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Here’s Why the FTC Is Suing Amazon

So, why is the FTC suing Amazon? According to the FTC, the entire purpose of the complaint against Amazon is to eliminate any practices the company currently uses to “block competition, stunt rivals’ growth, and cement its dominance.”  

FTC Chair Lina Khan explained the complaint this way on CNN: “People are paying higher prices, right? Consumers are paying more than they otherwise would. Small businesses are having to pay a 50% Amazon tax right now. And so ultimately, the complaint is seeking to restore the lost promise of competition. Greater competition would mean lower prices, better quality, better selection, and greater innovation. And that’s ultimately what this case is about.”

We’re on the cusp of a holiday season in which 54% of holiday shoppers say they feel a financial burden this year, according to Bankrate. One in ten holiday shoppers started their shopping back in August. Half are planning to start before the end of October.

The availability of a wider selection of products and services from different suppliers and at different price points could provide a much-needed sigh of relief to cash-strapped consumers. And that’s what the FTC is accusing Amazon of suppressing – better options for consumers and better opportunities for merchants. 

Here’s Amazon’s Response

In a response published September 26, 2023, Amazon explains that the Amazon marketplace we see today is the direct result of the company intentionally creating a procompetitive space that would allow hundreds of thousands of merchants to sell their products to Amazon’s highly engaged audience using the company’s state-of-the-art platform.

Where the FTC sees an Amazon tax, Amazon insists its fulfillment service isn’t an additional service merchants are strongarmed into getting, but rather a way to shoppers with a consistent experience across the platform, regardless of which merchant they patronize. In addition to the marketplace and fulfillment service, Amazon also provides merchants with discounted shipping rates and low-cost two-day shipping options to merchants who would otherwise have to handle the logistics of running an online store.

It is the company’s stance that the “current FTC” has minimized the productive and competitive environment Amazon has created, along with the positive impact the company has made on e-commerce and the US economy.

Why This Case Matters to Brands, Big and Small

For decades, Amazon has been able to leverage the sheer size of its audience as the carrot to woo merchants, authors, and book publishers. Amazon gets more than two billion visitors to its marketplace each month. Two hundred million of these are Amazon Prime members. There are 500,000 US-based independent businesses selling on Amazon, according to the official response released by Amazon earlier this week. Amazon generated 514 billion dollars in sales in 2022.

But here’s where things get a little tricky… 

Among the platform’s sales, 41% stem from Amazon’s wholesale procurement and subsequent sales, while the remaining 59% originate from third-party sellers, predominantly comprising small and mid-sized businesses. These sellers offer their own products on the platform and often bear substantial fees associated with selling there.

In some instances, it may be better for these brands to pursue a Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) approach. The challenge is many brands encounter difficulties in breaking free from the Amazon ecosystem. Amazon third-party sellers (the small businesses selling products retail to the Amazon audience) are either prohibited from selling their products on other platforms at lower prices or face penalties for doing so. These are the “anti-discounting tactics” mentioned in the FTC complaint.

If you were to take a look at the complaint itself, you’ll find large portions of the complaint are redacted, which you can see in the snippet above. Part of what’s redacted in the snippet is a description of the technology the FTC says Amazon uses to crawl the web in search of instances where Amazon sellers have discounted their prices on another platform. Cool technology. If only we could use it for good.

“Well, just don’t sell your stuff on Amazon!”

Makes sense, right? Except… many retailers and manufacturers that opt not to set up shop in the Amazon marketplace discover Amazon’s reach extends far beyond the platform. Many of these brands – some of them large legacy brands – discover that Amazon is outbidding them for their own branded keywords through Google Ads and driving what could essentially be direct traffic for that brand back to Amazon using a paid ads.

Yes, many merchants generate revenue on Amazon. But many merchants also find their profits fall short of what they could earn were they to sell directly to consumers. Plus, tracking sales and attribution is often clearer through direct-to-consumer channels compared to Amazon’s complex ecosystem.

So, THAT’S what this whole thing is about. 

4 Things About the Amazon Lawsuit That Could Change Your Sales and Marketing Efforts

Whether you are in support of the antitrust lawsuit or you couldn’t care less, this case matters as there are likely to be some changes in the near future for both retailers and manufacturers. Without even taking into consideration the long-term implications of this case once it’s decided, there are a handful of ideas that stick out about this entire ordeal. 

Rising Scrutiny of Amazon’s Operations

At present, all attention is focused on Amazon. A significant, high-profile antitrust case such as this one has the potential to reshape the landscape of e-commerce. It is likely to trigger heightened scrutiny of Amazon’s business practices. This, in turn, could lead to increased transparency and reporting requirements for brands currently selling on that platform, designed to ensure compliance with potential new regulations. And it’s important to note that these regulations may emerge before the case is decided in court. 

