Meta’s decision to expand its Instagram creator marketplace to three technology partners could dramatically ease the headaches brands face when lining up huge social-media marketing campaigns that may involve tens of thousands of influencers.

That’s the big headline out of the Tuesday announcement, according to Tim Sovay, Chief Business Development and Partnerships Officer at CreatorIQ, one of those three companies with inaugural access to Meta’s new application programming interface (the other two are Aspire and Captiv8).

The API is an open-source software protocol that allows creator marketing platforms to have deep access to data about creator campaigns. It also makes it easier to connect with creators. en masse, Improved campaign tracking.

“Instagram’s creator marketplace API integration is a game-changing innovation that elevates brand-creator communications to a new level and highlights Instagram’s ongoing leadership in this area,” said Sovay in a release.

Even though the marketplace has been expanded, it is still in beta. Only 200,000 verified influencers are eligible to use the platform to network with brands for social-marketing deals.

However, it does so at a moment when Instagram is experiencing huge growth with its Reels short-form platform. This copycat of TikTok. And though the marketplace only connects brands and creators on Instagram, that matters for all the brands who depend on a platform that reaches 2 billion users and can generate double-digit response rates from highly targeted, performance-marketing campaigns.

CreatorIQ has nearly 90% success with multi-platform social campaign that Instagram influencers run on behalf of more than 1000 corporate clients.
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Sovay stated that AB InBev and Disney are among the most popular.

The ways big brands manage large numbers of creators across the various platforms has become more sophisticated. Sovay stated that although the marketplace has been around for a year, it was originally focused on making one-to-one connections with brands. This made it less suitable to run large campaigns.

“This API will allow brands that typically won’t go through the front door of the marketplace,” Sovay said in an interview. “But if Unilever or LVMH work through Creator IQ as your system of record, (the CreatorIQ dashboard) can highlight which creators are Instagram approved and highlighted. This allows the brand to directly message your creator (mailbox) with a direct message. More deal flow for creators
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Brands that are CreatorIQ clients. This is reducing friction between those two sides.“

The direct-to-DM component is an important piece, Sovay said, because it ensures brand inquiries don’t get lost in an influencer’s overflowing emailbox or DM folder. Sovay explained. Deal inquiries go to a new priority inbox within the creator’s DMs, with an easy yes-no process for creators to join a campaign.

Instead of sending one-to-one communications, brands can ask multiple influencer partners simultaneously and create structured briefs that outline the details.

“Brands have gone from working with hundreds or thousands of creators to now tens of thousands of creators,” Sovay said. “Some of the most sophisticated are working with hundreds of thousands of creators. It’s not about organic distribution anymore, it’s paid reach. You can also build affiliate relationships. Retailers are building always-on creator networks, and many other retailers are building out affiliate networks” with response rates as high as 15%.

“Creators need the ability to interact with both followers and brands seamlessly and efficiently in order to grow their business,” said Instagram Product Director Lucy Baker. “Giving Instagram creators access to the thousands of brands that use CreatorIQ to manage their creator marketing efforts provides a seamless experience so they can better share ideas, grow their trade, and foster long-term business partnerships.”

The marketplace also helps on the other end of campaigns, tracking how they worked with a given creator’s audience, and yielding deeper information about campaign performance.

“The value is vetted creators, additional insights on those creators, and an easier way to contact them through CreatorIQ through IG DMs,” Sovay said. “On the creator side, the idea is to open up more deal flow.”

The new marketplace comes amid an inflection point in the maturing social-media industry that may make Meta’s announcement particularly well timed for brands seeking stable and safe platforms for their campaigns:

• TikTok, the current industry leader in this space is under pressure from Congress and others to be blocked in the United States due to possible exposure of user-data to the Chinese government.
• Twitter is now subject to Elon Musk’s erratic dictates and initiatives, which has sparked an advertiser exodus and numerous other issues. Musk posted this week that Twitter, as a company, was no longer under his X corporation. He also plans to make it a payments platform.
• Older platforms, from Facebook to Snap, are seeing flattening growth, though it’s important to note that Meta’s Facebook and Instagram are still gigantic, with more than 2 billion users each. This allows for massive audience that can be targeted with incredible precision.

