Instagram is running tests to remove the public viewing of “Likes” in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Ireland, Italy, Japan, and New Zealand. While these are just tests, the speculation is that Instagram and possibly Facebook will remove “Likes” all together as a public metric. In these tests, the owner of the accounts can still see the “Like” counts, but questions about the marketing implications still remain among brands, influencers, and agencies. So let's clear these waters.
For three reasons -1. Public Health. Facebook Australia and New Zealand director of policy Mia Garlick said, “We want Instagram to be a place where people feel comfortable expressing themselves. We hope this test will remove the pressure of how many “Likes” a post will receive, so you can focus on sharing the things you love.” As reported in Time, BBC, and Forbes, this move is a shift towards quality content over the popularity of the publisher. This is an affirmation that content is still king. With this move, the platform aims to reduce the public pressure of "Likes" and support a more egalitarian creative space where the coolest content wins.2. Video. Facebook & Instagram have been moving more and more toward short-form video for some time. Videos get a fraction of the “Likes” of Images. Without the pressure on “Like” numbers, more video will be created by consumers, content creators, and brands.3. Stories. Facebook and Instagram are also moving more toward Stories that do not have “Likes”, just view counts and comments. Again, dropping Newsfeed “Likes” will act as a catalyst for Stories.
The writing has been on the wall for years. Keen brands have been moving more toward video and stories in various forms for some time, but now it's more important than ever to capture consumer attention. We're seeing the best results when marketers create at least 4 ad placements per campaign, customized for Newsfeed and Stories across both networks.
Not much. The account owner will still be able to see the “Like” metrics for now providing a good indicator of the relevancy of image creative. However, it's critical that agencies and brands work cooperatively to redefine KPIs, moving away from rudimentary success metrics such as "Likes."
Despite the headlines, we don’t see how it affects influencers differently. With viewability by account owner, they can still report the “Like” numbers. Fraud is still an issue but only for those brands that don’t use the technology to detect it–as such, they are in the same position as before.In sum, we are a big fan of the test and the potential move to drop publicly viewed “Likes” on posts. There is clearly a mental health epidemic that needs to be addressed and we applaud FB/Insta for potentially making this move across the social networks. We feel that “Likes” on image posts are a good metric to measure creative relevance but are not necessarily a strong metric to drive intent. Thumb-stopping, relevant content placed in front of the right audience at the right time has always been the best way to sway users and this move helps brands, agencies, and content creators to move in the right direction.
What Nike, Red Bull & Redemption Whiskey Have in Common
“The second I left the lip, I knew I was breaking bones. I knew my life would change forever. It was just a matter of which bones do I break,” said Grant Korgan as he recounted the memory of his snowmobile accident that broke his back and stole his ability to walk.
This tragic story told in a bar in Hollywood features Grant and his lovely wife Shawna, as the two relive their journey over the last 9 years, discussing Grant’s career as an extreme athlete, their beautiful wedding in Yosemite, their tragic accident and their eventual triumph to becoming 15-time award winning filmmakers.
Everybody loves a comeback – the farther the fall, the greater the rise. It’s a familiar story called the hero’s journey. It makes up the vast majority of Hollywood scripts and it’s one that Redemption Whiskey has intelligently connected with to add value to their brand and customers’ lives.Grant’s incredible comeback is part of Redemption Whiskey’s video series entitled Redemption Sessions produced by Socialtyze and run on YouTube, IGTV and Facebook Watch. Redemption Sessions features musicians and athletes who share their stories of falling down, getting up, persevering and triumphing.The series fits perfectly with Redemption Whiskey’s name and history. By finding and producing comeback stories, Redemption celebrates the perseverance of the human spirit in the face of great odds, while simultaneously creating a connection with its customers and potential buyers.
Smart brands such as Nike and Red Bull know that 95% of purchasing decisions take place in the subconscious* which is why these brands are media companies as much as they are the makers of shoes, apparel, and soft drinks. In return, these marketing machines have created billions of dollars in market value through content creation (a.k.a., clever advertising). Smaller companies such as Yeti Coolers have also achieved massive growth over the last ten years due in large part to its clever advertising – in the form of stories about fascinating people doing amazing things in the great outdoors.
These brands have reverse engineered the value equation. In other words, unlike most brands that run Product-First Marketing with the exclusive goal of selling more product – Nike, Red Bull and Redemption Whiskey realize the power of People-First Marketing, which focuses on content that inspires, entertains and informs.Here, customer value is first and selling product second. You can feel it in the content. The brands are present but People-First marketing is front and center warming customers up and making them more likely to listen.
As marketers of products, we are no longer in the business of generating mere impressions or even showcasing products and services. We are in the Connection Economy – we need to build connections with customers or lose to a competitor. With so little difference between products, the manner in which a company communicates with its customers has never been more important. Those brands that believe in People-First marketing will build stronger, wider and more frequent bridges with customers – creating brand love, sales, loyalty and advocacy.*Harvard Business Scholl, Professor, Gerald Zaltman
When we sat down with our client Layer Cake Wines to talk about the launch of their new Bourbon Barrel Cabernet Sauvignon we immediately thought – Let’s Celebrate!
Wine brings people together and that’s just what we wanted to do. Together with Layer Cake we chose to run an influencer marketing campaign for a variety of reasons, including:
How did we do it?Bourbon and the South go hand-in-hand, just like wine and food. Nashville was an exciting locale to select, with its rich culture of southern charm and hospitality.
What a better way to experience Layer Cake Wines crafty new product. On behalf of the brand, Socialtyze hosted an exclusive group influencers throughout a November weekend, where they engaged in activities from experiencing Nashville’s most alluring restaurants to tailgating at Vanderbilt Stadium; including a boutique, art and wine crawl and intimate interactive lunches along the way, all showcasing Layer Cake Bourbon Barrel. These select experiences offered a plethora of unique backdrops to capture amazing content to spread the word about Layer Cake Wines and their new Bourbon Barrel Cabernet Sauvignon.
