of how. 

Key Tips on How to Increase Your Chances

Although there is no definite recipe to end up on the “For You” page, these tips are tried-and-tested to better your chances of success:6

○ Using Hashtags: Although this may seem self-explanatory, you are not just inputting random hashtags to increase your chances of being noticed on the “For You” page. Instead, search for specific popular hashtags on the “Discover” tab. By entering keywords that represent your content, you are now able to view countless trends — from music, to related hashtags, and even to influencers who have used the hashtag. You can simply add the trending hashtag to your content before you upload them, or even reach out to a possible Tiktok influencer to boost your brand awareness and build relationships through such influencer marketing.

○ Posting at Peak Times: Reaching millions of users on such a broad app can be pretty difficult if your brand is trying to target a specific audience. This is why posting at the peak time of your target audience can be beneficial. Although there is no specific time for general users because the app is constantly developing, TikTok businesses and brands can opt to use a Pro Account. This feature enables you to access audience insights, specifically the time of the day that they are the most active. 

○ Seeing What’s Trending: You’ll want to pay increasingly close attention to the trends as they quickly come and go. TikTok users are constantly creating and replicating the latest trends, so it is crucial for your brand to stay updated on them. Each trend can range from memes, to products, and even to lip synching, which can be easy opportunities to expand your brand awareness. TikTok includes a “Sounds” page where any Tiktok user is able to identify popular content by which song or sound is receiving the most Tiktok views. 

Gen Z’s obsession with TikTok has caused hundreds of products to sell out and completely transform people’s lives. Compliment your current digital marketing strategies and learn from an expert at our digital marketing agency to launch your brand on TikTok’s “For You” page.

Sources:

01 https://www.cnbc.com/2018/09/19/short-video-apps-like-douyin-tiktok-are-dominating-chinese-screens.html

02 https://www.businessofapps.com/data/tik-tok-statistics/

03 https://www.oberlo.com/blog/tiktok-statistics#:~:text=TikTok%20

has%20689%20million%20monthly%20active%20users%20worldwide

04 https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/how-tiktok-recommends-videos-for-you 

05 https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/the-mystery-of-doja-cats-unimpeachable-tiktok-reign/

06 https://later.com/blog/tiktok-for-you-page/ 

The post Launch Your Brand — How to End up on TikTok’s ‘For You’ Page appeared first on Power Digital Marketing.

We’re almost sure you’ve heard of it… Clubhouse, the newest social media platform to hit the app store is all the hype right now. But what is Clubhouse app exactly?

As defined by the Clubhouse Community Guidelines, Clubhouse is “designed to be a space for authentic conversation and expression, where people can have fun, learn, make meaningful connections, and share rich experiences with others around the world.” But, this social platform is  fairly exclusive. 

In order for a person to join the Clubhouse community, you must be invited by an existing Clubhouse user and have an iPhone (seemingly, they aren’t fans of Androids). When originally created, Clubhouse aimed to target elite, high-profile users like celebrities, CEOs, and influencers — among many other notable users, some include Elon Musk, Drake, and Oprah Winfrey. As the ever-growing social platform took off, today there are upwards of 10 million users, having audio-only conversations about all different industries, professions, brands, and interests. 

Within the Clubhouse social media app, there are several key elements that you should familiarize yourself with. Firstly, know the hallway, rooms, and event calendar. The hallway is a compiled list of active rooms, and the rooms are where different conversations happen. The event calendar has a list of scheduled rooms, for a future date and time. You can also make a room private, adding an even further “exclusive” aspect, and share information that you don’t necessarily want to share to the public, or just any listener that may drop in. 

There are three different roles that you may have within each room: a moderator, a speaker, or a listener. As a moderator, you act as a host and have started a room; in doing so, you have the ability to invite other people to speak, remove them from speaking, and guide and influence the discussion. As a speaker, you’ve been invited to the stage by the moderator and you have the ability to talk. And lastly, as a listener, you’ve tapped to join an existing room/conversation, and have thus entered the audience on mute.

Benefits to Your Brand

Now, why is Clubhouse a beneficial aspect of your digital marketing strategy? According to its co-founders, helps you “build a social experience that [feels] more human — where instead of posting, you could gather with other people and talk.” Clubhouse is not only educational, but allows users to make connections based solely on interest, within a more intimate (but less intimidating or professional) environment. In order for it to serve as beneficial, be sure to optimize your account as a Clubhouse member. Note that the platform does not yet support links in user’s bios; instead, include your social usernames, where you work, what your title is, and any clubs you’ve launched within the social app.

Clubhouse will help you to build trust surrounding your brand and enforce a sense of community. Keep in mind, upcoming generations strongly value those relatable, authentic, and trustworthy brands over those with large followings now more than ever. Adding Clubhouse to your list of social media platforms will boost your brand’s awareness and credibility nonetheless, helping users put faces to the names behind brands, and giving them exclusive audio content and a sense of online community.

The Do’s and Don’ts 

As we see it, the main benefit to Clubhouse as a brand is to generate awareness to your audience. As a moderator or speaker, you have free range to speak about your brand’s story, connect with listeners and audience members, get feedback, and ultimately, guide conversations in the way that you want people to perceive your brand. Listeners are spending more and more time on the app, waiting for a conversation to happen that they are interested in. 

If you think Clubhouse serves fit to benefit your brand, here’s what we do and do not recommend:

• DO: Grow your following. This might seem broad, but Clubhouse is an extremely unique opportunity to deeply connect with the exact audience you want to target for your brand. Listeners only listen if they’re interested, therefore, play off of that. Be active, be consistent, and show up for your audience — the more you do, the more you will attract. Partner with people in your industry with bigger followings, too, so that you may introduce your audience to them and their audience to you, building familiarity. Clubhouse seems to be a very promising networking opportunity with an exclusive, online community.
• DO: Bring as much to the stage as possible. You want to be increasingly valuable to your listeners throughout your conversations, otherwise, they’ll leave. Keep in mind, when audience members follow you, they will be notified each time you’re on stage so that if they want to hear from you, they can join. 
• DO NOT: Be too exclusive. Now more than ever, consumers value inclusivity and authenticity. Welcome a diverse audience with different viewpoints, and make sure you are prepared to answer any spontaneous communication and questions that come your way respectfully and with understanding. Take advantage of this diversity and include voices into the conversation that otherwise, you may not hear from, creating extreme value for you, your brand, and other listeners.
• DO NOT: Jump right into it. Do your research and spend time on the social app after receiving a Clubhouse invite. Listen to other relevant conversations and brainstorm ideas on what topics fit for your brand. Ensure that it will be a beneficial platform before jumping in blind. Ultimately, be sure that it aligns with the goals of your brand. (Keep in mind, Facebook and Twitter are also working on building out similar audio platforms. Would this be more beneficial? Or, do you want to really get an in-depth, exclusive look at your individual consumers?)

