Top 5 Trends in Social Media and Influencer Marketing | May 2021

As lockdown restrictions ease with the spread of COVID-19 vaccines, activity is slowly but surely ramping up in Europe, creating new opportunities, social challenges and diversified content on social media. Here is this month’s hottest news in social media and influencer marketing.

1. Instagram now allows brands and creators to access insights for Reels and Live Broadcasts

Photo Credits and Source: Social Media Today

With the increasing adoption of Reels and Live broadcasts, and based on feedback from creators and businesses alike, Instagram made new insight stats available for these content format types. 

"We have been inspired by the ways our community has embraced these content formats and want to make sure creators and businesses can understand how their content is performing", Instargam said.

So, what exactly are the new stats in Reels and Live Broadcasts that creators and brands have access to? We summarized them for you:

• Reels: Total Plays, Accounts Reached, Likes, Comments, Saves, and Shares.

• Live Broadcasts: Accounts Reached, Peak Concurrent Viewers, Comments, and Shares.

But these are not the only insights Instagram is adding. The platform has incorporated new information regarding Reach on its ‘Account Insights’ section, including how many followers and non-followers an user has reached, the type of content that resonates most with the audience ranked by Reach, and a section of ‘Top’ posts for all content formats.

Amazing isn’t it? Analyzing data is a key component of any campaign, and Instagram providing more insights to make data analysis better will lead to improved learnings that any brand can benefit from.

2. Prepare your credit cards, Facebook’s livestream shopping events is among us

Photo Credits and Source: Facebook

Facebook is taking the next step in its evolving eCommerce push with the introduction of a new "Live Shopping Fridays" series, which will see the platform host live-streamed shopping experiences, in conjunction with selected brands, that will invite viewers to ask questions about products, and make purchases, all in-stream.

This means shoppers can discover products, and ask questions about size, fit, and tips in real time, while brands have the opportunity to build and strengthen their relationship with customers, and streamline the purchase process.

“Live Shopping on Facebook combines the fun of live video with the convenience of online shopping. And this summer, we’re bringing some of the biggest brands together for a showcase of products, tips, demos and more through Live Shopping Fridays.”

Among the brands taking part will be Abercrombie & Fitch, Clinique and Sephora. Live Shopping Fridays started on May 21st, and will continue through July 16.

3. Clubhouse Creator-First Program Finalists

Photo Credits and Source: AdWeek

Earlier this year, Clubhouse announced its Creator First Program, which was developed to support new creators with the necessary resources to create high quality content for the platform. The platform encouraged creators to submit their ideas for shows, and announced that the chosen ones would get full support from the social audio app.

This month, Clubhouse released the 50 finalists—from all around the world—that will participate in the Pilot Season, with shows that range from sports and space, to psychics and psychedelics, to history and healthcare. You can find the complete list here.

Clubhouse indicated that it is not taking any ownership of the content that creators develop. The platform said that “the goal is to ensure that the creators themselves enjoy complete control and ownership over their creative output.”

With other social media platforms adding their own Clubhouse-like features, Clubhouse’ success might be resting on the strength of its creators—which the Creator First Program is all about.

4. YouTube launched new $100 million fund for Shorts creators

Photo Credits and Source: Business Insider

In the social media world, creators are a strong driving force for awareness and adoption. As social platforms release new features and compete against each other, we have seen increasing focus from platforms to supporting and highlighting creators—after all, we are living in the Creator Economy. 

With its recent launch of Shorts, one of TikTok’s competitors, YouTube is offering $100 million in monetary compensation to creators who are using the new tool to encourage them to continually post Shorts, which does not have a monetization built-in feature—at least for now.

Anyone who posts Shorts is eligible, but YouTube will focus on the originality of the content, engagement, and views. This creator fund is set to last until 2022.

5. LinkedIn Adds New 'Boost' Option for Organic Posts, New Event Promotion and Management Tools

Photo Credits and Source: Social Media Today

Soon, brands will be able to boost their content on LinkedIn to maximize reach and organic results. The platform’s new Boost feature allows brands to turn organic page posts into paid ads with dark posts, capitalizing the early traction of these posts without having to create a new ad—similarly to the option offered by Facebook. 

You will be able to choose between different boosting objectives, including brand awareness, video views, engagement and website visits, as well as, select your target audience based on profile, interests or pre-set targeting options. LinkedIn released a guide to boosting on the platform to help brands with their social strategy.

In addition to the Boost feature, LinkedIn is also adding a new Event Ads option, which will help  “promote your event by highlighting key event details, like date, time, and how to join your event, to an entirely new audience, while also allowing members to learn if a mutual connection has expressed interest in attending."

These new features align with the platform’s focus on virtual events, which have seen an increase in demands due to the pandemic.

Do you want to leverage the latest social media and influencer marketing trends in your marketing efforts? Check out our previous work and