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New research from Klear found that influencer marketing grew by leaps and bounds in 2020

New data from Klear, the influencer marketing platform, shows that the global reach of influencer marketing grew by 57% in 2020. The pandemic and resulting changes to the marketing landscape significantly altered how brands nurture their relationships with customers.

The survey that polled over 5000 influencers across social channels revealed some of the key trends expected to set the tone for influencer marketing in 2021.

Heres a quick look at the top trends of 2020:

The study found that this year, sponsored posts received an average of 7,806 impressions (unique views). In 2019, sponsored posts averaged 4,827 impressions. A 57% increase.

The company analyzed social profiles of the Fortune 100 companies during BLM protests to reveal that 80% of brands made a statement in support of #BlackLivesMatter and 20% of brands did not make a statement.

Social media has long been a platform for public figures to express their personal opinions. However, the #BlackLivesMatter movement of 2020 was different than any other. In the past, brands could remain apolitical and not make a statement. During this movement, no statement in itself was a huge statement.

On June 1st, 2020, Lebron James posted an image on Instagram that read If YOU aint wit US, WE aint wit YALL! A powerful message that spoke on the intersection between ambassadorship and social justice. The rise of public figures from Colin Kaepernick to Beyonce publicly supporting social issues is something brands couldnt ignore.

Klear found that for every sponsorship TikTok creators participated in 2019, they created 2.3 sponsorships in 2020. A 130% increase.

There was a sharp increase in sponsored stories, which aligned with an overall trend of story usage in 2020. Sponsored stories increased 32% this year. In 2020, influencers created 38.1 sponsored stories a week, in 2019 they created 28.8.

When comparing influencers creating #ad content in 2020 to #ad content in 2019, the study identified a 9% increase in Gen Zs market share. In 2020 influencers aged 18-24 made up 34% of the influencer industry, in 2019 influencers aged 18-24 made up 31% of the industry.

Comparing sponsored posts on Instagram, the company found that there were 2.4M sponsored posts, and in 2019 there were 3M.

While #ad might have gone down, it does not mean sponsored content is down. Instagrams Paid Partnership Feature Instagram released the feature in 2017, but it got its most significant push in 2020. With the feature, influencers can tag a brand as a paid sponsor in both a Post and Story. Still, according to FTC regulations, it is up to the influencer to disclose paid collaborations not the platform.

2020 trends indicate that it is becoming exceedingly critical for brands and influencers to work with partners who share their values and concerns. Going forward we could expect influencers to become ore selective in who they choose to collaborate with. Over exposure to social media has led to customers becoming more demanding when it comes to content they want to see authenticity in storytelling.

2021 is going to weed out the businesses and creative who are or arent willing to adapt to change. This is going to be a year where creative video content will be pushed more than any previous year, said Millie Adrian, a fashion influencer.

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Gen Z Emerges as the Most Valuable Demographic in Influencer Marketing in 2020: Study Reveals - Toolbox

By Benjamin Lyngdoh

When it comes to covid-19 today, apathy is the best term to describe it. This is the reality in general. There is a saying that people are scared of anything which they do not understand or have inadequate knowledge of. Well, this is the exact development in relation to covid-19. We all remember December, 2019. This was the time when the first cases were being reported from Wuhan in China. Over the next two months we were basically spectators and ignorantly thinking that this is a phenomenon to be analysed and critiqued upon with no possibility of it crossing over into our hills. Alas! All of that changed when the first case was reported in India from the state of Kerala on January 30, 2020. The outcome of this event was the scared concerns and speculation by a few here in Meghalaya. However, at that time the majority still believed that it will never reach our hills. Then the real encounter with covid-19 happened on March, 2020 where we underwent the three week lockdown. By now, it was a realisation by all that it was only a matter of time before the virus SARS-CoV-2 which causes the disease covid-19 hits us as well. Indeed, with the first cases being gradually reported on April, 2020, we were in the global covid-19 map as well.

As such, April, 2020 was basically a month filled with confusion, anxiety, fear, paranoia and hysteria. One might say that in the many years of discourse across media platforms there has never been a topic as hot and talked about as covid-19. In fact, social media was full of it and to the extent that at times it became an overflow and a mental burden of information, facts and figures. However, as of today the degree of discourse over covid-19 has significantly come down. Although in the face of it this may be an indication of apathy towards the subject-matter; the underlying factors determining such apathy are important to be noted.

To start with, initially we knew very little about the novel coronavirus. In addition, some of the information lacked credibility or was incomplete. As a case in point, at the very initial stage we all thought that just washing hands would do the trick. Apparently, that was not so and just look at how the body of knowledge concerning covid-19 has developed since then. To this end, the knowledge about other related ailments like SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome) has significantly contributed towards a better understanding and mitigation of covid-19. As such, it is this better understanding that has also resulted in the current apathy. The people these days fear it less as they are well versed with the facts of the case. That way, it is a change in behaviour due to the scientific knowledge on the dynamics of covid-19. Come to think of it, such a change in behaviour sounds pretty alright!