All in all, Clubhouse seems to be a very probable and up-and-coming way to grow your business and really get to know your audience. Use our digital marketing agency tips to help navigate Clubhouse for your brand and overall, enhance your digital strategy.

Sources:

1. https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/clubhouse-app-for-business-what-marketers-need-to-know/
2. https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/what-is-clubhouse
3. https://www.notion.so/Community-Guidelines-461a6860abda41649e17c34dc1dd4b5f

The post Our Take On Clubhouse: How Can It Benefit Your Business? appeared first on Power Digital Marketing.

Oh, how wrong they were!

Twitter is more than just 280-character tweets. It’s a way to connect with your target audience and engage with news the moment it happens. This is why the social media platform has steadily grown to 192 million monetizable active users each day—from presidents to brands to everyday people.¹ Twitter lets you see what’s going on in the world, hear what others have to say about it, and then join the conversation.

Wondering how to use Twitter effectively? Here’s what you need to know for your digital marketing strategy or social media management agency. 

Benefits of Twitter for Business

Twitter is free to use. For businesses with budgetary restrictions, that’s a big deal. 

Although there are paid sponsorships and branded partnerships available, you can grow your twitter business account without ever spending a dime. With a Twitter profile, you can:

• Reach a new audience – You can reconnect with a current customer or reach a potential customer. Twitter is both an opportunity to listen to your users and make your brand voice heard.
• Stay up-to-date – Twitter helps you stay in touch with what’s happening around the world. You can monitor your community, industry updates, and larger trends going on around you. 
• Freely promote your business – By establishing your brand voice and joining the conversation, you can position yourself as an authority and a business worth listening to. Then, you can talk with twitter followers, conduct polls, or promote a new product or service. 
• Provide customer service – Customers can mention you with issues, questions, or complaints. By providing speedy and helpful responses—in a public setting that other potential customers will see—you can bolster customer loyalty.
• Monitor the competition – Keep tabs on your fiercest competitors to see what they’re doing well and where they could improve. This gives you a chance to find areas of competitive advantage.

Setting Up a Business Twitter Account—An Effective One! 

Before you start crafting content and building social media marketing strategies, you need a Twitter account—without first finding your voice, it won’t matter that you know what you want to say. 

Before you do anything else, you need to set up a twitter profile by following these steps:

#1 Register an account – Go to the Twitter homepage and hit the “Sign up” button. From there, you’ll be asked to:

• Create a username and Twitter handle tied to your company
• Provide your business email and phone number
• Verify your date of birth
• Agree to the terms and conditions of service

#2 Verify your account – After you’ve completed the registration process, Twitter will send a verification email or text. Enter the provided code to proceed.

#3 Create a password – Be sure to create a password that is safe and secure. In the past, hackers have found ways to infiltrate major figures and brands that failed to protect their accounts.

After you’ve registered, you’ll need to fully flesh out your profile. Don’t take shortcuts with this step—it’s as important as building your brand identity or your website. A profile that stands out will set your twitter presence up for success. This includes:

• Uploading a profile pic – Most brands use a high-quality version of their company’s logo in a 400×400 pixel format. You can always get creative by switching up your profile logo to match the season, ongoing promotions, or changes in your brand’s identity.
• Adding a bio – You have 160 characters to tell the world what you do and why they should care. Even established brands take time to fully flesh this out. Slack provides a good example: “On a mission to make your working life simpler, more pleasant and more productive. Need help? Send us a tweet! For updates on status, follow @SlackStatus.”
• Choosing your interests – Twitter will prompt you to select your areas of interest so it can suggest users to follow. As a personal trainer, for example, you’ll want to select categories like “health” and “fitness.”
• Selecting users to follow – After choosing your interests, you’ll get a curated list of popular Twitter accounts related to your interests. As a brand, you should focus on people that are relevant to your company and industry, and can help you grow.
• Uploading a cover pic – Further establish your uniqueness by incorporating branded imagery as your profile’s backdrop. It could be a photo, graphic, or tagline. Ideally, the social media image sizes you upload should be in a 1500×500 pixel format.

Twitter Best Practices: How to Promote Your Business on Twitter

So, you’ve built a profile. What now? 

It’s time to start Tweeting. But there are several things to keep in mind, which can help you build a twitter business profile and retain an audience. 

#1 Hashtags Matter 

Twitter was the very first social media platform to use hashtags—searchable identifying words or phrases that group tweets together. When users look for those words, they’ll receive a twitter list of all the relevant tweets. 

For brands, it’s helpful to latch on to a trending branded hashtag and trending topic, then add your voice to the conversation, particularly when they’re relevant to your industry. You can also create your own branded hashtag and try to get it trending by promoting a dialogue around that subject.

Use hashtags sparingly and strategically. When a post has too many, it feels inorganic. Users might automatically assume that it’s a spam post. Similarly, you should limit your number of tweets each day to avoid clogging up your customers’ feeds. A few well-crafted, well-positioned, highly relevant tweets will do much more for your brand than spam-tweeting poor-quality content. 

And on that note… 

#2 Create Value-Adding Content 

Just like with other indirect marketing channels, your primary goal isn’t to sell something but to provide value to your followers. While your underlying goal is always to drive traffic and increase conversions, the content is all about engaging with your target audience.  

Ideally, your tweets should accomplish one of three things:

1. Entertain
2. Educate
3. Advance an idea

If you can manage to fit all three in a single 280-character tweet, power to you. But nailing at least one is still a major success. It should help inspire a conversation and keep your audience coming back for more.

#3 Engage Your Audience 

Twitter is a fun, informal way to interact with your customer base. Tagging them in posts, responding to comments, and conducting polls are all easy ways to spark and encourage conversation and, ultimately, build a community. 

To that end, your Twitter-based marketing strategy should encompass much more than just new ad campaigns and promotions. The effort has to be ongoing, as a largely inactive account may cause more harm than good if customers feel like their concerns (or even praises!) are being ignored.

