Originating in China, TikTok is a social networking platform where users create and share short music videos. In 2017, a Chinese tech company known as ByteDance bought the popular lip-syncing app Musical.ly. The two merged their features to create what we now knew as TikTok in August 2018. TikTok made its mark in the social networking community by generating more than one billion downloads in its first month of being released, beating out Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat. Due to TikTok’s rapid rise to popularity, brands must start integrating the app’s features into business plans or risk your brand falling into irrelevancy. 

What Even Is It?

When TikTok first came on the scene, it was known for its lip-syncing feature that encouraged Gen Z’ers to creatively express themselves through song and dance. Ever since its release TikTok proved their much more than just a lip-synching app. The New York Times described the app as “more machine than man” because of the way TikTok’s algorithm interacts with users. When you open TikTok, the content you see doesn’t involve people you know; instead, it creates a personalized feed based on past videos you’ve watched or from profiles you’ve clicked on. 

What Makes It Different?

The customized videos are compiled onto a page called “For You” and is one of the main differences from platforms like Facebook or Instagram because the content never runs out. No matter how far you scroll, there’s always something to engage with. TikTok takes away that initial awkwardness of when you first create a social account and start with no followers or content on your feed because you don’t know who to follow. TikTok starts working from the moment you download it to provide you with an endless amount of content that is tailored to you. TikTok’s algorithm inspires the idea of “making anyone famous”. That’s one of the more appealing things about it compared to other applications, you don’t need to be verified to have your content seen by millions. The algorithm takes into account how often users are posting videos. The more posts you share means the more likely you’ll appear on the “For You” page.

How Can I Use It?

The New York Times praises TikTok saying “TikTok encourages users to jump from audience to audience, trend to trend, creating something like simulated temporary friend groups, who get together to do friend-group things: to share an inside joke; to riff on a song; to talk idly and aimlessly about whatever is in front of you.” As TikTok’s developed it’s constantly adding new features to make it more versatile. For example, the app added a “reaction” feature that enables users to directly respond to a video that has already been created by placing the film reaction next to the original video. The reaction feature differentiates TikTok from Twitter and Vine because it’s more engaging than just typing a tweet or commenting on a 10-second video, recording your reactions inserts yourself into the narrative. The app also offers green screen backdrops and filters (think SnapChat) to enhance creativity. 

Why Does My Business Need To Start Using It?

TikTok is like the gift that keeps on giving when it comes to starting up new trends. Trend monitoring is a necessity in today’s digital landscape due to the fact social media is continually evolving, and social media patterns are gaining traction quicker than ever before. Drea Okeke, a famous TikTok star, notes, “It’s a global app so you can actually see the analytics and you can see where people are seeing your videos from. It’s so much cooler than other apps, and it helps out with Gen Z as they’re growing up. Not only does TikTok keep you to stay up to date, but it gives insight to potential consumers’ behaviors. 60 percent of TikTok users are from Gen Z (16-24) and they are giving influencers a whole new level of fame. A 16-year-old girl named Charli D’Amelio is referred to as the “CEO of TikTok,” having 40 million followers and averaging at least 2 million likes per video. Her rapid rise to fame was all because of TikTok. D’Amelio is no actress, singer, or daughter to a celebrity, she gained America’s attention through her dance skills on TikTok. Prada took interest in her rise to fame and saw the potential benefits of partnering with the TikTok celebrity. Prada is recognized as an expensive, high-end fashion line that wouldn’t typically be worn by teenagers. Teenagers don’t wear Prada because they don’t want to, it’s just no one their age really wears the brand as it’s more marketed to wealthy adults. Prada’s goal was to connect with younger consumers, so what better way to get their attention through arguably one of the most famous teenagers in the world right now. D’Amelio attended the Prada Fashion Show during Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, where she was dressed head to toe in Prada. D’Amelio was recording videos of herself at the show, made dancing videos with models, and even sat next to a famous fashion journalist and New York Times Best Selling Author, Derek Blasberg. Prada staying in tune with the younger generation and knowing how to get to them benefited their brand tremendously and gained them massive amounts of exposure. TikTok is a brand new platform that gained consumer attention so rapidly giving companies very little time to get familiar with it. It’s understandable companies may feel a little lost in figuring out the best way to utilize the platform to better their business. Check out 270M’s social media services to give your brand an edge in today’s new marketing circuit.

Social Shorts: Facebook Launches Pinterest Lookalike App, Instagram Tests ‘Latest Posts’ Feature, Snapchat Could Be Getting a New Look

Facebook is working to improve speech recognition technology. According to Marketing Land “Facebook is recruiting users to be part of its ‘Pronunciation’ program” by asking qualifying participants to record phrases to help improve speech recognition.

