Matters of Influence: Week of 9/21/20

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

Trump Approves Deal Between Oracle and TikTok (New York Times)

Everyone, please keep your hands and arms inside the vehicle: the TikTok rollercoaster is still not slowing down. The deal has been approved, but it hasn’t been struck quite yet. Dodging bans and holding on tightly to the app store, TikTok is pulling out all the stops to keep hold of its presence in the US. Even the marketers who have been getting motion sickness from the thrill ride agree that the situation can’t be ignored any longer. Meanwhile, actual TikTok users are unimpressed by the action, and just want to get back to watching videos in peace.

Inside the Program Teaching Influencers to Talk about Mental Health (Mashable)

In an effort to stop the stigma and start conversations, HBO has partnered with Active Minds and Kindred to encourage influencers to educate themselves and others about mental health. The program offers a certification to influencers who complete a multi-week course on communicating about mental health thoughtfully and responsibly, with the goal of encouraging honest and respectful conversations on social media. Read more to learn more about the program, and check out our articles and podcasts about psychology, wellness, and positivity to make a difference in your own newsfeed.

[INFOGRAPHIC] Checklist for Effective Buyer Personas (Social Media Today)

Some of the most important elements of influencer marketing take place before an idea is even pitched. For example, crafting buyer personas to guide your campaign ideas can help you hit the bullseye with your target audience and make lasting impressions. However, there’s a lot more to the process than educated guessing. An effective strategy accounts for both simple factors, such as demographics, and more nuanced ones, like psychographics. To learn more about creating buyer personas (and find out what the heck “psychographics” are) check out this infographic.

Featured blog

When we last spoke with Dawn Weiss, marketing veteran and owner at Markonnect, she told us about her experience choosing an influencer, collaborating with them, and strategizing a campaign for a franchised beauty business. In Part 2, she discusses what she learned from the experience, including how unexpected factors like regionality and campaign length can make major differences in customer preference and engagement. Read more for her most important tips that can help any franchise marketer maximize the impact of an influencer partnership.

Julius product spotlight

When brands are gearing up to work with influencers, part of the process undoubtedly will be to set criteria to help identify the perfect influencer. Many marketers will start with the go-tos that will help them tell a great story, like Topic and Interests, and then go to Engagement Rate and Follower Count to ensure they make a significant splash. However, many marketers will also want to leverage our Location filter that helps pinpoint where influencers live. With the Location filter, you can set a radius to discover influencers from a specific area to support regional launches or tap into cultural moments. To learn more about our Location filter, see this Help Center article.