It’s also important to remember that listening is as essential as speaking. By paying attention to the conversations going on, you can discover what others think about your brand or products. Over time, this will help you refine your messaging and proactively address pain points. 

#4 Establish Your Voice 

Every brand has its own unique voice and messaging. What’s yours? 

If you don’t know yet, that’s okay. You have the chance to create and refine your voice. Just remember to:

• Be original – Your customers need a reason to keep following you—something your account offers that others don’t. Post unique opinions and brand-specific content. If you want to reshare something, quote it and add your own take. Even “plagiarizing” yourself across all of your various marketing channels can feel a bit stale. The more you can do to distinguish your company’s personality and voice, the better.  
• Be clever – People reward ingenuity and humor. They may be more willing to follow a brand if they know it’s funny, inspiring, or thought-provoking. 
• Avoid being “corporate” – Twitter is the platform of the masses. Of all the places to step away from impersonal, sterilized corporate lingo and become “one of them,” Twitter is the easiest and most effective channel for it. People embrace brands that embrace their real, genuine selves.

Along these lines, expand your horizons beyond simple text blurbs. Incorporate polls, gifs, memes, photos, videos, and other media to give your posts some zest. 

#5 Advertise on Twitter 

Twitter is free to use, but you can also pay money to promote your brand if interested in how to get more twitter engagement. There are three primary ways that Twitter helps boost a brand’s voice:²

1. Promoted tweets – Just like on Facebook, Instagram, or even Google, you can inconscpicuously promote ads that look almost exactly like regular tweets in a user’s feed. The only difference is they have a “promoted” label at the bottom. 
2. Promoted accounts – You can promote your account across Twitter, including in the “who to follow” sections on a user’s homepage, feed, and search results page. Promoted accounts target users whose interests align with your brand.
3. Promoted trends – These appear at the top of the trending topics but are clearly labeled as “promoted.” These are visible to all users, which allows you to target a wider audience.  

The cost of these services depends on your business. But the ROI can be significant. 

Start Tweeting 

Twitter has established itself as the go-to place for starting conversations. For businesses, it’s a free opportunity to grow your network, influence, and voice. 

Once you’ve created an account, keep these best practices in mind. If you’re a smaller company, growth likely won’t happen overnight. But if you work at it—if you hone your voice and build a community—you’ll be amazed by how quickly things can change. 

So, what are you waiting for? Those 280 characters aren’t going to type themselves. Check out TikTok for brands as another social media platform for your growing business! 

Sources:

1. Statista. Number of monetizable daily active Twitter users worldwide from 1st quarter 2017 to 4th quarter 2020. https://www.statista.com/statistics/970920/monetizable-daily-active-twitter-users-worldwide/
2. Twitter. Advertising. https://business.twitter.com/en/advertising.html

The post How To Use Twitter for Business appeared first on Power Digital Marketing.

But it’s not just average users who catapult to viral-status. Brands like Nike, Starbucks, and Netflix have all grown multi-million followings on Twitter. How, you might ask?

They invest in Twitter engagement.

When it comes to Twitter, you need more than a weekly hashtag to boost your business. To that end, we’ll break down how to use twitter for business, and why a Twitter account can significantly transform your brand or social media marketing agency.

What is Twitter Engagement?

The word “engagement” can seem vague—and that’s a little on purpose! 

Engagement is a wide umbrella term, covering any activity between accounts on a social media platform. Usually, this activity is quantifiable, such as 150 likes or 17 responses. For aTwitter profile, engagement includes:

• Favoriting
• Retweets
• Quote tweets
• Comments or responses
• Saved tweets
• Mentions
• Follows
• Profile clicks
• Link or hashtag clicks

All of these actions involve another Twitter user interacting with your twitter account—and for brands, that is the ultimate goal. The more users engage with your Twitter, the more likely users will visit your website or investigate your business.

Why is Twitter Engagement Important for Businesses

Sure, Twitter is a social media hallmark with plenty of memes, gossip, and news. But this website also functions as an incredible marketing platform. 

On Twitter, you’re tapping into a free source of 192 million daily active users.¹ Not to mention, over 1.6 billion people view Tweets via third-party online platforms each month—it’s hard to top that level of exposure.²

Increase your brand’s Twitter performance and presence, and you’ll likely reap a few proven benefits:

• Brand positivity – If your business replies to a user’s tweet, there’s a 77% chance that user will feel more positive about your brand.
• Increased customer action – After viewing a brand’s tweet, 54% of users engaged further with the brand. This included visiting their website, researching the brand, or retweeting brand content.³
• Customer promotion – In total, 80% of Twitter users have mentioned a brand’s account in a tweet. Boost your engagement, and you could have customers advertising for you.³

As a whole, Twitter engagement reveals what your target audience likes. By interacting with potential customers and observing their reactions, you gain their attention and learn their preferences—two essential marketing drives.

Tips to Increase Twitter Engagement

Let’s face it: building a massive following on Twitter isn’t easy. Otherwise, everyone would be a social media star or influencer.

But don’t let that discourage your 280-character dreams. With the right tips and tools (and a nose for trends), you can greatly increase your Twitter engagement and customer base.

Create a Viral-Friendly Tweet

Snappy and succinct is the Twitter motto. However, there’s more to an effective twitter post than staying under 280 characters. 

You might use Twitter for marketing purposes, but the majority of users see this platform as social media. Relevancy, trends, and attention-grabbing formats are key to attracting the average user’s eye.

When typing that next tweet, consider these content guidelines:

• Know your audience – Did you know 53% of Twitter users are between 35-65 years old?⁴ Or that Twitter users are more likely to have a college degree than the general population?⁵ Understanding Twitter’s user base is crucial to creating brand content. More importantly, keep in mind what appeals to your target audience.
• Keep it short – When you can, stick with the old 140-character tweet limit. Even better, aim for tweets between 71-100 characters. On average, this tweet length has a 17% higher engagement rate.⁶
• Provide value – Every tweet should offer something of value. However, that doesn’t have to mean a discount or promo (although those are helpful). Humor, inspiration, and product information are all valuable tweet content.
• Stay relevant – Not checking the Trending tab on your Twitter feed? Big mistake. Focus at least some of your content on trending topics, and you’ll widen your potential audience. Also, relevance increases likeability—a recent study found that “cultural relevance” propels 25% of customer purchases.⁷
• Hashtags – Not all hashtags are created equal (it’s time to move on from #tbt). However, any hashtag is better than none—on average, they increase retweets by 33%.⁸ Don’t go overboard, though. Tweets with a single hashtag receive more engagement than ones with multiple hashtags, so choose wisely. 
• Links – One of the easiest ways to drive website traffic? Place the link right in front of customers! A middle-Tweet position has the best engagement, increasing retweets by 26%.⁸

Think Outside the Text Box

They’re not just for Instagram or Facebook anymore. Visual graphics—pictures, videos, even Real Housewives GIFs—are incredible Twitter engagement tools.