Twitter is working to combat false news by labeling misinformation shared by politicians and public figures in bright noticeable colors.

Marketing Land also points out that Twitter is “rolling out a feature that lets you add ‘a new thought to an old Tweet’ so you can thread Tweets posted days apart.”

TikTok developed a set of safety controls to allow parents to set limitations for their children on how often they’re on TikTok

Marketing Land reports that LinkedIn is adding a profile feature “that lets users showcase key achievements and updates in a separate featured section”.

“Instagram has been spotted internally prototyping a ‘latest posts’ feature, which provides a way for users to see the most recent pictures and videos from people they follow”. Reports Marketing Land.

Facebook is developing a new product that is reported to be very similar to Pinterest called Hobbi. Hobbi is a photo-sharing app that allows you to categorize your pictures into different pages.

Snapchat is in the process of redesigning its layout by adding a black navigation bar which makes navigating to different sections of the app much easier.

Why Businesses Should Still Be Using Email Marketing in 2020

Mike Gingerich of The Goshen News is reminding us that even with the rise of social media email still stands to be one of the best ways to market

Email is low cost while also being one of the easiest marketing strategies to implement

Gingerich notes that “Marketing research company Radicati predicts there will be 4.25 billion email users in the world in 2020, a 230 million increase from 2019”

Email is a great tool to help measure analytics. Gingerich points out  that “If you opt to work with an email services provider, you will get free access to audience analytics, such as the average age of your contacts, where they live, when they are active on the internet, and so much more.”

Gingerich offers an example on how email marketing is complimented by saying “once you know where a customer lives, you can use that information to personalize your messages when replying to their posts on Facebook.”

10 LinkedIn Stats to Guide Your Social Media Marketing Strategy in 2020

Social Media Today points out 10 statistics you need to know in order for you to improve your social media marketing strategy in 2020:

1. Number of LinkedIn Users: 660 million users in more than 200 countries and territories across the globe
2. Demographics- Gender: 43% of LinkedIn users worldwide are female compared to 57% of male
3. Demographics- Age: 37% of US adults—or more than one out of every three—ages between 30 and 49 years old use LinkedIn
4. Demographics- Education: Half of all US adults with college degrees use LinkedIn
5. Average Time Spent on LinkedIn: An average LinkedIn session lasts six minutes & seven seconds
6. LinkedIn for Business: There are more than 30 million companies listed on the platform
7. LinkedIn’s Popularity Among B2B Marketers: LinkedIn is the 2nd most popular platform among B2B marketers, just behind Facebook.
8. Largest LinkedIn Audience for Advertising: The US offers the largest LinkedIn advertising audience with a reach of 150 million users.
9. LinkedIn’s Role in Buyer’s Journey: 52% of buyers list LinkedIn as the most influential channel during their research process
10. LinkedIn’s Mobile Traffic: 57% of LinkedIn’s traffic comes from mobile devices.

Emerging Social Media Channels & Trends

Search Engine Journal provides some statistics on social media channels: 3.5 billion social media users worldwide have with devices with social media platforms downloaded, more than 90% of millennials are active social media users, almost 2.5 hours a day is spent on social media, more than 73% of marketers say social media is effective in generating a positive ROI.

According to Search Engine Journal, Multi-networking is out. Today’s social media users are starting to have a “less is more” mindset and are trying to focus on one or two channels rather than many.

“More than 28% of users from four major social media platforms engage with live streams each month on any services” claims Search Engine Journal

Matt Johnston, CEO, and Founder of Guide Social supports the rise of video saying “Video is the hottest platform on the planet right now and the cheapest to distribute through social media channels, A reminder to brands, video does NOT have to be expensively produced to be effective.”

Social media users are demanding better privacy policies, to meet that need Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook Founder stated, “the future is private”.

“TikTok was one of the most downloaded apps in the Apple Store for 2018 giving Facebook and Instagram a run for their money.” this statement Supports to The Search Engine Journal’s claim that video is on the rise.

The Search Engine Journal that advises to be effective on TikTok, business owners must utilize elements of strategy from the platform especially hashtags, the limited characters in the description of the video forces you to be creative with the different combinations of hashtags you use.

