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Stay up to date with the latest trends and insights in the influencer marketing world.

  • Social Commerce and Influencers: a win-win

    Date: August 13, 2024

    Category: Influencer Marketing

    Today, the union between social commerce and influencers has become an essential strategy for connecting brands with their consumers in an authentic and effective way. This evolution reflects a shift from the traditional Tupperware parties of the 1950s to the sophisticated integration of technology and social media we see today. After the conversation we had on the mAD Podcast with Patricia Aragón and Fabiola Guerrero Ros, we better understand the constant relationship between influencer marketing and social commerce, and how properly leveraging this practice will be crucial for managing strategies that truly influence consumers’ purchasing decisions.

    The Tupperware parties of the 1950s, where hostesses like Brownie Wise demonstrated products in a social setting, are the precursors of today’s social commerce. The difference now is that technology has amplified these interactions, allowing consumers to connect with brands and products through their mobile devices and social media in a more direct and personal way.

    Social Commerce and Influencer Marketing: A Powerful Intersection

    Influencer marketing has evolved significantly over the last decade: what began in the beauty and fashion sectors has diversified, encompassing a wide range of industries. Influencers are no longer just celebrities, but content creators who bring authenticity and closeness to brands through their own professionalism and expertise.

    The key to success at this intersection is the ability of influencers to generate trustworthy and genuine recommendations. This shortens the purchase cycle and builds a more loyal customer base. Additionally, the constant interaction between influencers and consumers creates engagement that benefits both the brands and the content creators themselves.

    Benefits of Social Commerce for Brands

    Social commerce offers brands a unique opportunity to create larger and more qualitative audiences. Instead of focusing all efforts on driving traffic to a website, where elements like UX, UI, and trust throughout the experience come into play, brands can now interact directly with consumers on social platforms, facilitating more effective conversions and strengthening their relationship with the audience.

    Social commerce as a practice allows brands to benefit from more powerful conversion and a sense of familiarity with the consumer. This close connection, provided by influencers, is something that other marketing strategies cannot match, as it is perceived as a much more credible and personal recommendation.

    Facing a VUCA Environment

    The term “VUCA” (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity) perfectly describes the current environment in which brands operate. In this context, integrating social commerce and influencer marketing presents both challenges and opportunities. Technology plays a crucial role, helping brands capture users’ attention in a saturated digital space.

    The main challenge is to use technology to offer attractive and personalized shopping experiences, leveraging tools such as artificial intelligence and augmented reality. These technologies not only enhance the user experience but also allow brands to quickly adapt to changing market demands.

    Looking to the future, the relationship between social commerce and influencer marketing will continue to evolve. Some emerging trends include:

    • Omnichannel Integration: Social commerce, social media, community management, influencer marketing, and paid advertising strategies must be aligned to create a cohesive experience.
    • Rise of Video and Livestreaming: Video will continue to be a crucial tool, with increasing demand for high-quality content and livestreaming.
    • Personalization and VR/AI: Personalization will be key, with greater use of virtual reality and artificial intelligence to offer unique and immersive experiences.

    In this regard, social commerce and influencers represent the forefront of digital marketing. Brands that know how to leverage this relationship and adapt to new technologies will have a significant advantage in creating meaningful and sustainable connections with their consumers. With a well-structured strategy and a deep understanding of market dynamics, the brands that best adapt and integrate their advertising efforts will be the first in users’ minds.

     

    Patricia Aragón

    Global Director
    Commerce & Innovation – ES&I

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  • Evolution of Social Media and Content Creators

    Date: May 27, 2024

    Categories: Influencer Marketing, Social Media

    The world of social media has come to an end as we know it

    Over the past few years, the landscape of social networks has undergone a profound transformation, leading us to reconsider our perceptions and approaches towards these platforms. While the headline may seem sensationalist, the reality is that social media is no longer just a realm of entertainment and connection; it has evolved into a multifaceted ecosystem where brands, creators, and consumers intersect in complex ways.

    One of the most notable changes is the realisation among brands that they must humanise their presence on social media to effectively engage their audience. This has led to a growing emphasis on leveraging content creators and personalities to embody and communicate the brand’s message. The integration of influencer marketing and social media strategy has become paramount, emphasising the need for a cohesive approach that aligns with long-term objectives.

    This support for content creators clearly differs depending on the brand’s goals in two distinct practices, based on the number of followers of the creators. On one hand, to generate personalised daily content, brands are relying on niche creators who are well-versed in the market and audiences, embodying the brand in a differential way, adding value to their social networks, but also rely on major content creators, who generate a greater impact and attribution of values.

    Hence why we also need to deep dive into how we are performing influencer marketing campaigns, understanding there is a strong fatigue due to content over-saturation and we need to pin-point all the steps among the campaign to ensure better results. Our Influencer Fatigue study goes deeper into this matter.

    “Implementing a social strategy with Influencer Marketing as part of that discipline allows us to approach the audience in a more authentic and entertaining way, which leads to greater engagement and will help us to take the next step in social media, where the performance goal is increasingly present.”

    Social Media = social commerce

    Another notable change we are witnessing in the evolution of social networks is based on a new functionality that goes beyond mere entertainment or connection; it now encompasses commerce. Platforms like TikTok are pivoting towards social commerce, introducing features such as TikTok Shop, which allows companies, brands, and content creators to promote products online so that consumers can buy them quickly and directly through videos in the feed, live streams, and a dedicated tab showing store products. 

    This change not only transforms how we use social networks but also how we perceive online shopping and community building.

    On the other hand, other e-commerce giants and experts like Miravia or AliExpress are charting a course in the same direction but from the opposite perspective, seeking to foster and generate communities within their e-commerce platforms with the aim of producing engagement and entertainment within them, increasing usage time.

    The evolution of social networks transcends beyond changes in the platforms; it represents a fundamental transformation in our way of interacting, connecting, and consuming. By embracing this evolution and staying at the forefront through integrated digital strategies supported by innovation and creativity, we can harness the potential of community platforms to cultivate meaningful connections, stimulate engagement, and achieve brand goals, increasing both engagement and conversion.

    At the end of the day, as marketers, we have the challenge of being able to measure the effectiveness of our social media strategies, and although we work with numerous KPIs as metrics of success, there is also a great holistic and qualitative work behind it that continues to evolve and we keep understanding. In fact, this is the reason why our sister agency, SHARE Creative, decided to create the CAOS study and measuring test score, which creates the first metric system to measure community management strategies in terms of community management, loyalty, and growth on networks. Such innovative tools will enable us to get closer and closer to users.

    Nevertheless, one thing is clear: we must continue to pay close attention to consumer response to this new paradigm of networks, needs, buying behaviour, and personality; a challenge to which brands must also respond and adapt quickly, effectively, and with a 360-degree approach, where social networks, influencers, paid advertisements, and creativities align to respond to the consumer’s voice.

    – Ainoa Brenes, Global Growth Excellence at Samy Alliance.

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