Besides skirting the 280-character tweet limit, graphics instantly draw attention and increase engagement. Let’s explore the best ways for increased engagement via visuals:

• Images & GIFs – A picture is worth a 1000 words… or maybe forty tweets with better engagement. Compared to text-only posts, tweets with images receive 38% more retweets⁹, while GIFs draw 55% higher engagement.¹⁰ So on your next customer response, try sprinkling in a visual (the shoulder-shimmy Shaq GIF always works) while following the social media image sizes guidelines. 
• Video – You might not associate video with Twitter. But 82% of Twitter users watch video content—and it significantly drives up engagement, creating 10x the amount for non-video tweets.¹¹ For businesses, keep videos short (maximum 15 seconds) and showcase your product upfront.
• Live content – A newer feature, Twitter’s live chats are a great way to get followers involved. Try to plan a live chat with fellow accounts in your industry, and spread the word beforehand. And to really drive engagement, ask audiences for questions they’d like answered—you’ll build a stronger customer connection.

Engage With Other Accounts

You could be a tweet-posting machine, spewing hashtags left and right. But if you don’t actually interact with other accounts, you’re missing out big time on boosting your Twitter engagement rate.

Building rapport with users gives brands a personable and caring quality. The more you pay attention to customers, the more they’ll pay attention to you. Even better, you’ll create opportunities for non-following users to see your content.

To build that customer-brand connection, here are a few actions to take on Twitter:

• Favorite, retweet, or respond to other tweets – Put yourself out there, and share the tweeting love. The more you engage with users, the more exposure your tweets get—and more exposure means a higher chance of engagement.³
• Always respond to mentions – Think of mention responses like customer service. You can build a reputation for high quality customer care by responding to mentions, both negative and positive. Don’t be afraid to throw in a “Thank you!” to loyal customers.
• DM Campaigns – For small businesses, DM campaigns are a great way to welcome customers or offer promotions—in fact, they have a 300% higher click-rate than email campaigns.⁸ Just make sure to keep your Direct Message personal and short (no one likes spam).
• Twitter Polls – There’s nothing like going to the source. Use Twitter polls to both gather customer opinion and create a fun connection with users. The more you can make the poll about your product, the better.
• Just ask – People love to connect. All you have to do is open the door! If you want to increase engagement, ask users to retweet—it increases the odds by at least 10x.¹² 

Nail the Timing

In a bout of midnight insomnia, the perfect tweet may come down to you like a dream. But hold back your fingertips! To reach peak engagement, timing your tweets is everything.

For night owls and early risers alike, here are the best timing tips for Tweet engagement:

• Identify peak hours – When considering what is the best time to post on Twitter, the answer is typically morning rush hour (8-10am), particularly on Wednesdays and Fridays.¹³ But every industry is different—beauty and tech brands will have different audiences, and thus different peak hours.
• Simplify – A classic case of “less is more”. The sweet spot for Twitter engagement is around one to five tweets per day—not twenty or higher.¹⁴
• Space it out – While debated, the average lifespan of a tweet is around 18 minutes. After that, engagement significantly drops off. Counter this with spacing out your posts, so your brand content appears on timelines throughout the day.¹⁵
• Recycle – We’re in a content-heavy world, and odds are some followers missed your tweet the first time. Don’t be afraid to repost an important tweet, particularly if it becomes relevant again (like a discount offer).

Training Your Twitter Fingers | How to get More Twitter Engagement 

As a global platform, Twitter is an incredible portal to new customers. But Twitter engagement is a little more complicated than running an ad billboard—you’re facing millions of users across the world, all with different cultures, time zones, lifestyles, and needs.

The best advice for engaging this global community? Know your brand. Once you know exactly what you’re selling and why, your tweets can reach your target audience. Add in a few of these tips, and your Twitter profile will be an irreplaceable source for #marketing. Your social media marketing strategy doesn’t stop here! Go beyond Twitter and expose your brand to other platforms like TikTok for brands.  

Sources: 

1. Statista. Monetizable Daily Active Twitter Users, Worldwide. https://www.statista.com/statistics/970920/monetizable-daily-active-twitter-users-worldwide/
2. Zote, Jacqueline. 5 strategies to amplify your Twitter engagement. https://sproutsocial.com/insights/twitter-engagement/
3. Twitter. Study: Exposure to brand Tweets drives consumers to take action – both on and off Twitter. https://blog.twitter.com/en_us/a/2014/study-exposure-to-brand-tweets-drives-consumers-to-take-action-both-on-and-off-twitter.html
4. Lin, Ying. 10 Twitter Statistics Every Marketer Should Know in 2021. https://www.oberlo.com/blog/twitter-statistics
5. Wojcik, Steven, et al. Sizing Up Twitter Users. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2019/04/24/sizing-up-twitter-users/
6. Lee, Kevan. The Optimal Length for Every Social Media Update and More. https://buffer.com/library/optimal-length-social-media/
7. Twitter. Brands + Culture + Twitter = Impact. https://marketing.twitter.com/en/insights/brands-plus-culture-plus-twitter-equals-impact
8. Webster, Taylor. 8 Surprising Twitter Statistics That Will Help You Get More Engagement. https://postcron.com/en/blog/8-surprising-twitter-statistics-get-more-engagement/
9. Twitter. What fuels a Tweet’s engagement? https://blog.twitter.com/official/en_us/a/2014/what-fuels-a-tweets-engagement.html
10. Twitter Business. 6 ways to use GIFs in your Twitter strategy. https://business.twitter.com/en/blog/6-ways-gifs-twitter-strategy.html
11. Twitter Business. Twitter video resources. https://business.twitter.com/en/resources/video.html
12. Long, Jonathan. Increase Retweets and Improve Engagement on Twitter With These 12 Tips. https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/242123
13. Hutchinson, Andrew. The Best Times to Post on Social Media in 2020. https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/the-best-times-to-post-on-social-media-in-2020-report/574045/
14. Patel, Neil. How Frequently You Should Post on Social Media According to the Pros. https://www.forbes.com/sites/neilpatel/2016/09/12/how-frequently-you-should-post-on-social-media-according-to-the-pros/
15. Leiter, Melissa. The Lifespan of Social Media Posts. https://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/lifespan-social-media-posts

The post How to Get More Twitter Engagement appeared first on Power Digital Marketing.