CreatorIQ, which has been working with Instagram on the API and other projects for “a few months,” will make it available to an initial test group of clients before expanding it more widely in coming months.

U.S. The bipartisan legislation introduced by Senator Marco Rubio, R-Florida to prohibit TikTok’s popular Chinese social media platform from being operated in the United States was passed earlier this week. Rubio’s office declared that the Averting the National Threat of Internet Surveillance and Oppressive Censorship, Influence and Algorithmic Learning By the Chinese Communist Party Act would provide protection for Americans. It would prohibit all social media companies operating in or under the influence of China, Russia and other countries of concern.

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It is particularly popular among younger users. Influencers have also made it a profession of sharing video content that promotes a wide range of products. Rubio warns that the app unlawfully stores data on millions upon millions of American kids and adults each day.

The senator stated that “we know it’s being used to manipulate feeds, and influence elections.” “We know it answers to the People’s Republic of China. We don’t have time for meaningless negotiations or with CCP puppet companies. Beijing-controlled TikTok should be expelled.

The Influence of Influencers

The United States bans TikTok, which would change the way content creators and influencers work. It would also remove one of America’s most popular social media platforms. TikTok, however, is not the only place where creators and influencers can post content.

When your livelihood is at stake, you have no choice but to make a change. According to Luke Lintz (CEO of HighKey Enterprises), digital marketing firm HighKey Enterprises.

TikTok is the leading platform for influencers because of its ability to breed what Lintz calls “virality”, which means every creator can become an influencer by just one video. This is what makes TikTok stand out from other social media sites. TikTok is now home to a large daily user base.

Lintz stated in an email that the algorithm collects an incredible amount of information about users and feeds every user what they desire to see. The algorithm has helped many business and influential people to discover their niches in order to build loyal fans.

TikTok has also changed how short-form content was delivered to users. It is so popular that every major social media site had to develop a similar feature.

Reels were created by Instagram/Facebook and their algorithms have been modified to favor Reels. YouTube invented Shorts, and it changed the homepage layout to highlight Shorts more,” Lintz added.

The platform could be banned if it is not. This will most likely result in a huge negative reaction from content creators as well as companies who have invested thousands building their audience.

We have been paid hundreds of thousands by businesses and individuals to help them build their brand with TikTok-specific videography and daily posting. Lintz said that there would be much outrage if all of this disappears overnight.

However, that could mean very little to government officials – who are concerned about the privacy and security issues.

TikTok Alternatives

TikTok can also be seen as the “flavor of the moment” in many aspects. TikTok wasn’t the original social media platform, and it won’t become the last. This could allow other platforms or new ones to rise to the challenge of it being banned.

TikTok could also be used to replace the DeSo blockchain (Decentralized Social Media)

Lintz stated that developers have built applications on the blockchain which are replicates of every major social media platform. A ban on TikTok (U.S.) and the uncertainty around Twitter have led to users and creators looking for DeSo options. They own 100% of the content they upload onto the blockchain, making it difficult for them to remove their profile.

Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter is the most significant development in the world of social media in a long time.

He’s a polarizing figure. He is loved by his legions of followers who believe that Twitter’s purchase was an excellent move.

Some criticize him for recent layoffs, and giving voice to those with perilous views.

I asked creators their thoughts. Here’s what they said:

“Personally, I think that the Elon Musk takeover is a good thing and here’s why: Elon has already changed the world in unimaginable ways, like: Saving the environment from gas pollution and leading the charge to make Mars habitable. Elon Musk has an excellent track record of helping humanity. So, if anyone has the credentials to take over Twitter, it would be Elon Musk.” Chris Wilson (@chriswilson)

“Elon buying Twitter seems to be a significant change for the platform. He said he’s thinking of charging $8 a month for verification, which is a little weird because I think it should be earned. Your verification status should remain valid unless there is something you did that was unacceptable. Also, I hope he brings back Vine!” Ashley Newman (@ashleyfaithnewman)

“Elon Musk buying Twitter is an overall logical move. Twitter has a wider range of biases than most people realise and can have a greater impact on politics and the economy. Musk’s purchase of Twitter is not intended to silence beliefs, instead it will create a more expansive range of judgements that will allow people to speak more freely. Any social platform that allows censorship will add to the problems we have faced over the last few years.” Celia Braud (@celiabraud)