Much like similar legal actions against major tech firms, the Amazon lawsuit could extend over several years. During this period, it’s likely the company will independently introduce changes intended to mitigate the impact or credibility of the lawsuit. So, there’s that.

Leveling the Playing Field

The ongoing antitrust case against Amazon brings hope that it could lead to more competition and a fairer playing field on the e-commerce giant’s platform. If the case results in measures to promote fair competition, it could benefit various brands. Smaller businesses, especially those that rely on influencers for visibility, might find it easier to compete with the larger, dominant sellers on the platform who are buying all of Amazon’s bells and whistles (namely fulfillment services and ads to promote their products and merchant shops).

If Amazon is found guilty of antitrust violations, it might have to change its pricing strategies, potentially making the competition on its platform fairer. This, in turn, could mean better pricing options for consumers, making the marketplace more consumer-friendly.

It’s worth noting that the effects of this antitrust lawsuit may extend beyond Amazon itself. Brands operating within Amazon’s ecosystem could see changes in their competitive landscape, possibly ushering in a new era of fairness and accessibility. This shift could enhance the overall experience for consumers as well.

Leveraging Creators: Stay Visible on Amazon AND Boost Your DTC Channel

The role of creators in amplifying brand visibility cannot be overstated here. TikTok has demonstrated this power, where creators continuously churn out captivating content, driving engagement and shaping trends. This dynamic doesn’t just apply to TikTok though; it’s becoming increasingly pivotal for Amazon as well. Here’s why:

Amazon has been evolving, embracing video content while also incorporating more social features into its platform. For the last few years, Amazon has been making a very deliberate move toward not just video, but making Amazon a more social app.

Both the home page for the desktop version of the Amazon website and the home page of the app feature video content. The desktop/laptop home page prioritizes Prime Video content while the app prioritizes livestreams from the Amazon Influencer Program. 

One of Amazon’s strategies involves leveraging the video content created by influencers and user-generated content (UGC) from buyers – rich media content that’s readily available and easy to find in the app. From the Amazon app, buyers can easily post reviews as rich content. And Amazon prioritizes video reviews from both buyers and influencers in the app.

Amazon’s also added the Inspire page (featured below) which can be accessed from a mobile device by clicking the light bulb at the bottom of the screen. The feed looks like Reels and TikTok, except all the content is about products sold on the platform.

Amazon provides a few other avenues for increased discoverability, such as the “Shop by Interest” page, which features idea lists, photos, and collages posted by influencers. During the holiday season, curated picks by influencers take the spotlight on dedicated pages, and the gift page prioritizes live streams hosted by influencers while highlighting the day’s deals.

These initiatives collectively enhance brand discoverability on Amazon, ensuring that customers not only find what they need but also stumble across exciting products and deals they might not have initially considered. 

Diversifying Beyond Amazon with Influencer Marketing

As Amazon faces increasing scrutiny and potential restructuring, brands are weighing their options. Shifting dynamics can push brands to lean into their omnichannel marketing strategies to ensure they remain visible, particularly during holiday and pulse periods by leveraging influencer marketing.

TikTok

TikTok influencer marketing allows brands to partner with TikTok creators who are already experts at leveraging fun, entertaining, short-form video content to reach the platform’s highly engaged audience. TikTokers are virtual masters at making everyday situations hilarious and supremely enjoyable to watch. Which in turn, makes them masters at creating native-looking sponsored content for your next influencer marketing campaign. TikTok’s organic reach is phenomenal when compared to the other platforms. And the short form video app has a billion users a day spread across 154 countries. 

Earlier this month, TikTok rolled out TikTok Shop, an all-in-one solution for in-app commerce. This includes everything from shoppable short videos and live streams to a full-fledged marketplace accessible through a dedicated Shop tab.

TikTok Shop boasts about 200,000 merchants, but this number is a tiny fraction compared to TikTok’s reported 5 million U.S. business accounts. So, while Amazon navigates its challenges, TikTok is positioning itself as a compelling alternative for brands looking to diversify their e-commerce strategy and reach a fresh, engaged audience.

Instagram

Instagram influencer marketing is a word-of-mouth marketing tactic in which brands hire and partner with Instagram creators to promote the brand’s products and increase a brand’s visibility among targeted audiences. Brands hire influencers to help them turn scrollers into clickers.

Influencer marketing, in and of itself, can occur just about anywhere an audience exists. But the most recent iteration of influencer marketing grew alongside the popularity of Instagram influencers.

