It is standard procedure to have pre-made assets for paid advertising. But we are trying to change the way things are done. If we have all the insights, know what the people want, and have translated a brand’s DNA, we should also find a way to create assets that can be used for PEG pushes that are not only campaign motives. It’s all about creating a cohesive and impactful campaign across every single touch point and not forgetting to invest our time in social media and influencers.

“We reach all of these points at the moment with influencer marketing. I think it is a very powerful system and works really well within the mechanics we already have in place. It is also important for us to easily integrate influencer marketing and social media ideas into our whole media strategy. We should always be able to see and understand the overarching media strategy before we translate it into these different angles.”

Although social media and influencer marketing are at an all-time high, it still comes with its fair share of challenges. One of the biggest problems at the moment within the social media sphere is oversaturation. We have a flood of content from brands on social media channels, as well as influencers fighting for their own space. Not only that, but we have to compete with technological challenges like AI, chatbots, and fake profiles on social media. We have to find a way to innovate and overcome these issues in order to grow within the sector.

On the one hand, we are very happy at the turn social media has taken in the last few years. Influencers have become a lot more professional now that the role has become a legitimate profession and a stable source of income. That is a very positive step for media companies like Mediaplus. However, on the other hand, this brings with it a difficult problem. The more professional an influencer becomes and the more marketing they do, the more their brand feels like advertising. It’s very easy to step over that line from personality to overmarketing, and that is when you lose credibility as a natural influencer.

That is a big challenge for influencers themselves, but also a big challenge for companies like Mediaplus. It is our job to find out where that line is to ensure that our marketing doesn’t get lost in a crisis of credibility. You always have to think about the impact changes are making on the end user. How are they going to feel if their favourite influencers make a switch from entertaining and personality-driven content to shoving non-stop brands and marketing in their faces?

The best way around this problem is not to add to the oversaturation on our end. Once you lose the trust and respect of an end user, it can often be very difficult to get it back. Thus, we believe in establishing long-term partnerships with influencers to authentically integrate our brand into their communities. This approach allows us to build credibility and trust within our desired audience over time.

We are even noticing a shift in how private people are on social media. So many platforms are shifting to a more private experience. For example, users are now sending videos and posts within private chats and direct messages rather than sharing and retweeting to their public pages. End users are not trying to get involved in content created by brands and influencers as much anymore. It is possible that this all stems from users being fed up with the oversaturation. But whatever the case, we cannot risk losing credibility. Once you lose credibility, you lose your organic reach and have to resort to doing paid advertising, which is not the way to go on social media.

A huge part of social media marketing is about keeping up with trends. When we say trends, we are not only referring to the particular topics of discussion, but also to how people consume on social media. We can look at the rise of TikTok as a great example of the shift from long-form content to short-form content. The likes of Instagram and YouTube also followed suit with the release of Reels and Shorts respectively. And now we are seeing TikTok release more long-form videos. The two forms will likely run in parallel long into the future, but the trick is using the right form for the right content. A funny 10-second video of a cat stops being funny if the video is 10 minutes, for example.

Social media never stands still. There are always movements, new tools, new formats, new platforms. And with that, there will come new challenges. Social commerce, for example, is going to redefine and reshape social media platforms in the near future. We are already seeing that with the common phrase, ‘TikTok made me buy it’. Not only will social media change, but customer behaviour will change too. Perhaps one of the biggest upcoming changes to social media will come in the form of AI.

“I see very big potential in using AI for social media. We recently saw an image of the Pope wearing a puffer jacket going viral across socials. The borders between fake and reality are becoming increasingly blurred, but there is room in the grey area to make some really fun and creative marketing.”