As we move forward on the apathy discourse, the fact is that our diverted approach towards covid-19 has less to do with science and more with economics and the burning question of livelihoods. As a people we have become fearless and the government has become helpless. As of today, the word out in the streets is that we can fight against this coronavirus. After all, we have fought against many other corona viruses before. So, we will beat this one too. All that is needed is a strong immune system or just pray and hope that we shall not contract it. However, even if one is to get it; all that is needed is to stay home for a few days. As such, in the minds of the people at large the evils of covid-19 are all mapped out. It is this very confidence that has led people to move out and crack on with life. For the many, livelihood is a bigger question than covid-19. The government on the other hand has to continue to move with the flow. It has no other option. If it does not, it will result in an additional financial burden in providing for the daily wage earners and small businesses. Talk about being caught between the devil and the deep blue sea; this is what the government is being caught up in now. The point to be noted here is that unless something really drastic happens, it would be very difficult to reverse the relaxations in covid-19 restrictions as far as the economy and livelihoods is concerned. At best, all the government can do is aggressive social marketing by continuously reminding the people about the dangers that still linger and the imperative for following the health protocols.

In the end, our response to the covid-19 pandemic is perfectly epitomised by the term resilience. It is a depiction of the human mentality and its resolve. This is good on all counts. However, we must all note that resilience is based upon the knowledge of what can be done and what cannot. Else, resilience turns into taking risks. This is what we have to guard against. It is important to factor that the medium for resilience to turn into risks is apathy. This is primarily seen as letting our guards down against covid-19. Well, through observation it is clear for all to see that the majority have turned apathetic. There is no fear for self and no concern for the other. This is a recipe for a disaster. Yes, the economy is important and livelihood is a must; however, let us practice our needful activities in a responsible manner. After all, the best and the most effective protection against covid-19 are being self-alert and not just f0llowing directives that come from government. Accordingly, this calls for the continuous following of hand washing, masking and distancing. If this can be supplemented with a good routine of physical activity then we can safely say that all is well indeed.

Hence, as a people there is a need to be wise over the festivities and pray and hope that over the new year we can get back to our normal lives as we know and love them best. True, the New Year will shift the discourse on covid-19 towards the vaccine. However, that is as and when we will see the vaccine here in Meghalaya. As of today, let us all be aware that what 2021 will be is basically dependent on how responsible and non-apathetic we are. Thus, let us all play our parts!

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Covid-19 Apathy - The Shillong Times

As a digital/social media marketer, you know that innovation, especially in the time of a pandemic, can be a true asset when it comes to retaining your brand's customers and gaining new ones.

Key elements you can use to ensure engagement across your platforms include exciting, fresh visual tools. From emerging technology to new angles in visual content design, there are a range of visual advertising enhancements that can help boost your brand's sales and sustain your profits throughout 2021.

Here are five specific visual breakthrough areas you and your marketing team can use to best advantage:

This new feature was rolled out in August 2020 and puts a fresh spin on the Story concept; for an SM marketer, Reels make creating imaginative new content easier than ever.

According to Instagram, users can assemble campaigns and content quickly and easily by accessing songs from the Instagram music library, utilizing AR from the site's effects gallery and using a timer and countdown function to shoot and edit content swiftly and seamlessly. Reels provides the perfect forum to freshen up your influencers' posts, or for creating a terrific IRL feel to your campaigns.

Augmented reality is one of social media marketing's most promising trends, and the invention of highly versatile AR glasses that can be easily worn and customized by the user is a thrilling new tool.

AR glasses allow marketers to mesh a wearer's actual environment with images and messages that can correspond to their present location, building an all-encompassing experience that is unique to the wearer's needs, wants and interests.

According to Social Media Today, AR is a highly competitive area of the tech sector as a whole, with companies including Apple, Google and Facebook about to release their own advanced wearable model.

This kind of immersive tool can allow you to create the most engaging, imaginative content strategies ever. Imagine the possibilities when a consumer can virtually test run a new product you're launching before you even launch it. For example, you can target a select group of your loyal customers with access to AR glasses and make this a highly effective new campaign approach. You can also tailor programmable ads to be seen by consumers wearing AR glasses depending on their precise locations.

This exciting new platform allows brands to stream their live events and launches directly to consumers and connections. It can add incredible

power to your brand's word of mouth; according to LinkedIn research, LinkedIn Live videos get an average of seven times more reactions and 24 times more comments on average than native video.

Using LinkedIn Live can also be terrific for promoting your brand, because you can instantly open up availability to any event to an endless network of connections you and your entire team and demographic have established. Think of the process as a "hands across the globe" visual storytelling opportunity.

Today more than ever, consumers want authenticity. You need to always keep in mind that every statement, word and claim you put into an ad campaign needs to be accurate and fact checked. You need to prove to your customers that they can trust you in this regard.

Striking visuals ensuring that there is no false info on your pages or platforms are a great way to drive this point home. Run an eye-catching banner across the top of any brand text stating that you vouch for everything your customers are about to read about a particular product's function and quality.