Instagram Shopping is a feature that allows Grammers to shop a brand’s products by clicking on pictures and videos anywhere they appear on the platform. Businesses can also open their own Shops, curate collections (influencers are great for this), and create product detail pages which then dynamically pull product details into your tagged products wherever they may show up on Instagram.

Pinterest

Pinterest is a visual discovery platform that allows its 445 million monthly active users to create (or “pin”) their own visual content, or bookmark (“repin”) other users’ pins. Imagine if Instagram and Google got together and had a digital baby. That’s Pinterest. Pinterest is one part social media platform, one part search engine, and one part digital scrapbook.

Pinterest marketing provides brands a unique opportunity as Pinterest is a purchase planning app. Ninety-seven percent of the searches on the app are unbranded and pinners use the platform to find inspiration, organize their ideas, and plan their purchases. Pinterest’s Verified Merchants program allows businesses to catalog their inventory inside Pinterest, build product catalogs, and create shoppable Product Pins that contain pricing info, availability, product title, and description.

Final Thoughts

Antitrust cases against tech giants like Amazon and Google have the potential to reshape the digital and e-commerce landscapes. Brands promoting products on these platforms have to be agile to adjust to potential changes in pricing, competition, and regulations. 

Influencer partnerships can help brands maintain a presence across multiple platforms, including Amazon, whether or not the company shifts the way it operates. Still, it can’t hurt to consider alternative platforms like TikTok, even if you’re simply adding them to your digital strategy. After all, the average consumer uses seven social media platforms and their path to purchase can easily fragment over multiple channels as well. The emergence of TikTok’s social commerce solution adds a new dimension to a social commerce landscape dominated by Facebook and Instagram. Leveraging influencer marketing activations can offer brands fresh opportunities to connect with consumers in innovative ways. 

As these cases unfold and regulations evolve, adaptability and a diversified marketing strategy will be key for brands and influencers alike. We’ll keep you posted.

The post The Amazon Lawsuit: Implications for Brands Selling on the Platform appeared first on The Shelf Full-Service Influencer Marketing.

Lots of questions. Here are the answers.

What Is Influencer Allowlisting (formerly whitelisting)? 

In influencer marketing, allowlisting is a paid strategy that allows you to turn organic influencer content into paid ads. The important thing to note about these paid posts is that they are run through the influencer’s account – not the brand account.  

By creating paid ads from an influencer’s organic posts, you can increase the reach of your sponsored content. AND you’re able to target your desired audience more accurately and get more eyes on campaign content. That’s the simple definition.

So, allowlisting fits in as part of your influencer marketing strategy to increase the reach of your campaign.  

Why Are We Switching from Whitelisting to Allowlisting? 

It’s true that the words “whitelisting” and “allowlisting” are synonymous. But the word “whitelisting” isn’t a socially neutral term, not from its inception. 

“Whitelist” was birthed after the word “blacklist” was adopted in the early 17th century to mean “a list of persons who are disapproved of or are to be punished or boycotted; a list of banned or excluded things of disreputable character.” That’s according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary.  

If you remember your American history, you may recall that the term was widely used in the 1940s and 1950s to single out individuals whose “opinions or associations were deemed politically inconvenient or commercially troublesome” (Source: The First Amendment Encyclopedia).

Back then, being blacklisted often meant losing your job and essentially becoming unemployable. Today, it’s highly probable that a lot of those same blacklisted people would be considered thought leaders, disruptors, whistleblowers, and change agents. Just to give this a bit more perspective.  

Blacklisting was an oppressive tactic used to silence people. It was designed to isolate and condemn those who put forth ideas the so-called powers that be didn’t agree with. 

Whitelisting is the other side of that socially-charged term. According to the Oxford Dictionary, a “whitelist” is “a list of people or things considered to be acceptable or trustworthy.” 

But Whitelisting Isn’t About Race!

“Whitelist” is one of those terms that we’ve folded into our vocabulary without considering its origin. In this case, “whitelisting” not only has an unsavory history but it’s charged with additional connotations that can be inflammatory. Aspire IQ referred to the term as a microaggression, and we think that’s spot-on. 

Microaggressions are often indirect, subtle, and sometimes unintentional acts of discrimination against historically marginalized groups. Meaning, that although “whitelisting” wasn’t created to be used as a racially-charged term, it reinforces stereotypes around race and strengthens the chains of systemic racism. 

Blacklisting and whitelisting have always been terms designed to exclude, preclude, prohibit, demonize, and degrade one group (usually a group of people) while bestowing upon another group trust, esteem, benefits, opportunities, access, resources, and preferential treatment.

Why This Matters to The Shelf Team

We value people. 