In just a few years, the video-sharing platform has catapulted itself into the conversation of the most popular global social media sites in existence. It recently reached a billion worldwide users, making it the fastest-growing social media network ever.¹ 

Because this is a rapidly expanding platform, early adopter brands have a tremendous opportunity to establish a presence, especially if their audience is in the 25 and under demographic. And with the launch of TikTok for Business in 2020, the opportunities for social media marketing teams to build their brand are greater than ever.   

Wondering whether your brand should get in on TikTok marketing? Here’s everything you need to know as a social media management agency about the social media platform and the potential marketing opportunities it presents. 

TikTok For Brands—A Run Down 

TikTok is an iOS- and Android-based social media app built for users to craft and share short videos (that last up to 15 seconds). In a word, Tik Tok is about creative expression. This ingenuity is most often channeled in the form of a quick dance, lip-sync, or comedy sketch. 

If you remember Vine, TikTok operates on a similar premise. You film a short video that plays on a loop. But it also took some of the most popular features from Snapchat that allows you to add:

• Effects
• AR filters
• Musical overlays
• Text 

TikTok’s company mission is “to capture and present the world’s creativity, knowledge, and precious life moments, directly from the mobile phone. TikTok enables everyone to be a creator and encourages users to share their passion and creative expression through their videos.”² 

To that end, it’s been a raging success, creating viral sensation after viral sensation—from songs, to dances, to memes, to TikTok stars. Users love the challenge of creating something memorable within a limited time frame and then seeing how others channeled their creativity.   

Just a scroll through the feed and the current trends will give you a sense of what Tik Tok is all about. It’s fun, bizarre, hilarious, and addicting. 

Brands on TikTok: By The Numbers

A look at the numbers is quite revealing:

• By demographics, it skews young. 62% of its user base are aged between 10 and 29.³
• 90% of TikTok users use the app at least once per day, but studies have shown that a significant majority of users will return multiple times each day.⁴
• In the U.S., the average time spent on TikTok was over 60 minutes, with 13 daily app opens.3 
• 21% of users share brand posts and brand/product recommendations. 24% of users share influencer posts.⁵ 

But this isn’t simply a silly dancing and lip sync site. Well, it is. But it can be a lot more, especially for savvy brands willing to take risks and channel their creativity. Put simply, TikTok creates an experience that its users crave and keep coming back for, which should have marketers paying close attention.  

Although the audience is younger than most social media demographics, celebrities, marketers, and brands spared no time nor expense rushing to leverage the platform’s capabilities. For some, it cracked the code on how to reach their target audience, Gen Z—a generation that has been unreceptive to traditional advertising methods. 

For others, it was simply a new opportunity to be creative, market themselves, and build their brand by posting videos and engaging their audience. This entrance of celebrities and global brands has granted the app legitimacy and helped propel it from the minors to the big leagues. 

TikTok for Businesses 

In June of 2020, TikTok launched TikTok for Businesses.⁶ This new platform was created as a marketing hub for brands. It provides several solutions for increasing engagement and building an audience. 

Currently, there are several ways brands on TikTok can leverage the app’s potential. But only one of them is free. 

Build Your Own Content (Free)

Creating an account and posting content won’t cost you a dime aside from the time of editing and determining proper social media image sizes and other resources you spend on building the assets. It can all be done with just a smartphone. 

But this method isn’t a sure-fire way to expand your reach; it takes work, effort, creativity, and luck to go viral. Otherwise, you will need to grow the old fashion way—slow and steady—by regularly posting engaging content and gradually building an audience. 

If you have a creative marketing team, they may be up for the challenge. Or, if you have an established name, it’ll be easier to grow your channel. Whatever you do, don’t treat your content like a normal advertisement. Instead, embrace the TikTok ethos and build your own fun and engaging content that keeps your audience thirsting for more.  

Brand Takeover Ads ($53,000+ per day) 

Brand takeover ads take up the entire screen and run a 3 to 5 second video ad that often appears the moment a user opens up the app. Think of the non-skippable YouTube advertisements. The ad shows up in the “For You” feed, and it allows you to include a website link or clickable hashtag.  

For Instance, HBO Max has been recently running a video brand takeover ad that shows several brief clips of Big Bang Theory, displays a message that says “Big Bang Theory is NOW STREAMING,” and then prompts the user with a CTA to start their free trial. 

It’s brief, to the point, and instantly conveys their unique selling position.   

TikTok guarantees that a brand takeover will receive at least 8,900,000 impressions. But those eyeballs aren’t cheap. Brand takeover ads start at $53,000 per day and can run even higher if you want to create more impressions.⁷ 

TopView ads ($65,000 per day)

This is a prime ad placement since it will appear as the first video that appears when a user enters their TikTok feed. These are 60-second videos that ensure your target audience will see your messaging. Often, a brand will partner with a TikTok influencer to make it feel more like a natural plug than a direct advertisement.  

TopView ads are pricey. For 7,400,000 impressions, you’ll need to pay $65,000 per day. And if you wish, you can turn your Takeover ad into a TopView ad by paying the $12,000 difference.⁷ 

In-Feed Video ($25,000+)

These are 5 to 15 second ads that will show up in users’ feeds. There are two types of in-feed video ads:

• One day max – These are programmed to always be the fourth video in a user’s feed. Because of this, the best type of ad will blend in with other content. The campaign lasts 24 hours, and TikTok charges a starting point of $26,000 for 3,600,000 impressions. 
• Brand premium – These are randomly placed among the first 130 in-feed videos on someone’s app. The minimum price for this is $25,000.7 

Hashtag Challenge ($130,000)

This was the very first ad format created for brands. TikTok allows advertisers to complete challenges or dances and then link them to a hashtag. The hashtag acts as a call to action for site users to create and share their own version over the next six days. The minimum price for a hashtag challenge is a hefty $130,000, but with an average engagement of 8.5%, it can be a worthwhile investment.⁷ 

For example, one of the most successful hashtag challenges in TikTok’s history was also one of the first. Guess Jeans created the #InMyDenim challenge, which showed someone wearing an out-of-style outfit and then transforming into a fashionable look that included Guess-branded denim clothes. 