“I support him. Elon Musk has a great future outlook. He is transforming the world into the real life “World Wide Web.” I believe he is going to grow and evolve the world with his involvement.” Aaron Fuller (@aaronxfuller)

“Twitter has been one of my favorite platforms for years. And Elon’s business ethic is unmatched. I’m excited to see where this goes.” FaZe Rug (@fazerug)

“His first few weeks have been very intriguing for sure. “His first few weeks have been very interesting for me. I’m interested in the tools creators have on-platform. And based on his track records, I expect some incredible updates. Even this week, between changes in verification and a potential VINE reboot, I think he has real innovation in mind.” Gabby Murray (@gabbymurrayy)

“I’m not a very active user on Twitter but it does blow my mind that a single person can buy something for $44 billion. It is my belief that social media should be more supportive and loving. Also, it would be awesome if Twitter could support creators!” Bri Ward (@briward)

“Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, in my eyes, is a faulty choice. The push for ‘free speech’ is worrying, particularly for what the means for content moderation. Opening up Twitter’s rather relaxed guidelines, even more could have adverse effects for monetization. Advertisers may be uncomfortable placing ads near hate speech. Musk’s decision to purchase Twitter, which he has gone back and forth on, seems hasty and needed more time. If Musk struggles to make this acquisition work, it could one of the industry’s biggest failures; it will not only affect Twitter but maybe even Tesla as well.” –G4rnish (@g4rnish)

“I think Elon Musk is just another billionaire with a superiority complex. The acquisition of Twitter by Musk is nothing but a power grab and will ultimately affect thousands of Twitter employees. I feel like Twitter is not going to be the same as it was before and Musk’s language surrounding what he will allow on the platform is threatening. It feels like Twitter is going to have the same problems Facebook has had with misinformation as Elon has shown he has no desire to limit or restrict potentially dangerous tweets.” Aidan Rhys Langford (@aidanlangford)

“Honestly, there are a lot of things going on in the world right now and Elon Musk’s purchase and privatization of Twitter doesn’t really cross my mind. Although I do have an account, I rarely make use of the site. Whether a billionaire wants to purchase a company, or not, doesn’t impact me. The hate that I see on these platforms is overwhelming and it isn’t getting any better. It is time to stop complaining, and instead wait and watch. Let him see the real thing before you make assumptions about what he will do. I’m going to give him the benefit of the doubt.” Blake Manning (@blakexmanning)

“Being completely honest I am not too educated on Elon Musk or Twitter. I’ve never really learned how to effectively use Twitter. However, I believe that Elon, based on what I’ve read and heard about him, is smart and successful. He’s also grown a huge name for himself on social media, even though that’s not his focus. Because of this, he probably would have some great ideas for Twitter.” Sadie Crowell (@sadiecrowell)

Facebook will shut down QVC-style live shopping on October 1, according to reports. The move comes after similar reports from TikTok last month, which also reported that TikTok had abandoned its livestreaming plans both in the U.S.A and internationally.

These moves may appear surprising from first sight, but they are not unexpected. It is all about language.

Although livestreaming and shoppable videos are not the same, they have often been confused over the years.

Livestreaming is its worst enemy, to use a common phrase. Whenever someone says, “livestream shopping,” people immediately create a mental picture in their heads of a digital-based commerce experience that works and acts much in the same way as QVC
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Since decades has worked on TV screens.

The problem with that analogy though is that the U.S. market, primarily by way of one’s mobile phone, doesn’t work that way. Social media apps are not for commercial use, as they were in China.

As Firework CEO Vincent Yang recently remarked in a recent podcast, the overwhelming majority of commerce in the U.S., well over 90%, still happens by way of retailers’ or brands’ own websites and not through social media apps like Facebook or TikTok. Omni Talk is currently working with Firework to provide a live streaming video platform for retailersany.

The discussion now turns to shoppable footage.

Shoppable videos are, in some ways, more than livestreaming shopping. Shoppable videos can include any type of recorded video or video which allows for commerce. It could be a video within a product detail page on a website, a recorded video within someone’s social media feed, or even an actual live video streamed within Instagram Reels.

