This week we're breaking down:

• The Highlights:
  • Understanding influencer marketing in 2022
• Trending Research:
  • Breaking down a TikTok strategy that drove a +9,311% increase in YoY video views 
• Time To Get Listening:
  • Learning about the artistry of analytics with Jeff Greenspoon from dentsu International

• The Watercooler:
  • A rant about the importance of using tools for competitor research
• #MarketingTwitter:
  • Diving into three threads to help with predicting ads, backlink strategies and conducting Facebook ad manager audits.

DUST UP ON YOUR INFLUENCER MARKETING

Whatever industry you're in, influencer marketing is bound to be a growing spend that any marketing team can start to invest in. Influencer marketing platform SocialPubli built a report on the five main trends they're expecting to see with influencers this year: 

1️⃣ TikTok is the place to be: 87% of creators are claiming that TikTok generates the most engagement out of the platforms they're on. 

2️⃣ Micro & Nano influencers: community-driven micro-influencers deliver the highest engagement rates across Instagram (3.8%), YouTube (1.6%) and TikTok (17.9%). 

3️⃣ Attention spans are going down: people are spending 89 minutes watching short-form videos on TikTok every day. Short-form content will be in demand to keep viewers engaged. 

4️⃣ Partnerships & integrations: many social media platforms are making in-app shopping easier to combine with their influencers. Creators will be increasingly able to display products directly on their profiles to support their partners. 

5️⃣ More ways for influencers to make money: influencer followers are increasingly trying to help their favorite creators by tipping them directly through social media features and companies like Patreon. Brands will need to adjust and get creative to compete with other streams of income. 

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A TIKTOK STRATEGY THAT DROVE +9,311% YOY VIDEO VIEW INCREASE

FINANCIAL SERVICES

Current is a modern fintech company providing flexible financial solutions that aren’t always available at traditional banks. It offers such benefits as faster direct deposit, fee-free overdraft, and teen banking. 

Key Takeaways

• Current invests in Building an Engaged TikTok Community: The brand has the largest following on TikTok (609K), followed by Twitter (554K). Current adjusts content for each platform and it’s seen the fastest growth on TikTok.
  
  
• Early in 2021 Current Launched a Creator Community Initiative Where Content Creators Could Apply to Become Current Ambassadors: This program along with the influencer-forward advertising model enabled Current to fuel its TikTok channel solely with creators-generated content. This shift has resulted in significant YoY growth amongst all key metrics: +9,311% in avg. video views; +16,690% in avg. likes per video and +3,320% in avg. shares per video.
  
  
• Influencers Generated Trendy Content That Taps into a Range of Audience Interests: Content creators shoot videos in a manner that doesn’t come across as too pushy or polished. This way Current is almost natively introduced to the Gen Z audience. Mr. Beast, the most-followed influencer Current collaborates with, hosts money giveaways in his own style. Other fashion-forward bloggers showcase their shopping sprees with the Current card. Some influencers create short overview videos of Current often saying it’s the “future of banking” and highlighting its Faster Direct Deposit benefit.

The Artistry of Analytics with Charlie Grinnell

CEO OF RIGHTMETRIC

I was a guest on the CMA Connect podcast with host Jeff Greenspoon from dentsu International where we discussed how data can be used to uncover content opportunities, inform strategies that break through the noise across digital platforms and how to balance all of that while establishing brand purpose.

COMPETITOR RESEARCH FOR THE WIN

Marketers waste an incredible amount of time/money by not doing audience or competitive research before executing their strategy. 🤦🏼‍♂️

It's common advice to not copy your competitors or leaders in your industry. I think that's bad advice, let me explain why...

I'm not saying you should copy exactly what your competitors are doing – I'm saying that you should research what's working for them and then apply those learnings to your marketing mix.

Here's the thing, marketing strategies don't need to be complex or groundbreaking. They just need to work. That typically means driving more traffic, leads, sales, retention, etc.

So, rather than trying to guess and predict winning strategies that have never been used, or basing decisions around what's worked in the past for your brand (which is only looking at half the picture) – why not cherry-pick the best strategies and tactics from your industry or an adjacent one?

THREE TWITTER THREADS

A good strategy is a good strategy, no matter where you find it.

Here are three Twitter threads you should check out this week:

1. The Superbowl Bot - AdWeek's Finest AI Ad Predictor 

2. Build your backlink strategy like a pro

3. Time to give your Facebook Ad Manager an audit...

In case you missed any previous versions, check them out via the links below.

1. What's Working in Marketing - It All Comes Down to Strategy

2. What's Working in Marketing - Let's Identify New Channels

3. What's Working in Marketing - Time to get planning