Our scrappy little group of analysts, strategists, and creatives stretches across the globe, and we’ve grown as quickly as we have because we understand the value of people, talent, and diversity. 

It may seem that switching from “whitelisting” to “allowlisting” is a small act. But for us, it’s another step in the direction of a more equitable industry. And while history is made with big, bold, moves, tomorrow is carefully crafted by the small intentional actions we take today that constantly move us toward a better future. 

Is the Industry Adopting the Term “Allowlisting”? 

Yes! Slowly, but surely. There are actually a handful of new terms floating around. Here at The Shelf, we were leaning toward replacing whitelisting with the word amplification, but the industry seems to be moving toward allowlisting. You may also see it as permission listing. Replacements for blacklisting include deny listing and block listing.

The industry is still in the ebbs-and-flows stage of changing language around terms that are not socially neutral. You can see in this Google trends chart that “allowlisting” is having longer periods of interest in search queries now than it did three years ago. That’s good news. But it also means that when it comes to allowlisting vs. whitelisting, you’ll hear and see both for the time being. 

Super Fuzzy Math on This to Drive It Home

For instance, estimations put Google search queries for the term “whitelisting meaning” around 22K searches per month, and Google’s knowledge panel automatically displays the cybersecurity definition of whitelisting as the answer. That’s important because it lets us know that most of the time when people search for that term, they’re inquiring about the use of the term in the digital space.

Estimations of Google search queries for the term “allowlisting” are about 3600 per month. And searches for “allowlisting vss whitelisting” are just under 400 per month. 

In a super fuzzy math scenario, that would equate to about 85 percent of folks who are searching for information around this particular type of filtering and segmenting process are still searching using the term “whitelisting”. Another 14 percent or so are searching for “allowlisting”, and 1.3 percent of Google searchers are curious about how the terms fit together. 

Making “Allowlisting” the New Industry Standard Will Take Some Time

For many digital professionals, making the shift from “whitelisting” to “allowlisting” will mean updating marketing assets to reflect the change. It means putting out content that explains why you’re making the shift. It means educating clients on the reasons and gently nudging them to make the shift as well.

Then there’s SEO. When it comes to search visibility, articles, and blogs still have to include both words in order to increase the chances of content being displayed in the search results because most people are still forming queries around the term “whitelisting.” 

It means if you’re already ranking for the term “whitelisting”, you’re going to have to tie the terms together in order to keep search engines from demoting or removing your content from search results altogether. 

It’s going to take time. But the time and effort you invest in making this change is worth the payoff of clearing a path for more open, authentic, and inclusive conversations. 

The post Allowlisting vs. Whitelisting: Why the Industry is Retiring the Term “Whitelisting” appeared first on The Shelf Full-Service Influencer Marketing.

The well-known lifestyle brand has partnered with The Shelf Influencer Marketing Agency to highlight the beauty of the holiday season with a fashion-forward influencer campaign. 

Atlanta, GA December 1, 2021 – The Shelf Full-Funnel Influencer Marketing today announced it has signed a five-figure deal to build a fully-managed holiday influencer campaign for a trendy, curve-loving fashion Brand. 

The campaign, which launched in November, is designed to keep the Brand top-of-mind during the holiday season and boost the visibility of one of its more popular products. The Shelf’s research team is also focusing on diversity, courting influencers who are exceptional content creators and women of color. Black and Latina women represent a significant segment of the Brand’s core audience.

“[This] was a brand I was so excited to see come through as a prospective partnership. They’re known for being super inclusive and accepting of women of all shapes, sizes, ethnicities, and backgrounds,” says Becca Manzo, Brand Partnerships Manager at The Shelf.  “Although they are a plus-size brand, they prefer to not market their products as plus-sized and more as a fashion-focused empire for all women. They even have a curvy line that is geared towards their younger demographic.” 

“Up until now, [they] have run their influencer marketing in-house and have been searching for the perfect partner to streamline their influencer process… We opted to work with fewer influencers for this campaign in order to put a lot of focus into the overall quality of content and strategically place more budgeting towards the digital amplification of the influencer’s social posts.”

With ongoing concerns over the supply chain hiccups, Ms. Manzo and The Shelf team were laser-focused on customizing a campaign strategy that would allow the Brand to reach its influencer campaign goals during the busy holiday season despite inventory uncertainty. 

The Shelf strategy team focused on crafting fun, engaging creative concepts that emphasized online shopping and gift cards without being product-specific, and without pushing customers into one of the brand’s 89 physical store locations.

The campaign is set to run through the end of the holiday season. Fashion brands interested in working with The Shelf Full-Funnel Influencer Marketing or would love to kick around some ideas with Ms. Manzo or one of the other Brand Partnership Managers can click here to schedule a strategy call. 

