The seemingly instant popularity of the short-video platform TikTok took some marketers by surprise, and it has only continued to grow. While teenagers were initially viewed as the platform’s primary users and audience, and they certainly do spend a lot of time on it, TikTok’s reach has expanded dramatically.
Marketing trends come and go, constantly evolving as brands strive to better leverage the latest technologies and respond to shifts in the marketplace. It’s not just about making a splash or creating attention-grabbing content anymore.
After another year like no other, it’s difficult to deny the increasing practicality of influencer marketing as a brand strategy. In fact, the value of the global influencer market is now worth a record $13.8 billion.
Looking back on 2021, we can probably all agree on one thing: at least it’s not still 2020. We didn’t quite get the smooth back-to-normal pandemic recovery we were hoping for, but as we collectively brace for the next normal, it’s a smart time to review the social media marketing lessons learned from another year like no other.
Ask any agency leader to tell you what you could learn from them about a challenge one of their clients came to them with, and they will likely have to spend a minute sorting through the myriad issues they’ve helped clients tackle to decide which was the most intriguing one that could offer other pros the most insight.
The rise of influencer marketing over the years has led to social media personalities becoming high-demand marketing partners for today’s brands. These influential content creators run the spectrum in terms of audience size and focus, but their promotional value is largely agreed upon: According to Influencer Marketing Hub’s 2021 benchmark report, 90% of those surveyed “believe influencer marketing to be an effective form of marketing.”
Partnering with major influencers such as celebrities and professional athletes isn’t financially feasible for every business. This is one reason why more and more brands are integrating micro-influencer campaigns into their marketing strategies these days.
For a while it seemed like we were on the verge of seeing a road map back to U.S. consumer spending in a post-pandemic world — then, the Delta variant came along, bringing a fresh wave of uncertainty. In this ever-shifting landscape, once again marketers are left wondering what kinds of economic recovery obstacles may be coming and how the next normal will drive consumer behaviors.
Brands are always looking to leverage the “latest thing” in terms of social media trends to help amplify their marketing and advertising, and this holiday season, the latest and greatest thing is TikTok.
For marketers in many industries, work slows down during the summer months as business begins to lag, budgets are reassessed and employees take time off. While some teams will move dormant internal projects off the back burner, engage in professional development or find other ways to leverage the downtime, others take advantage of the inevitable summertime slump by getting ready for fall campaigns.
Facebook remains the undisputed leader among social media advertising channels. Globally, billions of people use the platform every day, and the average daily user will spend a few hours on it. Its enormous popularity isn’t the only reason Facebook is an advertising powerhouse, though.
One thing is certain about this year’s holiday shopping season: It’s going to look different from 2020. U.S. holiday retail sales in 2021 are predicted to increase 2.7% to $1.093 trillion, with e-commerce accounting for a record 18.9% of all holiday retail sales.