5 Ways To Boost Your Digital Marketing Campaign ROI

Smart Brief emphasizes the necessity for digital marketing campaigns by highlighting 5 things your company needs to do:

1. Establish Campaign Goals: Smart Brief provides the acronym “SMART” goals- standing for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. Having strategies mapped out allows you to be able to see how each step you are taking will lead you to that campaign goal.
2. Create Content Your Audience Wants: Create valuable content, make your content user-centric, conduct regular surveys, and understand influencer marketing.
3. Use Predictive Analytics: Predictive analytics uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to draw insights generated through massive datasets, models, and algorithms to predict the future behavior of consumers.
4. Leverage Automation Technology: Utilizing automation tools to preform repetitive tasks saves you time, allowing you to focus on the main points of your campaign goal.
5. Avoid Vanity Metrics: Vanity metrics such as, Facebook fans, raw page views, registered users and others that often do not correlate with revenue, can distract you from your business goals and are recognized as press release shares

 

According to  Statista, 70% of the U.S. population has at least one social media profile. If you’re not taking advantage of social platforms, your business is more than a step behind. 

3 Digital Marketing Trends You Can’t Ignore in 2020

Forbes reports that if you follow these three social media trends your brand will thrive in 2020.

1) Just Say It, The Rise of Voice Searches and Digital Assistants:  The CEO of a digital marketing agency claims “voice search will comprise half of all queries, regardless of the device used” Voice searches make customers interaction with brands effortless and in 2020, consumers value convenience above all else. 

2) Show, Don’t Tell- Video is The New King Of Content: Forbes references a study done by HubSpot that found “roughly half of users want more video content from businesses they support.” Brands have started working with influencers and vloggers because they use video to communicate brand reviews to their followers. 

3) Social Media, Going Beyond Likes and Shares: Instagram and Facebook now give users the ability to shop without having to use the app. Forbes says, “The goal is to lessen the number of steps for shoppers, providing a faster checkout process.”

How to Use Social Media Stories to Boost Engagement

“There are 5.11 billion unique mobile users around the world & it is projected that over half of all eCommerce sales will happen on mobiles by 2021” said Business 2 Community. 

Instagram stories are key when wanting to boost engagement, their vertical format makes them engaging and interactive.

Creating interactive polls is a great way to get your brand to use instagram stories. Communicating with consumers through polls gives your business direct feedback and also makes your brand more memorable in the eyes of consumers.

According to Business 2 Community, “Visual elements like stickers, gifs, & emojis make it possible to convey emotions and moods with little to no text. Ensure that you add stickers or other elements where it’s relevant to engage with your customers.”

It’s important to make sure the content you put out doesn’t sound scripted. Focus on creating behind-the-scenes content that is unique to your brand.

Business 2 Community stresses the need to incorporate stories into your social media and marketing strategy early on because it will establish your presence on social media platforms, differentiating you from competitors. 

Are You Avoiding These Digital Marketing Pitfalls?

According to Kristin Kim, Director of Digital Marketing at Kiehls, “five years ago the industry was still figuring out what role social media channels played in reaching and communicating with consumers, but now it’s recognized as a gold mine for consumer insights and trends.” 

Forbes claims that “The biggest skill set of social is that you need to understand people and what they’re looking for.”

Natasha Pearce, freelance Director of Social & Content, believes “The social role was once a silo and is now more integrated with the rest of the organization.”

Each department can offer something to the social and digital team to be posted on media platforms.

Forbes states that new roles, technology, and organizational structure are paving paths for new possibilities, but in five years, we can expect even greater shifts. 

“In the near future, I believe that the VP of Social will oversee all areas that touch social media and oversee the direction for all teams that fall underneath” says Pearce. 

The speed required to keep up with today’s social media environment can not be a task carried out alone. Keeping up is necessary and your brand will fall behind if your trend tracking falls behind.

How Social Media Marketers Earned A Seat At The Table

Falling Prey to Influencer Fraud: Influencers accounted for $1.4 billion in marketing campaigns in 2019 and $255 million of that was wasted on influencers with fake followers. 

Business 2 Community says “One way to determine if an influencer’s followers are real is to compare the follower count to the engagement rate.”

Wasting Precious Time with Social Media Marketing: When using social media for marketing, you need to know who your target audience is before using any platform.

Refusing to Budget Enough Money or Time for Success: Business 2 Community states, “Your marketing needs time to gain exposure and reach the right buyers at the right time, if you give up on strategy too soon you can miss out on big chances to convince and convert.”

9 Social Media Goals to Help Boost Your Strategy in 2020 

1) Stop Ignoring Your Audience: Your business can’t only focus on comments and mentions sent directly to your company. In order to get an unfiltered opinion you need to track consumers untagged mentions. 

