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Influencer Marketing News Roundup: YouTube's New Social Good Program, Instagram's Advertiser Milestone, & More
This week on the Mediakix blog, we showed you the 10 biggest digital marketing statistics defining 2016, broke down the number of users on social media altogether in a helpful infographic, and shared news of YouTube's latest development, a social network, "Community." Additionally, we examined 11 online video marketing statistics for 2016 and conducted an exclusive interview with top YouTube influencers FamilyFunPack.
Today’s Friday roundup of influencer marketing news will dive into YouTube’s success as the most popular social media network, Instagram’s advertising milestone, the developing ASMR marketing community, and more.
YouTube Is Popular, but Pre-Roll Ads Are Not
A poll by the National Cyber Security Alliance and Microsoft found that U.S. teen internet users ages 13-17 used YouTube more than Snapchat and Facebook, after Gmail (eMarketer). As the dominant video sharing website with massive amounts of content, it is not surprising that YouTube would be the most dominate social network.
Despite YouTube’s popularity, it is finding difficulty, along with other video-sharing platforms, gaining traction in pre-roll ads. In a survey conducted by Nielsen and Newlio, a 52% of respondents said they will skip, mute, or will not pay attention to a pre-roll ad (eMarketer). Additionally, rising rates of ad blocking globally and especially for critical audiences such as millennials (nearly 2 out of 3 millennials employ ad blockers) preclude billions of dollars of ad spend including pre-roll ads. Marketers should consider the best way to approach advertising on video and avoid resorting to a format that is unpopular with the majority of users.
Related Post: The 10 Ways To Advertise On YouTube [Infographic]
Doing Social Good With YouTube Content Creators
YouTube is funding $1 million in equipment and production grants to 6 top YouTube influencers for the first class of “Creators For Change”, a program aimed to create positive social change by combating hate speech, xenophobia, and encouraging tolerance and empathy (Tubefilter). This program will appoint ambassadors across the globe and help amplify their voices. Ultimately, Creators For Change aims to increase awareness, funding, and other resources to various social causes.
Related Post: The 10 Biggest YouTube Video Statistics To Know In 2016
Instagram Hits New Advertising Milestone
Instagram has reached over 500,000 monthly active advertisers buying ads, up from 200,000 in February 2016. This may in part be due to allowing business-specific Instagram accounts to open in July, giving businesses an option to buy ads and track their performance (Marketing Land). Instagram also reached 500 million monthly active users at the end of June 2016.
Within recent months, Instagram has rolled out with several new features to compete with its nearest competitors (see our infographic comparing Instagram Stories vs. Snapchat Stories), altered how content is viewed with its Instagram news feed algorithm, and provided marketers with additional tools and capabilities for its native advertising platform, Instagram Sponsored Ads. Additionally, Instagram continues to be a popular marketing channel for brands and advertisers seeking to leverage the platform's top influencers for influencer marketing campaigns.
Related Post: The 11 Instagram Demographics & User Stats Every Marketer Should See
Influencer Marketing Is A Burgeoning Industry
Over the next 5 years, influencer marketing is slated to become a $5 billion to $10 billion market, however, marketers should be wary of the integrity of many influencer agencies who overstate the strength of their relationships with a number of influencers (Digiday). There is little exclusivity in the industry, and marketers will need to utilize established and reputable agencies that have real relationships with influencers serving to produce high-performing and strategic influencer marketing campaigns.
Related Post: The Most Impressive Influencer Marketing Statistics For 2016 [Infographic]
Pst. Can You Hear That? It's ASMR
ASMR, or autonomous sensory meridian response, is a tingling, pleasurable feeling that relaxes the mind triggered by certain sounds such as whispering voices or scratching nails on cardboard (Digiday). This up-and-coming trend attempts to find a different kind of customer that is infatuated and enthusiastic about the sensorial experience of sound.
Top social media influencers are jumping on this open market, providing content that is searched for more times on Google than “candy” or “chocolate” (Digiday). The emergence of ASMR is an interesting development and can point to other obscure industries that marketers should begin working in.
Also See Our Posts On:
10 Digital Marketing Statistics You Should Know For 2016
How Many People Are On Social Media In 2016 [Infographic]
New To Influencer Marketing? Download Our FREE 10-Step Guide Here
Exclusive Interview Spotlight: Top YouTube Channel, Family Fun Pack
The post Influencer Marketing News Roundup: Is ASMR the latest influencer trend? appeared first on Mediakix | Influencer Marketing Agency.