Matters of Influence: Week of 11/01/20

Influencer marketing news moves at the speed of social media. Every platform update, algorithm tweak, and current event makes a huge difference to the influencer marketer. We’ll help you keep up.

Featured headlines

TikTok is Celebrating Its Native American Creators (Trend Hunter)

Sunday marked the beginning of the platform’s celebration of Native American heritage month, which will continue as a series of TikTok Live streams with the hashtag #NativeFamily throughout the rest of November. On the first of the month, TikTok reported that #NativeTikTok had garnered over 800 million views on the platform to date, even before the livestreams began. The first stream was hosted by Verna Volker (@nativewomenruns on TikTok) and was the first of their Conversations series. TikTok continues rolling out creator-first content and features, like their recent partnerships with Shopify and Postmates, which provide more ways for creators to earn income for their work. Stay tuned for more updates on TikTok Live and the Conversations to come.

'Adapted overnight': How Travel Influencers' Worlds were Changed by COVID-19 Pandemic (USA Today)

Everyone made major adjustments to their work lives after COVID-19 hit, including everything from daily Zoom meetings to cancelled travel plans—but what happened to those for whom work is travel? Meet the travel influencers, whose professional lives were completely transformed by worldwide changes to the travel industry. Many of them have chosen to creatively adapt to the situation by taking road trips and nature retreats, which allow them to stay safely socially distanced while still exploring the world. Others are pivoting to new interests, and taking the time to plan the trip of their dreams for the future.

[INFOGRAPHIC] Experts Predict Top 10 Social Media Trends for 2021 (Social Media Today)

Social media trends may seem unclear from a distance, but breaking down the facts and data reveals valuable future insights. A team of over 70 experts came together to analyze data from the past to predict the major marketing trends for social media next year. Some trends get specific, such as a return of nostalgia marketing, but others remain broadly topical, like an emphasis on conversational messaging. Certain things are likely to remain consistent, such as COVID-19 content, but the experts also predict that disinformation will decline, and that social good will continue to rise.

Featured blog

Linkedin has officially added Stories to their platform. The new feature is perfect for B2B brands and influencers looking to personally connect with their professional audience. Anything from bite-sized content, quick tips, and snapshots of events are perfect ways to share authentic, dressed-down content and connect with your professional audience on a personal level. Go ahead and start sharing the authentic moments your audience wants to see, with no professional production required. Read more to find out how and why Linkedin Stories should be a part of your influencer marketing strategy.

Julius product spotlight

Providing first-party data to our customers has been a long-term priority for Julius, and we are pleased to announce that we have accomplished our goal! Now, Julius customers can invite influencers to authenticate into Julius and sync their Instagram profiles to share performance metrics. This will enable seamless data transferring for more accurate reporting and measurement, including Instagram Story data. To learn more about how influencers can authenticate into Julius, take a look at this Help Center article.