* * * *

The Shelf is a full-service influencer marketing agency with its own proprietary SaaS platform. The company specializes in Full-Funnel Influencer Marketing campaigns that partner brands with Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, YouTube, and podcast storytellers in tandem with multiple paid digital channels to ensure authentic brand engagement at every stage of your customer’s journey.

The post The Shelf Launches Holiday Influencer Campaign for Trendy Plus-Size Fashion Brand appeared first on The Shelf Full-Service Influencer Marketing.

The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economy’s most dynamic segment—its independent small businesses. Intuit, Zappos, Under Armour, Microsoft, Carbon Health, and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000.

“The Shelf team is excited to be included in this year’s Inc. 5000 list,” says Atul Singh, CEO of The Shelf.  “The challenges of the last 18 months have forced every business to pivot and find creative ways to work more effectively. In many instances, businesses have had to do more with less. Our growth is a testament to the impact a great strategy and a great team can have on a small business.”  

Not only have the companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 been very competitive within their markets, but this year’s list also proved especially resilient and flexible given 2020’s unprecedented challenges. Among the 5,000, the average median three-year growth rate soared to 543 percent, and median revenue reached $11.1 million. Together, those companies added more than 610,000 jobs over the past three years.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000. The top 500 companies are featured in the September issue of Inc., which will be available on newsstands on August 20.

“The 2021 Inc. 5000 list feels like one of the most important rosters of companies ever compiled,” says Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. “Building one of the fastest-growing companies in America in any year is a remarkable achievement. Building one in the crisis we’ve lived through is just plain amazing. This kind of accomplishment comes with hard work, smart pivots, great leadership, and the help of a whole lot of people.”

ABOUT THE SHELF

The Shelf is a New York-based influencer marketing agency. The company creates Full-Funnel Influencer Marketing^TM campaigns that partner brands with Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, and YouTube storytellers in tandem with multiple paid digital channels to ensure authentic brand engagement at every stage of your customer’s journey.

Itching to get that next influencer marketing campaign off the ground? Schedule a strategy session and create a memorable, effective influencer marketing campaign. 

MORE ABOUT INC. AND THE INC. 5000

Methodology

Companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2017 to 2020. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2017. They must be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independent—not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies—as of December 31, 2020. (Since then, some on the list may have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2017 is $100,000; the minimum for 2020 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Growth rates used to determine company rankings were calculated to three decimal places. There was one tie on this year’s Inc. 5000.  Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.’s September issue. They represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000.

About Inc. Media

The world’s most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including web sites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent.

For more information, visit www.inc.com.

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Today, we released the report, Real Influence: The State of Influencer Marketing After the Events of 2020. The report analyzes the events of 2020 within the context of a social media landscape where, in an effort to serve their online audiences, influencers made the shift from internet lifestyle celebrities to being bona fide web-based community leaders.

 The New Normal Is Change, I Think

The pandemic brought with it a slew of changes to which brands and marketers have spent much of 2020 adapting. At the onset of the pandemic, a provocative idea emerged: would COVID-19 bring an abrupt end to the influencer marketing industry? 

With supply chains interrupted and consumers staying home, brands slashed marketing budgets and converted their KPIs from brand lift and acquisition to conversions and retention. 

Since influencer marketing has traditionally been considered a brand awareness strategy, it made sense that with brands shifting away from awareness campaigns, influencer marketing – and thus influencers – would become a thing of the past. But that isn’t how things unfolded. 

When brands silenced their marketing messages as COVID-19 moved across the U.S., influencers were the first to successfully pivot their own messaging, many by just surveying their followers to find out what they wanted to see. Their success incentivized brands to partner with influencers because influencers had a better gauge on audience sentiment than they did. 

Seems a small thing, but that was the beginning of a significant shift in the influencer marketing space, and it is the focus of The Shelf’s report. 

We Were Actually Just Doing a Political Series…

Real Influence actually began as an anonymous survey we conducted to ask influencers their thoughts on politicians partnering with social media influencers. We sent out the first survey in the weeks leading up to Super Tuesday as part of a series we were doing on social media marketing strategies for politicians. We wanted to know who would do #sponcon for political candidates, how much they would charge and how much they would risk to do it.

Simple, right?

Then COVID-19 hit the U.S. and we shelved the results. Fast forward to fall, we dusted off the survey from February and decided to send it out again to see if anything had changed. What we discovered was that there were some VERY notable differences in influencer responses. That got us wondering what else changed while the world wasn’t paying attention?