2) Try Selling On Social: Having a buying option takes a step away from the buying process.

3) Broadcast Yourself: Live streaming is a must in 2020, according to Social Media Today: “You can go live to hype up a product launch, engage with your audience, cover a real-life event, or present a social media competition. 

4) Collaborate With Micro-influencers: Influencers with a smaller following usually have a more niche demographic of followers. When trying to market a product  When trying to market a product, consider that various micro-influencers have specific following demographics to better reach your target audience. 

5) Have Fun With AR: Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat are the platforms you want to focus on when incorporating AR. Social Media Today explains how brands create filters to help promote their new product and make the product memorable in the eyes of consumers.

6) Befriend The Algorithms: Creativity is key, you need to come up with engaging content that aligns with each social media platforms different algorithms in order for your content to pop up on the right consumer’s feed.

7) Go Somewhere New: Instead of waiting for a platform to “make it big” jump at up and coming platforms. TikTok is on the rise and getting the hang of it early keeps you ahead of trends.

8) Become Private:  According to Social Media Today,  “Creating a Close Friends lists for top fans on Instagram allows businesses to share exclusive content with their more loyal followers, which can encourage other to interact with your accounts in hope of getting an invite.”

9) Start Messaging: Direct messages with consumers humanizes your brand and is a great form of customer service 

We’ve been looking into some social media trends and updates you might’ve missed or must know of. Here’s our collection of resources to help you better your social media practices to grow your brand online.

How to Create a Fundraiser on Facebook

Five step process to create a fundraiser on Facebook. Catch people’s attention by creating a good profile with a great cover and profile photo that compels people to take some action. Get emotional with your bio but not to make the audience feel guilty. Invite people to share your fundraiser and periodically share reminders to keep the fundraiser active. Learn more about fundraising on Facebook here.

18 Fun Social Media Marketing Ideas to Spice Up Your Social Media Campaigns

18 ideas to get creative with content on social media to increase audience engagement and increase followers. User-generated content, giveaways, “Tag a friend” content, behind the scenes photos and videos, hot-to videos, and many more ideas for fresh content on social media. Learn about planning and creating fresh social media content here.

How to use hashtags on social media

Learn the basics of finding hashtags on native platforms as well as third party tools and how to use them effectively on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Google+, etc and how to design an effective hashtag strategy for your brand. Read more about hashtags here.

How to become a thought leader on LinkedIn

A seven step explanation of how to become a thought leader on LinkedIn. Define your personal brand, find your audience, create your personal brand tagline, optimize your profile, connect with your target audience, create compelling content and lastly engage with your audience as much as possible. Learn more about these steps through this link.

The Complete Guide to Building a Successful YouTube Channel

YouTube has a wide range of content. Learn which type can be best suited for your brand and voice. Understand your audience type, what they want to see, how they want to consume the content, animated videos or no animation, what type of color tone to use, how long the videos should be, etc.  Learn more with these tips.

For more information on 270M’s marketing and advertising capabilities contact us at info@thisis270M.com or visit our capabilities page.

The green scene today isn’t about getting wasted. Luxury products such as those offered by Kiva Confections help us all get through whatever life may throw at them. When it comes to our careers and professional lives, here at the agency we know that Kiva helps us to find both balance and a higher quality of life.

When it comes to self-care Sundays, we love the Dark Chocolate Kiva Bar and the Almond Terra Bites which are also packed with the good stuff to relax you. This helps not only with self-care but also with keeping the Sunday scaries at bay. Pineapple Petra is another product that is loved amongst our team at 270M. This product offers an elevated kick to end the weekend with precisely dosed sensational bites.

On Mondays, we need a little bit more motivation. That’s why we turn to uplifting infused products such as the Expresso Terra, which blends together the perfect pairing of micro-roasted Tanzanian coffee beans and dark chocolate. Pineapple Habanero Camino is a Monday favorite at the agency. This remarkable Camino brings together stimulating sativa terpenes with hints of pineapple and a dash of spice to get us going!

We love to start our Wednesdays off with all of the balance that it deserves. We do so with Blenheim Apricot Camino, which bring together the flavor of blenheim apricots with hints of lime that will make you feel like you just walked through the many orchards that once upon a time were across the countryside in Northern California. We also enjoy the Peppermint Kiva Bar as it is nostalgic of the holidays and we look forward to this limited edition product each year. When available, it helps us to hash out the rest of the week with a healthy and delectable finish! 

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Whether you need the motivation to get you through, or something to help celebrate and relax, Kiva has the infused products you could want.