Mediaboss Marketing

Authored by Sachin Shah, Founder, The Hype Capital

Remember the days of brands yelling at you from giant signs or having a perfect stranger tell you how great their product was on TV? Those days may or may not be over, but social media has changed a lot of things. It's no longer a one-way street where brands talk down to you. Now, it's a conversation a chance to connect with real people who use your stuff.

When social media started, it was all about getting your name out there. Everyone rushed to claim their spot on MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter. It didn't matter much what you said, as long as you said something. But those days are gone. Today's social media jungle is crowded, and people need more exciting messages. People are done with being told what to do. People are done with brands, and creators showcase picture-perfect lives and products. People are done with curated feeds. People need authencity. People need emotions. People need feelings. People need humans. Humans are working behind the brands. They want to connect with the real people behind the brand the folks who design the products, write the posts, and maybe even make the occasional mistake (we all do!).

When you go to a party, you don't just stand there talking about yourself all night, do you? Social media is the same. You need to chat with people, share stories, and find things you have in common with your audience (basically, your guests at this party).

So, how do you win friends and influence people (without being annoying) in this dynamic social media world? Here are some tips:

While some essential points are covered above, we must also understand that trust is the foundation of any genuine friendship and is no different online. With social media, people have all the information they need. They can see through fancy marketing and sniff out a fake from a mile away.

So, how do you build trust? Be honest and upfront about your company, products, and mistakes. Did someone have a bad experience with your product? Acknowledge it, explain how to fix it, and show that you take their feedback seriously.

Social media is constantly changing, and the line between the online and natural worlds is blurring more and more. Expect to see even crazier stuff in the future, like experiences that come to life with special glasses or interactive content. Brands that can use these new things to create fun and engaging experiences will be the ones who genuinely connect with their fans.

Social media has the power make or break brands and help them connect with their audience more deeply. By being yourself, having honest conversations, and sharing your story, you can build genuine friendships with your fans, which translates to loyalty, sales, and even a few laughs. The easiest way to lose the interest of a highly distracted audience is being a robot.

Read the rest here:
Humanizing Brands: How brands are creating authentic connections through social media - Adgully

A2Z Media is proud to highlight that Nissan Qatar, represented by Saleh Al Hamad Al Mana Co., has received two significant awards at the recent Nissan Middle East Convention. These awards recognise exceptional performance in tactical campaigns and social media efforts, showcasing Nissan Qatars commitment to quality marketing.

Nissan Qatar was honoured with the Marketing Performance and Social Media Awards, acknowledging their effective tactics and strategic planning that have significantly enhanced customer engagement and brand visibility. This achievement is the result of a strong partnership with A2Z Media, crucial in formulating and executing these successful marketing strategies.

These awards not only celebrate the achievements of Nissan Qatar but also represent a significant milestone for A2Z Media, said Elie Charbel, CEO of A2Z Media. They reflect our commitment to delivering superior marketing services that surpass our clients expectations. We are proud of our ongoing relationship with Saleh Al Hamad Al Mana Co. and look forward to continuing our successful collaboration.

A2Z Media continues to leverage its expertise in digital marketing, social media, and brand strategy to assist clients in achieving their marketing goals effectively. This accolade reaffirms A2Z Medias ability to develop strategies that resonate well with the target audience and deliver outstanding results.

Excerpt from:
A2Z Media Celebrates Nissan Qatar's Award Wins for Marketing Performance and Social Media | LBBOnline - Little Black Book - LBBonline

Working with the Advertising Standards Authority

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) regulates all advertising in the UK to make sure that theyre all following the same rules. Its not unique to influencer marketing, but you do often hear about the ASA in regards to influencer marketing due to how easy it is to break the rules.

When working with an influencer, you need to make sure that their posts follow the ASA guidelines. For example, if youre gifting your product to an influencer for a review, or offering monetary compensation, the influencer needs to make sure that this is clearly stated in their post.

This also includes if you hire an influencer to act as a brand ambassador for your business. Any incentive or relationship, no matter how small, needs to be disclosed.