Here’s What We Cover in This Report

Real Influence is a compilation of hundreds of pieces of data broken down into four categories:

#quarantinelife – The Shelf team reviewed the data surrounding influencers’ role in creating community health hubs on Instagram to set the tone for global downtime.

#speakup – We sifted through the data to find out what role influencers played in activating people to take part in a protest that started in Minnesota and reached as far as New Zealand.

#vote2020 – We surveyed influencers to find out their thoughts on politicians running influencer marketing campaigns.

#globalcitizen – We even worked with influencers who created pro bono content as part of a social action campaign that  reached more than 5 million Instagram users.

The shifts in influencer participation across the categories that shape the quality and fabric of daily life points to a fundamental shift in the dynamic between influencers and brands. The influencer marketing space matured in 2020. And influencers proved their intrinsic value, beyond just posting the #outfitoftheday for brands. Well done, influential ones.

You can grab the report by clicking that pretty button below.

The post New Report: The State of Influencer Marketing After the Events of 2020 appeared first on The Shelf Full-Service Influencer Marketing.

What Kind of Content Should You Include In Your Influencer Marketing Campaign? The People Have Spoken

eMarketer released its latest report, Influencer Marketing in the Age of COVID (gated, premium content), which includes a table that lists in order of preference the types of content social media followers want to see from influencers. 

Interestingly enough, tutorials came out on top with 40% of those polled saying they want to see more how-to content from the influencers they follow. Memes came in second – 37% of those surveyed said they want to see more memes and funny influencer-generated content. 

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Interesting, but not surprising right?

In 2011, Pew Research published this article detailing the reasons why people use social media. This was a year after Instagram was released, but before it became a big deal to the masses. Only the cool kids were on the platform at that time. 

Back then, only 5% of those polled were AT ALL interested in using social media to follow influencers (celebrities, athletes, politicians). Mostly, people used social media to stay connected with their family and friends (9 in 10 people polled listed the family/friend connection thing as major or minor reason for using social media).

Here’s another interesting tidbit: at that time, older users were the ones who leveraged social media as a way to get industry insights and seek out communities of other social media users with shared interests/hobbies.

But Social Media’s Basically Rebranded Itself As a Content Platform

Today, only 1 in 5 people share details about their everyday lives online. Which begs the question, If they’re not contributing, what the heck are they doing on social media the rest of the time? 

They’re consuming content, man!.

Only 40% of those surveyed by GlobalWeb Index in 2019 – eight years after that original Pew Research poll – cited keeping in touch with friends and family as a reason for using social media. But the percentage of people who check out content from celebrities and other influencers has 4Xed over the same period.

What Does This Mean for the #SponsoredContent Brands Pay to Get?

I’ll tell you what it means – it means the utility of social media has evolved over the years, from being a place where midlifers go to find other hobbyists to being the primary place we all go to consume content.

From people we know

From people we’re connected to

From influencers

From media outlets

From event organizers

From brands.

Social media is now an important content source for:

• Catching up on news and current events – 40% of those polled use social media for news
• Finding funny or entertaining content – 36% use it to find funny content
• Researching and find products to buy – 29%
• Watching/following sporting events – 20%

I’ve heard it said that every brand is also a media company, and with the continuous demands for fresh content, whether it’s owned media or earned media, that media company thing is going to be true to some extent for every person, organization, or brand. 

We’re rock stars at dreaming up really engaging content. And… we’re not opposed to revealing some of the ingredients of our secret sauce during the quick strategy calls we have with brands and marketers. So… call.

The post Audience Poll: Tutorials, Memes are the most wanted influencer content appeared first on The Shelf Full-Service Influencer Marketing.

Back in May of this year, Facebook rolled out Facebook Shops in the US. This is an area within the Facebook app where, as a business, you could put your merchandise up for sale. Then in July they expanded Shops to include Instagram, and added some more functionality to allow greater customization. 

In an August 25 press release, Facebook announced that they were creating a new Shops tab within the Facebook app to allow for greater visibility and discovery of brands, and they are expanding Instagram Checkouts. 

Why Did They Do It? 

For a while now Facebook has been moving along a path to become an all-encompassing ecosystem, an ecosystem where people can discover, browse, and purchase products without ever having to leave their family of apps. And these latest releases are just a few more steps toward completing this journey. 

All of these moves help to secure Facebook’s continued dominance in the social media space by creating more diverse revenue streams for the company. This is especially important as digital advertising revenue continues to fall under scrutiny, and there is looming threat that many browsers are going to remove tracking pixels altogether. The latter of which would greatly interfere with Facebook’s data collection which is critical to its advertising insights and in turn the company’s financial success. 

What Does This Mean For Brands and Marketers? 