When talking about the U.S. Market, the most important element is the fact that they are all videos. They were captured and captured in different ways.

With so much traffic going to retailers’ and brands’ own websites, it makes intuitive sense that the originating spot for any videos, whether livestreamed or recorded, be the retailers’ or brands’ own websites themselves. You have a lot more freedom to target the market with this approach.

For example, take this shoppable video. (A screenshot of it is also below). It appears on the Fresh Market’s homepage. This video is a wonderful example of the previous point.

The video, while shot as a livestream initially, now lives on in perpetuity as a replayable video that greets every visitor to the Fresh Market’s home page, which no doubt gets far more traffic on an average day than say the Fresh Market’s own Facebook or Twitter pages.

It’s possible to also share the same video via social media, or even by Fresh Market (as I just showed). The video’s products can be viewed from the right side of your screen.

What this example illustrates is that the Fresh Market is getting the best of all worlds by thinking “shoppable video” before “livestreaming.”

Fresh Market does not tie its livestream activity with a social media platform such as Instagram or TikTok. Instead, it produces the shoppable content it creates and distributes it to whatever platforms have the best ROI.

It is an approach that is right in line with how U.S. consumers think about and consume media, which brings up one final important question – what does all this mean for Facebook and TikTok financially?

This implies that U.S. consumers will consume shoppable videos, and not livestreaming. It is clear that Facebook and TikTok made the right decision and have appropriately skewed to the direction the puck is heading.

And that puck appears to be headed in a very similar direction to how commerce in general is conducted via social media apps within the U.S. already – i.e. By offering a cut of or a percentage of sales of products people view in their social media feeds.

Are they able to reach as many people as Facebook and TikTok imagined when they started their livestreaming efforts?

Most likely not.

Even though it is only a tiny fraction of what brands and retailers make from their videos, this still amounts to significant incremental revenue over the long-term.

Important Disclaimer — Firework is a current client of the author’s media company, Omni Talk.

Moscow threatened to stop the Meta-owned Instagram on Monday. It effectively blocked access for millions of Russians. The platform WasThe second-most popular Meta app in Russia, after messaging service WhatsApp.

Russia’s influential people are finding themselves behind an “Iron Curtain”, unable reach millions of their followers.

On Monday, Instagram in Russia will be shut down. The decision will affect 80 million Russians and the rest of the globe as approximately 80% of Russia’s people have an Instagram account from outside Russia. “This is wrong!” Adam Mosseri (@mosseri), the head of Meta’s Instagram posted on Twitter Monday night.

After Meta hadn’t-so-quietly modified its content policies which permitted for violent calls against Russian soldiers, government officials and even those from within Russia, the Kremlin made this move.

Nick Clegg, President of Meta Global Affairs (@nickclegg), took to Twitter to clarify the policies. “Reponding to reports by the Russian government that Meta is being designated an extremist organisation for its support of speech policies,” he said.

Clegg said in an official statement: “The truth is that if our standard content policies were not adjusted, we would be removing content of ordinary Ukrainians protesting the invasion military forces. This would be rightly considered unacceptable.”

Influencers cut off their followers

Many Russian “influencers”, regardless of their motivations, were vocal about how this move would affect them.

Instagram ads accounted for roughly half my total income. My page is being deleted. I’m honest. I ran my profile for over 10 years. My profile was active for over 10 years. Most likely, I’ll need to look into new income sources, or rediscover my self,” Karina IIomia, an Instagram DJ with nearly 400,000 followers, told The Guardian on Monday.

“This [Instagram]It is my life. This is the core of my being. It’s what I wake up to, and fall asleep with, for the past five years.

Lyubov Sobol of Russia (@SobolLubov), however, responded by calling out Nigay and writing “Blogger girl crying because she blocked instagram. It might be time to put aside politics and get serious about learning. The fact that the major stars didn’t voice their opposition in the first week was a sign they decided to wait and watch. This is a shame.

Twitter user @nexta_tv also criticised the move, writing, “One #Russian blogger cries that her Instagram will cease to work in just two days. She doesn’t seem to care much about her fellow compatriots and the thousands of people who have died. Her biggest concern right now is not being able to take pictures from restaurants.

VPN Usage Skyrockets

It seems many Russians don’t just accept the fact that Instagram and other social media platforms have been blocked.