This campaign created more than 52.7 million impressions. To that end, for an additional $30,000, you can upgrade to the Hashtag Challenge Plus package. This gives your brand the banner, hashtag, challenge page, special content protection, and the ability to direct people to your store within the app. 

Branded Effect ($45,000)

Branded effects are like Instagram filters, except they’re brand-sponsored 2D animated filters that can be triggered via hand or facial movement. After launch, the branded effects will appear on the first page of the effects panel for 30 days. This type of format will cost $45,000 for the month.  

Influencers (TBD)

Paying influencers to promote your brand is one of the most effective and natural ways to leverage your content. They have already established a following who enjoy their videos and trust their opinions. When they recommend a brand, young people especially are more receptive to the message. 

TikTok offers creator packages that vary in terms of cost and influencer reach⁷:

• Mid-tier – For $12,000, you get access to five creators, each has less than a million followers.
• Top-tier – For $35,000, you get access to five creators, each with 1 to 5 million followers.
• Value hybrid package – For $20,000, you get access to two top-tier creators and three mid-tier creators. 

Get On TikTok 

Brands on TikTok understand that the world of traditional advertising is from a bygone era. There are newer, more creative, authentic ways to reach your target audience—particularly if they’re 30 or younger. 

The app is only going to grow, so you should strike while the iron is hot. Even if you’re a smaller brand with a limited budget, you should at least create a profile and post regularly since it’s a free opportunity to engage your customers. 

So, build a profile, acclimate yourself to the site, and start posting. From there, you can determine whether a paid event like a Hashtag challenge would be a worthwhile investment. To further your marketing strategy, go beyond TikTok marketing and read on how to get more twitter engagement or how to use twitter for business for helpful tips! 

Sources:

1. Oberlo. 10 TikTok Stats That You Need to Know in 2021. https://www.oberlo.com/blog/tiktok-statistics
2. PR Newswire. Musical.ly and TikTok Unite to Debut New Worldwide Short Form Video Platform. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/musically-and-tiktok-unite-to-debut-new-worldwide-short-form-video-platform-300690719.html
3. Statista. Distribution of TikTok users in the United States as of June 2020, by age group. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1095186/tiktok-us-users-age/
4. Business of Apps. TikTok Revenue and Usage Statistics. https://www.businessofapps.com/data/tik-tok-statistics/
5. Global Web Index. Social Media Marketing Trends. https://www.globalwebindex.com/reports/social
6. Tech Crunch. Tik Tok Launches TikTok for Business. https://techcrunch.com/2020/06/25/tiktok-launches-tiktok-for-business-for-marketers-takes-on-snapchat-with-new-ar-ads/
7. Digiday. From Takeovers to Topview ads, what it costs to advertise on TikTok. https://digiday.com/media/from-takeovers-to-topview-ads-what-it-costs-to-advertise-on-tiktok/

The post TikTok for Brands: Is It Worth It? appeared first on Power Digital Marketing.

If you tried to memorize them all, it would make your head spin! Fortunately, you don’t have to. We’ve created this comprehensive guide to help you size your social media images to perfection. Below, we’ll review the recommended image sizes for the following social media platforms:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• YouTube
• TikTok

Why Are Social Media Image Sizes So Important?

As a company, your social media profile may be the first impression a potential customer has of your brand. Depending on the quality of your social media posts and images, you’ll either look credible and professional or outdated and untrustworthy. 

To make sure you fall into the former category, you need to upload images that are high-quality, on-brand, and properly sized. 

By uploading images in the recommended photo size, you can: 

• Prevent them from appearing overly pixelated – If you upload a photo that’s too small, it may get stretched out once it’s uploaded. This can make it appear grainy and outdated. 
• Show the entire photo – Similarly, uploading a photo with improper dimensions could result in unintentional cropping. The last thing you want is to create a beautiful banner with your logo and brand messaging, only to have a portion of your creation cut off.
• Future-proof your visuals – Social media platforms often change their image sizing guidelines. Fortunately, the prevailing trend is to allow for higher-resolution images as time goes on. By uploading your photos in the maximum resolution, you can save yourself the trouble of having to re-upload them in the near future. 

2021 Social Media Image Size Guide 

Here’s an easy-to-follow cheat sheet for all of your social media image size inquiries:

Facebook Image Size

With 2.8 billion active monthly users,¹ Facebook is the most popular social media platform in the world. Roughly a quarter of the world’s population has a Facebook account. Due to its massive user base, Facebook is a go-to platform for businesses of all sizes. 

By crafting a showstopping Facebook presence, you can connect with potential customers, advertise effectively, and boost your brand recognition. One major component of this process is uploading high-quality images. After all, 65% of Facebook users say that viewing photos is their top reason for perusing the platform.² 

If you want to impress this crowd, you need to get your different image sizes right. Here are the pixel dimensions for each type of Facebook image:

• Facebook profile picture – 360 by 360
• Facebook cover photo – 820 by 312
• Facebook highlight image – 1,200 by 717
• Facebook timeline image – 1,200 by 1,200
• Facebook timeline image with a link – 1,200 by 628
• Facebook event image – 1,920 by 1,080
• Facebook fundraiser image – 800 by 300
• Facebook story – 1,080 by 1,920
• Facebook ad image – 1,080 by 1,080

Instagram Image Size

When it comes to images, Instagram has cornered the market. With over one billion monthly active users,³ it’s one of the top photo-sharing platforms in the world. Content creators, businesses, and general users all flock to this platform to show off their aesthetic creativity. 

Instagram may be dominated by famous influencers, but many businesses can also benefit from posting on the platform. In fact, 90% of Instagram users follow at least one business.⁴ If you want to capitalize on this active audience, it’s essential to master your visuals.

Here are the most important Instagram pixel dimensions to keep in mind as you curate your Instagram grid:

• Instagram profile picture – 180 by 180
• Instagram image post – 1,080 by 1,080 (though recommended dimensions vary by their aspect ratio):
  • Square – 1,080 by 1,080
  • Landscape – 1,080 by 655
  • Portrait – 1,080 by 1,350
• Instagram story – 1,080 by 1,920
• Instagram carousel ad – 1,080 by 1,080 
• IGTV video – 1,080 by 1,920
• Instagram reels – 1,080 by 1,920

Twitter Images Size

Ever since its launch in 2011, Twitter has been a thriving hub for engaging discussions. It boasts 353 million monthly active users who swap perspectives on everything from the news to celebrity drama.⁵ Some of these discussions may even involve your company. 