According to the ASA, some acceptable ways to mark a post as a collaboration between an influencer and a business include:

#Ad

#Advert

#Advertising

#Advertisement

#AdvertisementFeature

You can read the full ASA guidelines for influencers here.

While you may usually relate influencer marketing campaigns to larger businesses, there are plenty of benefits for small businesses using influencer marketing to grow their business.

If you know your products are particularly popular with a specific demographic, or youre hoping to target another, finding an influencer whose audience matches that demographic could increase your sales.

For example, if youre a designer who makes sustainable handbags, collaborating with a sustainable fashion influencer could be a good match due to your business and their audience sharing similar values.

But influencer marketing doesnt just have to revolve around fashion. Perhaps you manufacture custom products for cars in which case, a car influencer would be a great match for your business.

Influencer marketing can also be a cost effective way to market your business. This will depend on a couple of factors, such as:

popularity of influencer an influencer with a higher follower count will usually charge more for sponsored posts

type of collaboration you may agree to pay an influencer a fee to post about your business, or you may choose to send them your product for free in exchange for a review, the latter of which is likely to have a better return on investment

type of post a series of videos will likely cost more than a mention on Instagram stories, for example

If youre still interested in trying out influencer marketing, its important you develop a proper influencer marketing strategy. Its not a one size fits all approach, so follow the below steps to make sure youre getting the most out of any collaborations including expert tips from a professional social media manager.

As mentioned above, you need to make sure the audience youre targeting is a good fit for your product or service. Understand your target audience through market research and then cross reference this with insights into any influencers demographics.

Some influencers will be happy to share these insights with you when agreeing on brand deals, but otherwise you can get a good understanding by taking a look at the accounts who engage most with their posts.

Danielle Read, Social Media Manager at Simply Business, says: A good tip is to not pay too much attention to follower count as this doesn't always translate to high engagement.

Between inactive accounts and bots, a high follower count doesnt necessarily mean a large audience. Looking at recent likes and comments can help you see the most engaged users.

Other than influencer demographics, you also need to make sure youre picking the right personality for the job.

Danielle agrees, saying: Authenticity is key to influencer marketing, so make sure that any influencers you work with are a genuine fit for the products or services youre looking to sell.

Some things to consider include:

brand loyalty to competitors

if they use similar products

if previous sponsored posts seem authentic

And when thinking about the type of content to post, trust your influencers expertise. Danielle adds: Dont be too prescriptive with what you would like an influencer or content creator to post about your business.

Influencers have grown an engaged following because they understand what their audience want to see, so trust is needed if an influencer is creating content about your brand. Make sure you have a strong feedback and sign off process to ensure youre both on the same page.

Its important to build a good relationship with the influencers you work with, as this could portray your brand in a positive light. They may even continue to promote your brand outside of any agreed paid advertising.

Your influencer marketing strategy will differ depending on what you hope to achieve. Do you just want to increase your brand awareness? Or are you looking to drive sales? Perhaps you want to expand to a new target audience?

Whatever you decide, its crucial to identify these goals early on in the process, as clear objectives will help you when it comes to choosing the right influencer to work with.

Read more: How to set business goals: top tips from successful entrepreneurs

As with any marketing strategy, you want to make sure that your hard work pays off. Measure your success by monitoring the performance of your influencer marketing campaigns to determine whether this is something you want to continue investing in.

You can use social media engagement rates, but also an increase to your website traffic or sales. To see exactly how people are finding your website, you could consider using a UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) code. This is a piece of text at the end of a URL in marketing campaigns which allows you to see your traffic sources.

You could also offer a discount code for the influencer to give to their followers, allowing you to see how many sales came directly from their content.

Read this article:
What is influencer marketing? Grow your market through social media - Simply Business knowledge

The first time I heard about AI influencers, I laughed so hard. I couldnt help but be amazed at how fast AI is taking over the world including social media!

In todays digital age, social media influencers hold immense power, shaping trends, opinions, and consumer behavior. But, not all influencers you see online are humans.