Atlas VPN released a Tuesday report that showed the demand for VPNs had soared by 10,000% after Instagram removed their plug. VPN installation in Russia was at an all time high. It rose by 11.253 percent, which is more than the average.

This report highlighted the fact that VPN usage has been slowly growing since before the spike. Google searches began three weeks ago on February 25, 2022.

Moscow has so far not tried to ban VPN. It is one of few ways that Russians can bypass government restrictions online. The VPN allows activists to hide their IP addresses and access banned websites.

Atlas VPN said that it is hard to know how far Russia will push to suppress anti-war sentiments online, and to further influence the story of war. However, the trend towards censorship will continue, and we can expect the virtual private network demand to grow.

We can only hope that the Russians who use VPNs are not just checking in with their favourite influencers but trying to find out the truth about Ukraine’s war, we must.

One of the biggest concerns Americans face for 2022 could be record inflation. This will likely continue to drive up household expenditures and impact wages. Inflation rose 7 percent in 2021, the highest rate in more than 40 years. In 2021, Americans witnessed a sharp rise in the prices of basic necessities.

Although the government tried to stimulate spending with ultra-low interest rates and stimulus money, there was so much demand for goods that prices went up at an alarming rate. The U.S. Department of Labor announced earlier this month that December’s core inflation rate (which excludes volatile goods like food and gasoline) jumped to 5.5 percent, making it the largest increase in a decade.

Yet, U.S. shoppers are continuing to spend – and social media continues to be a major factor on where Americans are taking their business. According to a new survey conducted by Point and OnePoll, more than one in three respondents said they considered social media “very influential” when it comes to their spending habits – with 35 percent of respondents reporting as much, compared to just 12 percent who said social media is “very uninfluential.”

The survey also found that more than half Americans – 55 percent – even said that social media had influenced them to go over budget or otherwise spend more money than intended on a particular product. With 35 percent agreeing, one reason was pressure to keep up with Joneses.

It was the Pandemic

Pandemics also magnified the influence of social media on American decision-making. Americans saw a decrease in spending after the lockdowns. However, in 2021 as the country began to settle into the new normal, spending increased – even as the supply chain issues persisted.

Mary Schneeberger is senior director at Avionos’ integrated marketing practice. She explained that the pandemic has changed consumer shopping habits and will continue to do so. Avionos also tracks American spending habits through 2021. The past two years show that online and in-person shopping is possible and retailers are willing to do whatever it takes to provide seamless shopping experiences. Shopping via social media has become more popular thanks to virtual reality and live streaming, which is changing how people shop.

Not only has social media changed how consumers transact but it also altered the way that they find new brands and products.

In an engaging format, social influencers can earn consumers trust by showing their purchases and discussing the product’s quality to thousands of people via platforms like YouTube and TikTok. Schneeberger, via email: Customers use reviews and customer ratings to decide if they want to purchase a product.

The Younger Crowd

It’s not surprising that the Avionos survey found that most people use social media to make their purchasing decisions.

Schneeberger said that “Gen Zers (70%), and Millennials (68%) use social media more often than Gen X (51%), and Baby Boomers (33%). These younger consumers leverage many channels to buy products compared with older generations.”

Gen Zers also spent more time using social media than their older counterparts. This further explains how they see social media as a destination for purchasing, compared with older generations.

However, not all people are sold on the use of social media to shop.

Schneeberger said that of the people who have not bought via social media, 45 percent do not see it as a purchase destination and that 33 percent aren’t trust any social media app with credit card numbers or personal information. Additionally, many consumers prefer to shop online (16%) or to view the product before purchasing (15%).

Diverse Platforms

Avionos discovered that young people use Facebook, Instagram and TikTok the most often to buy products.

Schneeberger stated that 56% of Gen Zers have purchased items through different channels than what was originally planned. Schneeberger noted that Gen Zers tend to be more familiar with digital channels, and more inclined to shop on social media. This is because they have a greater influence over changing consumer behavior. However, Gen Xers and Millennials used online shopping platforms for products they wanted to buy in-store. This means that retailers can engage more with these consumers both in-store and online. To meet customers wherever they are most interested, it is crucial to offer omni-channel commerce services.