If you want the conversation to go both ways, you need to create a professional Twitter profile. You should outfit your profile with high-quality photos that are representative of your brand. 

To help you towards the process of how to get more twitter engagement, here are the Twitter image sizes you should know about if you are interested in how to use twitter for business:

• Twitter profile picture – 400 by 400
• Twitter banner size – 1,500 by 500
• Twitter single-image tweet – 1,200 by 1,200
• Twitter two-image tweet – 700 by 800 for each image
• Twitter three-image tweet – Left image: 700 by 800, right images: 1,200 by 686
• Twitter four-image tweet – 1,200 by 600 for each image
• Twitter image post with a link (a.k.a. card) – 1,200 by 628 for each image
• Twitter fleet – 1,080 by 1,920
• Single and multi-image ads – 600 by 335
• Carousel and card ads – 800 by 418 or 800 by 800, depending on the ratio

LinkedIn Post Size

With 740 million members,⁶ LinkedIn is a thriving community full of ambitious professionals. It’s the largest professional networking platform of its kind. On LinkedIn, users get to:

• Document their work experience and skill set
• Discuss hot topics relating to their field
• Demonstrate their industry thought leadership
• Share insightful articles
• Connect with other professionals
• Post and apply for jobs

Due to the professional nature of LinkedIn, showcasing a put-together profile is crucial. Whether you’re a job seeker or an established company, your images need to exude professionalism. To help you do just that, make sure you follow LinkedIn’s recommended image size guidelines:

• LinkedIn personal profile picture – 400 by 400 up to 7,680 by 4,320
• LinkedIn personal cover photo – 1,584 by 394
• LinkedIn company profile picture – 300 by 300
• LinkedIn company cover photo – 1,536 by 768
• LinkedIn square logo image – 60 by 60
• LinkedIn image post – 1,200 by 627
• LinkedIn Life Tab main image – 1,128 by 376
• LinkedIn Life Tab company image – 900 by 600
• LinkedIn Life Tab custom module image – 502 by 282
• LinkedIn dynamic ads company logo – 100  by 100
• LinkedIn sponsored content image – 1,200 by 627
• LinkedIn sponsored content carousel – 1,080 by 1,080
• LinkedIn sponsored in-mail image – 300 by 250
• LinkedIn video – 256 by 144 to 4,096 by 2,304

YouTube Image Sizes

YouTube is the largest video-sharing platform in the world, boasting nearly 2 billion users worldwide.⁷ Roughly 70% of all Americans have a YouTube account.⁸ Due to its expansive user base, 500 hours of new content are uploaded to YouTube every single minute⁹. 

By sharing videos on YouTube, you can grow your audience and share valuable information about your company. Before you can do that, however, you need to customize your channel with eye-catching imagery.

Here are YouTube’s recommended image type sizes:

• YouTube profile picture – 800 by 800
• YouTube banner image – 2,560 by 1,440 (though the focal point of the image should remain within the middle 1,546 by 432 pixels, since banner dimensions vary depending on device type):
  • Tablet banner display – 1,855 by 432
  • Mobile banner display – 1,546 by 432
  • TV banner display – 2,560 by 1,440
  • Desktop banner display – 2,560 by 432

• YouTube video thumbnail – 1,280 by 720
• YouTube story – 1,080 by 1,920
• YouTube video – Pixel dimensions vary by resolution:
  
• YouTube video ad – 1,280 by 720 or above (since 720p resolution is required)
  • YouTube in-video overlay ad – 480 by 70
  • YouTube bumper ad – 300 by 60
  • YouTube standard display ad – 300 by 250
• YouTube TrueView discovery ad – 640 by 360 or 480 by 360

TikTok Image Size

TikTok has seen a rapid rise in popularity in recent years. It’s one of the fastest-growing apps in the world.¹⁰ TikTok’s addictive, bite-sized video reels captivate audiences and offer businesses the chance to see if they can go viral. 

While choreographed dance videos are what the platform is most famous for, there’s a TikTok niche for just about everything. If you want to establish an engaging presence on TikTok for brands, make sure your images fit these pixel dimension guidelines:

• TikTok profile picture – 200 by 200
• TikTok video – 1,080 by 1,920
• TikTok video ad – 720 by 1,280, 640 by 640, or 1,280 by 720

Sized to Perfection

Now you know how to properly size your images on social media. Keep in mind that each platform’s dimension guidelines are always subject to change. By uploading yours in the highest resolution possible, you can future-proof your social media profile and put your best foot forward.

To learn more about social media marketing, check out Power Digital’s social media management agency resources.

Sources:

1. Statista. Number of daily active Facebook users worldwide as of 4th quarter 2020.  https://www.statista.com/statistics/346167/facebook-global-dau/
2. Business of Apps. Facebook Revenue and Usage Statistics (2020). https://www.businessofapps.com/data/facebook-statistics/
3. Statista. Distribution of Instagram users worldwide as of January 2021, by age group.  https://www.statista.com/statistics/325587/instagram-global-age-group/
4. Instagram. Thank You and Happy Birthday, Instagram! https://business.instagram.com/blog/thank-you-and-happy-birthday-instagram/
5. Business of Apps. Twitter Revenue and Usage Statistics (2020).  https://www.businessofapps.com/data/twitter-statistics/
6. LinkedIn. About LinkedIn. https://about.linkedin.com
7. Statista. YouTube – Statistics & Facts. https://www.statista.com/topics/2019/youtube/
8. Pew Research. 10 facts about Americans and Facebook. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/05/16/facts-about-americans-and-facebook/
9. Business of Apps. YouTube Revenue and Usage Statistics (2020).  https://www.businessofapps.com/data/youtube-statistics/
10. Statista. TikTok- Statistics & Facts. https://www.statista.com/topics/6077/tiktok/

The post Social Media Image Sizes: A Full Guide appeared first on Power Digital Marketing.

Since January of 2020, the world has seen the rise of monthly active users on social media grow exponentially (upwards of 3.6 billion). Maybe this is due to the majority of our population now staying home, or maybe it’s due to the Tik Tok dance trends that took the world by storm. Who wouldn’t want to hop on that bandwagon? 