If you feel comfortable, lets take a moment to delve into the realm of artificial intelligence influencers. Wed explore what they are, how theyre changing the influencer landscape, and uncover the top ones making waves on Instagram and beyond!

First, what are AI influencers, and how do they differ from traditional human influencers?

AI influencers, also known as virtual or digital influencers, are computer-generated characters or avatars that have been programmed to mimic human behavior and interact with audiences on social media platforms like Instagram.

These virtual personalities are created using advanced AI algorithms and are designed to engage with followers, share content, and even collaborate with brands.

Instagram has emerged as a hotspot for AI influencers, with virtual personalities gaining millions of followers and influencing trends across various industries.

From fashion and beauty to technology and gaming, these virtual influencers are making their mark on the platform, captivating audiences with their stunning visuals and engaging content.

Lets take a closer look at some of the top AI influencers making waves on Instagram:

With 2.6 million followers, Lil Miquela is one of the most popular AI influencers on Instagram.

Apparently, shes famous for her striking visuals and fashion-forward content. Ahe has collaborated with major brands like Dior, Prada, and Calvin Klein, solidifying her status as a trendsetter in the digital realm.

Hailing from Brazil, Lu do Magalu is the most-followed AI influencer on Instagram, boasting an impressive 6.9 million followers.

With her engaging content and vibrant personality, she has captivated audiences across various social media platforms, showcasing the power of AI in influencer marketing too.

As the worlds first digital supermodel and fashion AI influencer from South Africa, Shudu Gram has amassed over 240,000 followers on Instagram.

Shes one of the AI Instagram models who has earned a loyal following with her photorealistic appearance, impeccable sense of style, stunning imagery, and creative content.

Living in Tokyo, Imma is an AI influencer with almost 400,000 Instagram followers. From fashion and art to film and culture, she shares a diverse range of content that resonates with audiences worldwide.

With over 75,000 Instagram followers, Ion is an AI-generated biker influencer who shares cycling content with a touch of humor.

His unique perspective and engaging storytelling have garnered him a dedicated following, proving that AI influencers can connect with audiences in unexpected ways.

Created by Riot Games, K/DA is a virtual K-pop group with 507,000 Instagram followers. Blending music, fashion, and gaming, they have captured the hearts of fans around the world. Hence, demonstrating the potential of AI in entertainment and pop culture.

Representing the daughter of tennis star Serena Williams, Qai Qai is a virtual doll with 336,000 Instagram followers.

Clearly, she has become a beloved figure on social media because of her playful demeanor and relatable content.

Known for her cyberpunk-inspired aesthetics, Bermuda is one of the top AI influencers on Instagram with 228,000 followers.

Whats more? Her futuristic style and edgy persona have captured the attention of fashion enthusiasts and tech aficionados alike, highlighting the creativity and innovation of AI-generated content.

As the first digital influencer from Indonesia, Thalasya has garnered 459,000 Instagram followers with her captivating content and engaging personality.

From beauty and lifestyle to travel and culture, she shares a glimpse into her virtual world, inspiring fans with her aspirational lifestyle and authentic storytelling.

Finally, meet Aitana Lopez, Spains pioneering AI Instagram model managed by The Clueless.

With her unique pink-haired persona and interests in fitness and gaming, Aitana has rapidly grown her Instagram account to over 300k followers.

In addition, she captivates audiences with her engaging content, striking visuals and diverse interests, influencing trends and consumer behavior.

Theres a growing trend of AI-generated influencers that are entirely the product of artificial intelligence algorithms.

Unlike their programmed counterparts, these generative AI influencers are not designed or controlled by humans but instead evolve and develop their personalities based on data and feedback from their interactions with users.

The concept of AI-generated influencers is rooted in the advancements of generative adversarial networks (GANs). So, this is a type of machine learning model that consists of two neural networks a generator and a discriminator that compete against each other to produce increasingly realistic outputs.

By leveraging massive datasets of images, text, and social media interactions, these AI algorithms can generate virtual personalities that look and behave like real influencers.

