Facebook Remains the King of Social Media

Earlier this month, eMarketer released its latest social network usage forecast. In 2016, 50.3% of Americans of all ages will be on Facebook at least once a month, up from 49.3% in 2015. They forecasted  that 50.3% of Americans of all ages will be on Facebook at least once a month in 2016, up from 49.3% in 2015.  The usage increases are expected to come primarily from people who are Generation X and older.  Another important milestone for Facebook this year is that more than half of US mobile phone users will be Facebook users. When you couple this information with the Cisco’s latest annual Visual Networking Index forecast (VNI) where they forecast that by 2020, over 75% of global mobile data traffic will be video content, Facebook is on a path to become the king of internet video as well.

More evidence of Facebook video growth:

Facebook announced its new live streaming feature last year, and then opened it up to all users in December, the feature hasn’t exactly caught fire as some expected it would. But Facebook Live does have some potential benefits for business users including Q&A, new product announcements, and influencer based brand building. The Facebook owned Instagram platform is also growing its video presence with the announcement that they will now allow  60-second Instagram video ads, giving marketers an opportunity to tell a story and not be confined to doing so in such a short period of time. The goal, of course, is to give marketers choice in their marketing message.  Allowing a 60-second video will give the brands a better opportunity to tell their story and grow engagement.

How Brands can Leverage Social Media Influencers with Video:

Celebrity endorsements have been around forever,  but as social media platform growth continues there is more opportunity for brands to align with niche influencers for a lower cost and a chance for far greater gain. Plus, as concerns about ad blocking grow, influencer marketing is becoming even more important to brands. Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat have become popular channels, and new tools are making it easier to work with influencers, as explored in a new eMarketer report, “Influencer Marketing for US Brands: The Platforms to Watch, and the Best Ways to Work with Creators.”

So how can your brand cash in on hyper-targeted influencer messaging?

Look for Small Influencers in a relevant niche: It’s much easier to attract the attention of small influencers who may have 40,000 Instagram followers, than major celebrities who have millions. These influencers–whether they are on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or some other platform–have most likely built their audience around a specific interest. Make sure there is an authentic link between this audience and your brand.

High Engagement: Look for influencers who are natural storytellers and sharers. These smaller influences with targeted audiences tend to get much better engagement rates than major celebrities. An audience that’s proven to tune-in is far more valuable than a larger audience that’s only half listening.

Take advantage of the "ripple effect": Be sure to work with an influencer that is willing to go the extra mile for your brand.

- 88% of social influencers verbally tell a friend about brands that sponsor them.

- 72% share additional posts about their sponsors for free, outside of their contractual agreement.

- 77% say they’re more likely to purchase from brands that sponsor them.