According to my calculations, digital content from influencers, Twitter, and video creation are going to make an even bigger splash for B2B tech brands in 2019 compared to last year. Please keep any outdated marketing strategies inside the vehicle at all times. I can already tell from the digital trends in this month’s Pit Stop you won’t need those.
Influencers think they’re hot stuff and they’re only getting hotter.
Shocking to no one but those who don’t have an Instagram, Instagram influencer marketing grew by over 39% in 2018. Based on the recent Instagram analysis, let’s look at those relating to who, where, and what are dominating the space and how these influencer #ad trends can give a leg up for B2B tech.
Who are these impactful Instagram influencers?
Women. Women posted 84.6% of those sponsored #ad posts on Instagram in 2018. If your product launch needs an extra push, who you gonna call? Not the 15.4% of male influencers (no offense). Do some research: Search for keywords, hashtags, and followers of accounts that match who you want representing your brand. You’ll be able to find the right person who has the right audience and can promote your brand and do it well. That is indeed her job. Already have some influencers in place but wanting to expand your global reach? There’s an added perk to this growing number of social-savvy influencers: They’re also growing rapidly in other places like Brazil, Canada, and Japan (by an average of 244 %). Simply put: the world is your influencer oyster.
Your brand story’s best communication strategy? Instagram Stories.
In 2018, one out of three sponsored posts was an Instagram Story. If you’re not sure how this affects your influencer strategy, consider switching up your content if you haven’t been using stories as an opportunity to share your brand. Sometimes it’s also nice to pay less- an average $0.05 cost per result- for something that will only last for 24 hours but still have a ton of impact, reach, and, hopefully, end happily as stories should, with purchases, clicks, downloads, registrations, etc.
Save time when integrating influencers into your marketing strategy: Influencers, brands, and their sub-brands (if applicable) can speed up time from phone to feed with Instagram’s regram feature.
PPS: We don’t recommend using the regram feature if you want to keep your brands and sub-brands different from one another.
Prepare for more conversations on Twitter than in real life.
A select group of tweeters will have access to a new beta app, which could mean a more conversational Twitter feed. If launched, users can expect a new color scheme to classify accounts they know, accounts that follow them, and verified accounts; algorithm-sorting for conversations that matter most to those users; and removal of engagement icons (like ❤️).
B2B brands can expect a new way of looking at (and hopefully fostering) engagement. Not only will you see what users legitimately respond to most but also more easily see how and why those responses drive conversations among followers, potential followers, and other brands. These insights will only help educate brands on the content and language they should continue promoting in their Twitter feeds and campaign.
If you can hear crickets on your brand’s Twitter, maybe it’s time to make a slight copy tweak or take a pause in order to pivot and come back with something new.
Video
If you haven’t already, it’s time to press play on video marketing.
This serves as more of a reminder than a news flash. Just in case you forgot, video is the top dog, the fancy cheese, and (it should be) your B2B brand’s top priority if you’re looking to get serious engagement in 2019.
Not so sure? These video marketing statistics from Renderforest will make you whip out your GoPro, webcam, film, whatever. Let’s highlight a few of the metrics that could push you to rethink your current content plan and hit record instead.
- You can DIY because 70% of video creation happens via online platforms.
- Of the 1,000 marketers surveyed, 71% experienced an increase in time spent on their website thanks to video.
- You can sell more of your products because 64% of users are more likely to buy a product online after watching a video.
This year is bringing a whole lot of new digital content, creators, and conversation to the social spotlight for B2B tech brands. Don’t worry, INK will keep you updated.
