Influencer marketing 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.

Stories to follow:

How culture media brand Dazed is using TikTok (Digiday)

Dazed Magazine is one of several UK publishers experimenting with TikTok. They chose TikTok to get their users to participate in their content, not just to view it. Dazed is running a weeklong #lassochallenge, in addition to releasing other TikTok only content, in the lead-up to a cover story that features Lil Nas X of “Old Town Road” fame.

Instagram ‘like’ removal could alter influencer marketing strategies (Affiliate Insider)

As marketers warm up to the reality that Instagram will remove likes, many are adjusting course for future campaigns. Removing likes, it seems, falls in line with Instagram and Facebook’s greater effort to push users towards Stories. Many expect KPIs to shift towards time spent on platform and video views.

Insights to digest:

The Tender Power of Astrology Memes (The Atlantic)

Amanda Mull of The Atlantic makes the case that astrology memes are a modern day replacement for the religious comforts of old, especially for marginalized groups. Using an astrological sign as an explanation for feelings has helped many open up and reach out about their feelings – even if the science is dodgy.

Instagram Permanently Suspends Roughly 30 Meme Accounts With Millions Of Followers (Insider)

Last week, Instagram banned over 30 meme accounts with millions of followers for violating their terms of service. Many of the accounts participated in a pay-for-promotion scheme, in which anyone could pay a small sum of money to have their page promoted by larger, more popular accounts.

On the horizon:

A Week in the Life of Popular YouTube Channels (Pew Research Center)

Pew Research analyzed 43,770 YouTube channels with at least 250,000 subscribers throughout the first week of 2019. Highlights from the study include:

• these channels collectively produced 48,486 hours worth of content in seven days
• Only 17 percent of the nearly quarter million videos analyzed were fully in English
• 10 percent of the channels analyzed produced 70 percent of the content
• Videos that featured a child or children under the age of 13 received almost three times as many views as other types of videos

‘Mommy bloggers’ study reveals factors that drive success in social influencer marketing (University of Notre Dame)

UND marketing professor Christian Hughes analyzed 57 different sponsored blogging campaigns by a set of mommy bloggers to better understand what practices yield the most success in influencer marketing. Findings include:

• “On Facebook, attention-grabbing, creative content is more effective when the campaign goal is to win the purchase versus simply raise awareness”
• “For a campaign trying to raise awareness on the blog platform, a high-expertise blogger can generate greater engagement”

What’s Julius up to?

We’re always looking for guests on our Podcast! We talk to marketers, consumers, and influencers that help make this booming industry so unique. If that sounds like you, reach out to us at social@juliusworks.com for more information.