Real life testimonials from your consumers are more important than ever. So, make their visual feedback clips fun and flattering! Foster a sense of true connection among the members of your consumer base by framing visual feedback with a lot of positive text complimenting and validating their comments.

Make sure their video contributions look great by tweaking with filters that show your customers in an attractive light. Add catchy music under their footage, then send the end result to each contributing consumer for their approval before you post. These kinds of direct video clips will get scores of views and spur even more of your customers to sing your brand's praises and support your products. When your customers look good, you look good!

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Visual breakthroughs in social media marketing to take advantage of in 2021 - MultiBriefs Exclusive

*Brand Partner Content*

Lennart Krech, a young and successful entrepreneur and founder of two businesses, IG Elites and LPA Media LLP, talks about his motivation behind the immensely successful businesses.

Always keen about being a part of the business world one day, Lennart Krech decided to start his entrepreneurial journey a little early in life. When he was in high school, the young entrepreneur made up his mind to start his own social media marketing agency, but the circumstances that came with young age and inexperience didnt allow for the venture to kick off.

Over the next few years, Lennart made sure he polished his skills, learned the ropes of the business world, and also managed to gain plenty of experience in the field that he had always been so passionate about. Fast forward to the present day, the young businessman has reached a stage where he has successfully launched his second business as well, that deals with building an Instagram following and helping clients monetize their content, to benefit from the infinite potential that the social media platforms hold in terms of minting money from home provided the clients seeks the right person for the job. In which case Lennart has proved himself remarkably; that his company is the best place to help people become known and famous in no time. It is not by accident but by sheer hard work, that Krech now has a loyal following of 3.1 million and growing constantly.

Despite the success that everyone sees now, it wasnt always a smooth ride for young Lennart, and like every successful and innovative entrepreneur, struggles are a given. Lennart Krech had to walk down the same bumpy road to become who he is now, and regardless of the hardships, he is extremely grateful for the lessons he learned along the way and improved his business expertise based upon those tough experiences.

Missing support from other people and feeling lonely at the beginning before even seeing any return on what I was doing and failing my first business (a marketing agency, I was going to Gyms trying to pitch them marketing products), says Lennart.

Lennart Krechs persistence has paid off when it comes to making his mark in the industry and managing to stand out with two successful businesses. His Instagram Education platform has helped thousands with understanding the ins and outs of gaining an audience, making content, and monetizing it, all on their own.

Our approach to Instagram and social media, in general, is very different, were focused on aggressive scaling and market domination, explains Krech.

Regardless of the success of the two businesses, Lennart never stops aiming to become a better version of himself than what he was the day before. Moreover, this leads to being better at business and client handling, as one is always in a learning process through different experiences encountered.

Being the best and being known as the best social media marketing service provider soon, shares Lennart while talking about his motivation.

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Lennart Krech Is On The Perfect Way To Become the Best Social Media Marketing Service Provider In the Industry - L.A. Weekly

The pandemic has changed the way we buy products, and the traditional model of influencer marketing will have to change too in 2021 to make sure that it keeps customers engaged.

Influence marketing has matured over the last few years and has reached a critical point in its delivery of results resulting in an uptick by businesses who recognize how valuable influencers are to the enterprise.

San Francisco, CA-based Inpulsus recently announced a new consultancy designed to empower enterprise marketers to self-diagnose their current or forthcoming Influencer Marketing (IM) programs to improve and advance future marketing campaigns.

Its Influence Maturity Quotient (IMQ) looks at categories such as program scope, influencer relations and ability to execute to place influence at the center to unlock growth opportunities that a mature IM strategy can deliver.

A recent report, "Into the Mainstream: Influencer Marketing in Society 2020" from Takumi, quotes that 73% of brands have upped their influence marketing spend this year despite the pandemic.

Additional validation comes from Gartner, where in their latest 2020 CMO Spend Survey, which reports that globally CMOs looking to optimize costs have shifted almost 32% of agency work to their own in-house teams, 53% of which was social marketing.

With IM proving itself to be critical for many CMOs, it is tempting to move straight to campaign execution at the expense of a unified IM strategy.

Inpulsus sees untapped potential for many marketers to more fully optimize and scale IM, growing audience engagement and gaining positive results for their businesses.

Inpulsus believes that new ideas in how marketing and business organize around IM internally can unlock vast growth potential. It predicts the following changes will happen across the B2B landscape throughout 2021:

IM will also augment R&D as companies activate enterprise influencers to participate in product development and provide informed feedback and recommendations.

CEO, Robbie Vann-Adib says: "As more companies see better direct return on investment from Influence Marketing versus traditional paid media, the opportunity to become vastly more efficient and drive positive impact to the business is incredible".

If used properly, IM can become a strategic function especially in the B2B sector that brings together external influencers, employee, customer and partner advocates to create communities that can drive business impact.

The challenge is finding the right partner in 2021 to drive these influencer management programs if you do not have an in-house team. Certainly something to think about in your 2021 planning.

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2021 predictions: B2B companies will use decentralized tools to manage the role of influencers across the enterprise - ZDNet