Well first off, this means that it has become even more important for brands to get their Facebook and Instagram shopping pages created and loaded with products. With a whole new tab devoted to this channel and the increased ease with which people can buy, thanks to Instagram Checkout, it seems like a no-brainer when looking to increase revenue. 

The next thing to consider is your marketing mix. I understand that this is going to sound a little self-serving coming from an influencer marketing agency, BUT these new features increase the value of having influencers in your marketing mix.

Now hear me out on this: with your customers now being able to go from discovery (via influencers) to checkout directly on the app, traditional off-site retargeting and paid social ads designed to drive people to your website are no longer the only game in town when it comes to pushing people through your funnel.

Now, I’m not saying in the least that you should get rid of these other channels, but what I am saying is that you should start re-evaluating your budget distribution leading into Q4 if your customers don’t need to leave the comfort of their favorite shoppable apps in order to buy everything in their feed (and on their holiday shopping lists). 

As Facebook rolls out more features like this, and rolls them out to other regions beyond the US, having these highly engaging visual assets and fully-integrated strategies in place are going to become increasingly important. Don’t be the last one to get to this party, and get stuck trying to use the last dill pickle-flavored chip to scrape out the corners of the off-brand salsa. Be the early adopters, make your mark, and go attack that full bowl of guacamole with a nice full-sized Tostito. 

The post Influencer Marketing Tools: Expanded Shopping & Checkout Features For Instagram And Facebook appeared first on The Shelf Full-Service Influencer Marketing.

New Guide by NY Influencer Agency Shows Other Agencies How to Use Pinterest for Influencer Campaigns

The Shelf Full-Funnel Influencer Marketing releases its fourth strategy guide ahead of the holiday season to highlight the features and opportunities in Pinterest influencer marketing

Brooklyn, NY August 20, 2020 —  The Shelf, a Brooklyn-based influencer marketing agency  has published its latest guide to provide other influencer agencies and marketing teams with a playbook for expanding influencer campaigns onto Pinterest. 

Pinterest x Influencer Marketing: Expanding Your Influencer Strategy Into the Happiest Corner of the Web is The Shelf’s fourth strategy guide released in 2020 created by the company’s marketing and strategy teams. Like previous guides, Pinterest x Influencer Marketing is a campaign playbook that addresses one of the unique challenges brands face this year with their holiday marketing strategies. This one focuses on including Pinterest as part of a brand’s omnichannel marketing strategy to connect with buyers at every touch point along the path to purchase. 

With more than 367 million monthly active users, Pinterest has become the go-to platform for planning purchases. Eighty percent of US moms are on the platform, and 85 percent of Pinners rely on Pinterest when they want to start a new project. But perhaps the most crucial bit of intel for brands is that 97 percent of the searches that happen on the platform are unbranded, presenting a massive opportunity for brands to pepper the platform with influencer-generated content that can authentically embed products within the context of larger frequently-searched topics. 

In addition to sharing important data about usage, Pinterest x Influencer Marketing also highlights some of the platform’s newer features including the most recent algorithm update, local search capabilities, Pinterest Story Pins, and the platform’s more robust e-commerce/shop features for brands, retailers and Shopify merchants.

Agencies and brands that are interested in learning more about Pinterest x Influencer Marketing  or any of The Shelf’s other influencer marketing guides can visit The Shelf’s library by clicking here. 

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ABOUT THE SHELF

The Shelf is a New York-based influencer marketing agency. The company creates Full-Funnel Influencer MarketingTM campaigns that partner brands with Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, and YouTube storytellers in tandem with multiple paid digital channels to ensure authentic brand engagement at every stage of your customer’s journey.

The post Press Release: The Shelf Releases New Guide On Pinterest Influencer Marketing appeared first on The Shelf Full-Service Influencer Marketing.

I’ve got a HUGE bone to pick with these scrappy, little ecomm upstarts trying to branch out into influencer marketing without spending any money! 

I’m not talking about bootstrapping companies that want to pay nano-influencers in free gear. Trust me – a lot of nano-influencers would LOVE that kinda set up. Gen Zers love swag.

I’m talking about these companies that reach out to teens and tweens on Instagram, DM them and offer them the chance to be a “brand ambassador” (for a brand they’re already following and kinda into) IF the kids will first buy their $79 yoga pants for a 30% discount. 

That’s not a Brand Ambassador Program, it’s a coupon code!

What Is a Brand Ambassador Really?

A brand ambassador is someone who is hired and paid by a brand to talk about its products (using blog posts, videos, social media posts, social pics, product reviews), usually for a specific period of time and for an agreed-upon rate (sometimes that’s rate is free gear). That’s the simple definition. You don’t have to buy anything up front. 