What sets AI-generated influencers apart is their autonomy. Unlike traditional influencers, who are created and controlled by humans, AI-generated influencers operate independently. They continuously learn and evolve based on their interactions with users.

This autonomous nature adds an intriguing dimension to the world of influencer marketing, blurring the lines between creator and creation.

One of the key advantages of AI-generated influencers is their ability to personalize and customize content for their audiences.

Apparently, these virtual personalities can tailor their messages and recommendations to individual preferences by analyzing user data and feedback. Hence, they create a more engaging and personalized experience for followers.

While AI-generated influencers offer exciting possibilities for brands and marketers, they also raise important ethical considerations and challenges.

Questions about transparency, authenticity, and ownership rights abound in the realm of AI-generated content. Additionally, concerns about data privacy and algorithmic bias underscore the need for ethical guidelines and regulations to govern the use of AI-generated influencers.

1. The Taskade AI Influencer Persona Generator: Without a doubt, this generator allows you to create compelling influencer personas to engage your audience and boost your influence online.

Also, it helps you define your online identity, craft a distinct voice, and build credibility with your followers.

2. The FormAI suite: Includes text-to-image generation and Mixers, which allow you to train AI models on faces, objects, and art styles using your own images. This enables you to reimagine your likeness in various AI-generated scenes, which can be great for influencers and marketers.

3. DALL-E 3 from OpenAI: is a powerful text-to-image generator that can create a range of interesting images for influencers and marketers to use. It generates 4 images to choose from, though it is one of the pricier AI photo generators.

4. MidJourney: is an advanced AI photo generator accessed through Discord. It creates high-quality, professional-looking images with an artistic aesthetic, making it well-suited for experienced users and creators looking to generate unique visuals.

5. Adobe Firefly: This is a professional-grade AI image generator that offers adjustment tools similar to Photoshop. It provides high image quality and the ability to use generated images for commercial use, making it a good option for marketers

One of the most commonly asked questions is: How much do AI influencers make?

While their earnings can vary depending on factors like their popularity, engagement rates, and brand partnerships, some virtual personalities have secured lucrative deals with top brands, earning thousands of dollars per sponsored post.

The earnings of AI influencers are typically derived from brand partnerships, sponsored content, affiliate marketing, and other forms of monetization.

In fact, just like human influencers, AI influencers can earn money by promoting products, services, and brands to their followers.

Brands are often willing to pay top dollar for collaborations with these virtual influencers. Just because they offer a unique and innovative way to reach target audiences and drive engagement.

Several factors can influence the earnings potential of AI influencers:

Several AI influencers have achieved notable success and earned significant income through brand partnerships and sponsored content collaborations. For example:

As technology continues to advance, the future of AI influencers looks brighter than ever. From personalized virtual assistants to lifelike avatars that interact with users in real-time, the possibilities are endless.

As AI algorithms become more sophisticated and capable of understanding human emotions and preferences, we can expect to see even more immersive and engaging virtual influencers taking center stage on social media platforms.

Finally, AI influencers represent a fascinating intersection of technology, creativity, and marketing. With their ability to captivate audiences and influence trends, these virtual personalities are reshaping the way we think about social media and digital marketing.

AI influencers offer a glimpse into the future of influencer marketing and the ever-expanding possibilities of artificial intelligence.

1.What is an AI influencer?

An AI influencer is a virtual personality created using artificial intelligence algorithms. These digital characters mimic human behavior and interact with audiences on social media platforms like Instagram.

2. How do AI influencers make money?

AI influencers make money through brand partnerships, sponsored content, affiliate marketing, and other forms of monetization. Brands pay them to promote products, services, and events to their followers.

3. Who is the first AI influencer?

The first AI influencer is considered to be Lil Miquela, a virtual influencer created in 2016. With her photorealistic appearance and engaging content, she paved the way for the rise of AI influencers.

4. Who is the most popular AI on Instagram?

The most popular AI influencer on Instagram is Lu do Magalu (@magazineluiza), with 6.9 million followers. Originally from Brazil, she creates content across various social media platforms, captivating audiences with her engaging personality.

