Stories by Sophie Maerowitz

With an increasing number of institutions and storefronts now mandated to shut down operations, communicators have turned to live video as a workaround for serving existing clientele and reaching new ones. Some organizations have tied live streaming directly to their core missions. Here are some tips for making the most of live streaming during the COVID outbreak (without appearing opportunistic).

In the ever-evolving world of digital, there’s little doubt that social media professionals should stay on top of algorithm changes, new social apps and shifts in user behavior and appetite. As Social Shake-Up 2020 host Brian Fanzo, CEO of iSocialFanz puts it, “I wish there was a pause button for every new social media app. But there isn’t one, so we have to focus our goals on how to address that.”

In the debate over the effectiveness of influencer marketing, data from a strong measurement regime can provide solid evidence. Engagement and attribution are key metrics. The path to successful influencer content is found by creating posts that seem tailored to individual consumers, says Everywhere Agency CEO Danica Kombol.

With the start of the year, social media platforms released features that should help communicators with planning for these tools. In addition, Facebook offered users a tool that allows them to see and delete data other companies have collected based on interactions with those brands. It’s far from certain how many users will use the tool.

For several years, marketers and communicators have feared the damage done to the brands and public figures they represent via the propagation of “deepfakes,” videos and photos that use the assistance of machine learning technology to replace faces and objects with false, but realistic, images. As fake news and misinformation continue to plague online discourse, Facebook says it has taken a significant step to deter the spread of doctored video and photos.

As Instagram users become warier of sponsored posts, and following the Federal Trade Commission’s reissuing of a crystal-clear set of guidelines, influencers—and the brands they works with—are running out of excuses when it comes to following FTC regulations. Still, not every influencer is blessed with a legal team, so it’s crucial for marketers to understand the rules and be able to communicate them to content creators in every partnership.

As the holiday season ramps up, social platforms continue to roll out many new features that can greatly affect the performance of your big end-of-year social campaigns. Whether you’re a nonprofit tapping into the giving spirit or a retailer seeking to boost holiday sales, here are some recent features to look into, by social platform.

Are the golden days of influencer marketing at an end? A recent Wall Street Journal article made that claim, citing reduced engagement and interviewing several brand marketers who are disappointed with their return on influencer investment. The article pointed to influencer fraud—inflating follower numbers with fake accounts, for instance—as well as consumers’ increasing cynicism when they see a product or service promoted by an influencer on social media.

While keeping up-to-date with digital communications jargon might be at the bottom of your to-do list, it never hurts to be aware of the shorthand metrics your colleagues working in sales and marketing use in emails and meetings. Test yourself on your acronym knowledge in our handy quiz.

There are some roadblocks unique to the B2B space, from using social to win customers to translating complex technical language into accessible messaging. Four B2B marketers shared their approach to tackling these challenges with our sister publication, The Social Shake-Up.