Brand ambassadors are great for brand lift, generating tons of earned media, and driving traffic to a site, so they can become a valuable extension of your marketing team IF you’re strategic about how you choose them.

But many of these types of scammy brands that charge kids for a fake title will spend money on ads promoting ambassador programs just to lure kids into buying pricey athleisure gear.  They then try to recoup their ad spend by promising young influencers and social media users the TITLE of ambassador if they buy two or three products first. 

In the case of Alpha Wear Fitness, the ambassadorship levels hinge on the amount of product the ambassadors themselves actually buy, not on the size of their audiences and engagement ratios (which is how you should calculate influencer fees).

To get into their program, the sales rep required my daughter,  Kira to buy six pieces from an apparel line where the sports bras were $49 each and leggings were 79 bucks. And this is after she told the guy she’s pretty much a broke rising college freshman. In his defense, he did say he’d work with her and only make her buy two pieces of their apparel to be accepted in their “ambassador program”.

Dude, miss me with that craziness!

Kira’s a dancer and she gets tons of these so-called “invitations” to be an ambassador. With about 1,000 other dancers and farm kids following her public page (not sure what the numbers are on her private, no-moms spam page) and an authentic engagement rate of about 15% on her public page, she’s a prime target for these types of scams.

Luckily, she’s cool with running these “opportunities” by me first (which is how I found out that these charlatans exist). On occasion, when I’ve been Sanders-level outraged, she’ll respond to them with my verbatim response. 

Okay. My rant is done, but pass the word on to your kids, your nieces and nephews, and your siblings that this is NOT how influencer marketing works.

And for you scammy, unethical brands, it’s NOT okay to prey on the desires of kids to fit in and be accepted to make quick sales. And every time I see one, I’m calling you out.

Of course, if you need help planning a REAL influencer campaign where you don’t have to con people into buying your gear, we can help you with that. And don’t worry – I’m not an account manager, so you never have to know I’m judging you.

The post Fake Ambassador Programs appeared first on The Shelf Full-Service Influencer Marketing.

Atul Singh, CEO of The Shelf Full-Funnel Influencer Marketing Accepted Into Forbes Agency Council

Forbes Agency Council Is an Invitation-Only Community for Executives in Successful Public Relations, Media Strategy, Creative, and Advertising Agencies

BROOKLYN, NY, July 28, 2020 — Atul Singh, CEO and co-founder of The Shelf, Full-Funnel Influencer Marketing, has been accepted into Forbes Agency Council, an invitation-only community for owners of and executives in successful public relations, media strategy, creative, and advertising agencies.

Atul was vetted and selected by a review committee based on the depth and diversity of his experience. Criteria for acceptance include a track record of successfully impacting business growth metrics, as well as personal and professional achievements and honors. 

“We are honored to welcome Atul into the community,” said Scott Gerber, founder of Forbes Councils, the collective that includes Forbes Agency Council. “Our mission with Forbes Councils is to bring together proven leaders from every industry, creating a curated, social capital-driven network that helps every member grow professionally and make an even greater impact on the business world.”

As an accepted member of the Council, Atul has access to a variety of exclusive opportunities designed to help him reach peak professional influence. He will connect and collaborate with other respected local leaders in a private forum. Atul will also be invited to work with a professional editorial team to share his expert insights in original business articles on Forbes.com, and to contribute to published Q&A panels alongside other experts. 

Finally, Atul will benefit from exclusive access to vetted business service partners, membership-branded marketing collateral, and the high-touch support of the Forbes Councils member concierge team. 

“I am looking forward to being an active, productive member of Forbes Agency Council. Our team has relied on the information and strategies shared by Council members to Forbes. So, I understand the value of readers having access to those insights. I have every intention of sharing targeted strategies The Shelf team has gleaned – strategies that will help marketing teams move the needle with their influencer marketing campaigns.”

ABOUT FORBES COUNCILS

Forbes Councils is a collective of invitation-only communities created in partnership with Forbes and the expert community builders who founded Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC). In Forbes Councils, exceptional business owners and leaders come together with the people and resources that can help them thrive.

For more information about Forbes Agency Council, visit forbesagencycouncil.com. To learn more about Forbes Councils, visit forbescouncils.com.

ABOUT THE SHELF FULL-FUNNEL INFLUENCER MARKETING

The Shelf is a New York-based influencer marketing agency. The company creates Full-Funnel Influencer Marketing campaigns that partner brands with Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, and YouTube storytellers in tandem with multiple paid digital channels to ensure authentic brand engagement at every stage of your customer’s journey.

Itching to get that next influencer marketing campaign off the ground? Schedule a strategy session and create a memorable, effective influencer marketing campaign.

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