Read more from the original source:
The Rise of AI Influencers: Exploring the Future of Social Media - AutoGPT

The possibility of a TikTok ban is inching closer to becoming a reality at this point. On Tuesday, the Senate passed the bill that would bar the social media platform from operating in the U.S. unless ByteDance, its Chinese parent company, sells its stake.

Next stop: President Joe Bidens desk, where its expected to be signed. That said, it could still be a lengthy process to find a buyer and could lead to a legal fight. TikToks golden goose is its algorithm, which China likely wont sell off as part of any deal and thus, calling into question what exactly a buyer would get in purchasing the platform. In the meantime, it shrouds the social media stratosphere in another layer of uncertainty as marketers are faced with the threat of losing a segment of their digital audiences. It begs the question: In todays social landscape, do brands ever own their audiences?

The answer is no, according to three agency executives who say its time to start exploring contingency plans that dont hinge on any of the walled gardens of social media titans like Meta, X or TikTok. Looking for the next frontier, some are pointing toward the fediverse.

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Essentially, the fediverse upends the walled garden nature of todays landscape, allowing users from different platforms and services to interact with one another without creating individual accounts for each platform.

Everything is becoming more segmented and its hard to really get an understanding of whos really seeing your content, and how these people are interacting with it, said Shatesha Scales-Flanigan, supervisor of paid social at Rain the Growth Agency. Now, more than ever, she added, brands need a place where consumers can find them, even if social platforms go away.

Social media platforms have become fundamentally unstable places to build audiences, says Nilesh Ashra, CEO of OK Tomorrow, a consultancy. TikTok is just the latest platform subject to changes, similar to Elon Musks takeover of X (formerly Twitter) last year.

What this represents is another clear sign that as a brand, you cant only invest in a single platform that isnt yours, Ashra said.

A few players have already bought into the idea of diversifying to become less dependent on the social media behemoths. The most notable of said players is Meta, which finally made good on its promise to launch Threads into the fediverse last month. Its a beta experience, but it means that users can share their Threads post to others platforms using the same ActivityPub-compliant servers that Threads is hosted on, like Mastodon. ActivityPub powers and enables platforms like Threads and Mastodon to operate within the greater fediverse.

Meanwhile, newsletter platform Ghost adopted ActivityPub earlier this week, following Flipboard, a news and social network aggregation platform, which has also entered the fediverse, making content available to anyone on federated social networks like Mastodon and Threads, earlier this month.

Our goal is if youre on Flipboard, youre in the fediverse, said Mike McCue, Flipboard CEO and co-founder. Like others, McCue said its becoming increasingly important to invest in the next iteration of the web. Per McCue, social media could be likened to a toll both where content creators, brands and publishers alike, dont really own their audience. They rent their audience. Sure, its yet another platform to build out, but, Its your own last place to build a presence and itll always be yours, he added.

Vox Medias technology news publication The Verge says it also has plans to federate its own site to have more ownership over its content and audience, according to The Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel.

You want to bet on that bet on people who are building new things, solving new problems, who are excited about finding a new version of this internet, he said.

While publishers and social platforms themselves aim to be first-movers, its been a tougher sell for marketers who are more concerned with return on investment than anything else, agencies say.

Theyre already present on so many different social media platforms, and this would be another one to add to that list, Martin Pagh Ludvigsen, director of creative tech and AI at Goodby Silverstein & Partners, said in an email. Theres no real sense of energy of FOMO (fear of missing out) in the fediverse right now, he said. The fediverse doesnt solve any immediate business problems for any of the agencys clients and its more difficult to understand than say Instagram or TikTok. But that could change if the ban on TikTok comes to fruition.

That should be an opportunity for brands to join whatever platforms will come in to fill the void left behind by TikTok, he said.

Senior media reporter Sara Guaglione contributed to this report.

Link:
As TikTok ban threatens stability in social media ecosystem, some brands settle into the fediverse - Digiday