Today, social media presence plays a crucial role in connecting people and developing relationships. But how can one stay on top of the rapidly changing latest social media trends and social platform updates while making an impact for their brand? We’ll make it easy with these 5 most important social media trends to look out for in 2021.

Goodbye Hashtags, Hello Keywords

It’s no secret that hashtags were the outbound awareness drivers that brands and influencers used to reach more users, but perhaps adding that long list of keywords with a pound sign is no longer the way to reach your target audience. Hashtags have always been a controversial social media strategy for growth. Customers hate feeling spammed by long hashtag strands, while brands and influencers think they are a natural way to reach a direct audience…but are they? 

Hashtags as an outreach strategy often fall flat due to the competitive nature of hashtags. For example, #lifestyle was used over 250 million times and the top nine are refreshed every one to three seconds. There’s also been a change in the way that users interact with hashtags. Users are not following hashtags to find and buy products — in fact, they are really only following hashtags to keep up with niche interests and hobbies. 

With Instagram’s new keyword search option, you can enter the conversation while looking less “spammy.” Now, users can search a simple keyword that they are interested in to be shown a feed of relative images not based on hashtags! The algorithm then has more control in sourcing images that it believes will be of interest to you, not just every individual that dropped an unnecessary hashtag on their picture. Think Pinterest. This new keyword approach on Instagram means in 2021, your captions should be written for engagement AND rankability by including specific keywords that are relative to your brand or product. 

While we love this shift and are looking forward to implementing an SEO mindset paired with colorful copywriting, it’s interesting to see not every platform is eager to move away from hashtags. In fact, YouTube recently launched a hashtag search capability to all users. This feature allows content creators to add hashtags to their video content that then users can click on to be brought to a feed with similar content. Whether this takes off is still in question, but it’s definitely another new social media trend to watch in 2021. 

Shopping on Social

Shopping on social media isn’t a new feature for 2021, but we do believe this internet marketing service will become widely used this year. Previously, shopping on social was a great way for customers now and then to come across an Instagram ad and scroll through products offered by the brand. However, there was not a general comfort when it came to checking out on social media. As many brands experienced, social media users would use the channels for product research and introduction, but when it came to converting they often left the social channel and went directly to the company’s site. Now, Instagram is working to change that. The new Instagram shop features include guides, partnerships and more and also allows users to checkout directly through the platform. 

We believe that in 2021 brands that jump on social checkout will be rewarded by the platforms with extended reach and access to new features (including shop push notifications in beta right now). As social media continues to move from a connection platform to a consumer platform, we expect shopping on social media to stay. 

The Great Unfollowing

Gone are the days when someone would join a social media platform and mass follow every brand they’ve used and person they’ve heard of. Today, social media users are becoming more exclusive with who they follow and they frequently conduct “feed cleanups” by unfollowing those who no longer provide value. In 2020, we saw a significant dip in the rate of growth — already a clear sign that the way users follow brands and influencers on social media is shifting. However, in 2021, we expect to see a potential dip in followers for many brands and influencers that are not providing value. Rather, individuals will seek out these pages when they are looking for an update or fresh content — further, putting value into Profile Visits as a main KPI. 

In order to maintain or grow your social media following in 2021, you need to think value first. What does your content strategy look like? Does your content speak to people that already own your products? Does it give them a reason to continue following after they’ve purchased? Does your page educate and inform those who are researching your product? Most importantly, does your page provide value? To avoid a potential dip in followers, you need to make sure your content is fresh and exciting. Avoid any use of templates to eliminate content fatigue. Stay current, posting relevant content that sparks conversation with your target audience. Finally, lean into your community authentically and personally (more on that below). 

Remember, even if you see a shift in following, that does not lower the value of your social media pages and brand awareness. We expect many brands to see a large lift in profile visits month-over-month as more and more individuals use social as a research and credibility tool. 

Keep it Real  

This trend we’ve noticed over the last couple of years, but we believe now more than ever people are going to expect (and desire) authentic connection with everyone they follow on social media. We’re seeing this trend through the “Question” story feature on Instagram, Mentorship capability within Facebook Groups and even through the unfollowing habit we mentioned above. Social media users want to feel like they’re being individually heard and recognized from even the large brands and influencers they follow. And if not, well, they won’t be following them for long.

There is so much more to community management than simply commenting back to your users. Brands in 2021 will need to go outbound to be successful. This doesn’t mean those mass bot-like comments like “DM for feature” or spammy DMs asking to try a product — this is true and authentic communication and connection. Facebook’s Community Management tool offers user profiles which is a great way to start keeping track of top engagers. Additionally, your website CRM is another great tool to try to seek out and connect with top customers on social media. The most successful brands on social media in 2021 will prioritize social listening through social based surveys, “Close Friend” campaigns and detailed user profiles. 

Additionally, we see a shift in 2021 to “real” content. Instagram Story filters became a viral trend in 2020 (we all needed a nice spin that year…) But as we enter 2021, we see more and more influencers and individuals avoiding filters or transparently posting the difference they make. Social media is making a shift to its roots — to be in the moment and real. Perhaps even grid aesthetics will be of less importance as “real” content makes an upswing. Users want to see what the brand is truly like, not the “filtered” version. The best way to accomplish this as a brand is to think about the type of friend it would be as a human — how would you talk, what would you share, what would you find funny? Portray that individual personality through your social content for a deeper connection. 

New Year, New Platforms 

Like every year, we expect to see a few new platforms trinkle in. While this commonly happens, only a few lucky ones actually take off. At the moment, we’re keeping our eyes on ClubHouse. ClubHouse is a new chat-based app (almost like a two-way podcast) that allows individuals to get involved with conversations that are interesting to them. Whether it’s  juicy gossip or education resources, ClubHouse plans to have a little something for everyone. We are excited to see how this world opens up to brands as a true platform of connection. After all,  the brand will need a literal voice to be successful here. 

On the same note, we’re monitoring platforms that we see having a downfall in 2021. We anticipate that Twitter will continue to lose popularity — only being used for niche topics and industries. Similarly, we see Facebook making a shift to more group-focused interactions rather than branded pages. As new platforms enter the space, and old ones fizzle out, one thing is for certain….social media will not remain the same in 2021. 

What latest social media trends are you keeping an eye on when it comes to social media in 2021? We’d love to hear from you! 

The post 2021 Social Media Trends Blog appeared first on Power Digital Marketing.