The results speak for themselves:
Food for thought - by shifting dollars to unique content campaigns instead of traditional photo shoots it extends your brand’s reach in a targeted, credible way and offers views through diverse and contrasting lenses. The stories being told are fresh and distinct, and all presented to each influencer’s following in a live or specially curated moment in a timeframe specified.The takeaway here is – the advertising landscape has evolved in a positive way for brands. By adding Social Media Influencers to your digital marketing campaign your ability to speak directly to consumers by a trusted source elevates your brand and business, and you avoid being lost in the abyss of traditional online content.
[ yellow tail ] wines spread a little happiness to over 100 million people with its third Super Bowl commercial—this time with a twist by featuring two of its own customers in the ad. In the months leading up to the big moment, Socialtyze worked with [ yellow tail ] to run a contest asking America one simple question:“What makes you happy?”The winner would ultimately be selected to appear in [ yellow tail ]’s Super Bowl spot and win a trip for two to “their happy place”.To enter participants simply had to upload a video of their personal version of happy in 6 seconds or less. More than 1,500 videos were submitted featuring everything from dogs to dancing to workouts to travel to sports to love….and everything in between. Here’s a snippet of what America had to say about happy:
Tonya Noble, Senior Brand Manager of [ yellow tail ] said, “Who better to ask the definition of happiness than our own customers? We were blown away by their response. We look forward to surprising and delighting them more and more. Our tagline ‘tastes like [happy]’ provides us with the ideal platform to do so.”The contest was marketed via paid media on Facebook and Instagram, as well as with 34 influencers who have a total reach of 7.5 million, creating and sharing 126 #tasteslikehappy posts across social media. Socialtyze also ran guerrilla marketing efforts to drum up significant buzz and momentum.To see a wider collection of the videos on the contest site go to: tasteslikehappy.com.The grand prize winner is Adrien Colon from Oakland, CA who shared a beautiful dance video that he shot in Ibiza, Spain as a tribute to his Dad who taught him how to dance. The runner up was Katherine Nuñez from Peabody, MA who shared a video of her swinging from a rope off a boat in Aruba during her honeymoon. Here’s the commercial that ran during the Super Bowl:
While including consumers in ads is not new, it’s not that common for marketers to do so for major events. This program worked so well because [ yellow tail ] and Socialtyze asked consumers to do something that they are already doing—sharing happy videos in social. The theme of happiness is tied perfectly into [ yellow tail ]’s tagline “tastes like [happy]” and the timing could not have been better…after all, who doesn’t want to see and experience a little happiness these days. 😀
Social media is ever-evolving. Platform updates and best practice guidelines are changing at a record pace. For that reason, we encourage brands to think of social media not as a project, but a process. Staying current on best practices is an exciting challenge, and with it comes the need to be flexible and exploratory in your approach. As with all things creative, the joy is in the process rather than the result.Facebook is still the leading social platform with over 2 billion monthly users, according to Statista. Now that 95% of users are accessing the platform through their smartphones, content creators need to consider the limitations and consumption practices of desktop vs. mobile.With algorithm changes taking place regularly, understanding the platform and paying close attention to what’s working and why will help you create engaging content and build a dedicated fanbase.
Videos hold 5x more attention than static images. According to Facebook, 75% of all mobile data traffic will be video by 2020, but that doesn’t mean all video content performs equally.In traditional video advertising, a narrative hooks the viewers’ interest and delivers the core brand messaging toward the end as a pay-off. But on mobile, users scroll rapidly, absorb messaging even faster, and usually without ever turning their sound on.Therefore, 47% of the value in a video campaign is delivered in the first 3 seconds, and 74% of the value is delivered in the first 10 seconds, according to Facebook research and Nielsen. To catch and hold users’ attention, core video messaging needs to occur up-front, and the overall content should be designed to deliver without sound.
[video width="500" mp4="http://blog.socialtyze.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/wellsfargo_media1.mp4" poster="http://blog.socialtyze.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Screenshot-2018-07-11-08.36.10.png"][/video]
[video width="500" mp4="http://blog.socialtyze.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/wellsfargo_media2.mp4"][/video]
Innovative, surprising content gets users to hover their thumb—that is, to stop scrolling and pay attention. The more inventive, visually-arresting content, the higher the views, engagement, and recall.
[video width="600" mp4="http://blog.socialtyze.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/PlayMore_media19.mp4"][/video]Keep it SimplePlayful doesn’t mean more complex. Simple content with a fun pop of surprise compels users to not just watch, but hit those ‘like’ and ‘share’ buttons.
[video width="600" height="600" mp4="http://blog.socialtyze.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Slide22_media22.mp4"][/video]Keep it ScaledCreating video content doesn’t mean you need a high budget.This video by a leading CPG brand was shot in-house on an iPhone X.[video width="600" mp4="http://blog.socialtyze.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/spiralizer_media24.mp4"][/video]
Apps like PicLab and Quik can get the editing done in a matter of minutes. With so much technology at our fingertips, there’s no reason brands can’t be content creators at any budget.
Get Optimizing!
• Capture attention early. Start with your most captivating elements and incorporate brand identity within the first 3 seconds.• Keep it short. Videos should be less than 15 seconds and include the main message within the first 3-5 seconds.• Design for sound off. Use visual storytelling, and text on screen. Leverage sound to delight instead of inform.• Frame wisely. Try square or vertical framing to optimize for mobile viewing.Play more. Test your content and learn from its performance. Go on, experiment. And have fun!
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