Summertime is officially here, and the best creator marketing campaigns right now are reflecting the sunny, fun-filled season. For brand marketers, the summer marks the beginning of a vital planning period for a highly busy time of the year–the holiday season.
Beyond the summer fun, August is the month that students and parents prep to go back to school, which is an important moment for marketers and brands to seize. While minds may be focused on back-to-school prep and on the future holiday season, what are some of the immediate holidays coming up to weave into your content calendars?
Social Media Holidays to Mark on Your Calendar
- July 30th: International Friendship Day
- Month of August: Black Business Month
- August 8th: World Cat Day
- August 19: World Photo Day
- August 23: Hashtag Day
- August 26: World Dog Day
Download our Social Media Holidays Trend Report to ensure that you don’t miss out on any big dates in 2023.
Brands That Stay on Trend
Content that stays on trend draws in eyes and captivates communities. Take a look at these brands that have taken on the latest trends and made them their own:
Cheez-It
@thecheekybean leveraged a fast-paced and fun editing style to keep viewers invested throughout the duration of their summer BBQ and snacking content.
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Fidelity
@sophiacuerquis tapped into the get ready with me trend to talk to her followers about making better financial decisions in a casual and more authentic way. Learn more about the psychology behind why audiences love the GRWM trend in our latest Behind the Trend blog.
@sophiacuerquis Financial confidence is hot y’all. Build it with @Fidelity Investments #paidAD ♬ original sound – Pia
Macy’s
@hiralmixo created a back-to-school content staple by showing her audiences how she ensures her kids are ready for class to be in session with Macy’s.
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Social Media Platform Updates
TikTok
TikTok s launching the “TikTok Creative Challenge,” a new feature that will expand the way creators can monetize their videos in the app. The feature involves TikTok creators submitting their ads to brand challenges, which will appear on the For You page, and earning money based on how well their video performs.
TikTok’s blog explains the reasoning behind the feature: “The Creative Challenge gives creators full creative freedom over their ads, unlocking more opportunities for creators to collaborate with brands in a way that’s most authentic to them.”
@tiktoknewsroom⭐️TikTok Creative Challenge⭐️ A new way for creators to collaborate with brands with full creative freedom! We’re excited to continue recognizing and rewarding creators for their creativity through this new in-app feature.♬ original sound – TikTok Newsroom
A second exciting feature TikTok is rolling out is “Script Generator” in the TikTok Creative Center. This is an AI-powered tool that helps brands and creators on the app quickly develop unique video ideas scene by scene!
How it Works:
- Step 1: Enter your industry vertical, product name, a description of the item, and any relevant keywords that you want to highlight or include.
- Step 2: Select whether you want a 15-30 second or 31-60 second video.
- Step 3: Press “Generate scripts.”
- Step 4: Wait for the AI system to generate a selection of sample video scripts to consider.
Each AI-generated script will include a hook, scene, and call to action, with both audio and visual cues to include.
According to Adam Mosseri’s Instagram Broadcast channel, the app is rolling out a feature that will make downloading Instagram Reels easier. The feature allows users to download a Reel from a public account directly from the app.
Instagram also updated its Notes feature to allow users to share music. According to Mosseri, the Notes feature has exploded among younger audiences. This update gives users another way to share their thoughts with friends through music sharing.
The Meta Verified program will be expanded globally across Instagram and Facebook in the coming months after gaining positive feedback from creators during testing periods. Meta Verified is a subscription program that helps users establish their presence on the platform by obtaining a blue verified badge on their profile, along with other exclusive features.
Threads
Threads is Meta’s new text-based conversation platform that launched on July 5. In less than one week after launching, over 100 million people joined the app.
Read our latest 2-pager to learn all about Threads’ interface, how to show up on the platform, tips to succeed on the platform, and why Threads has a major advantage over other blossoming apps due to its seamless integration with Instagram.
Threads creator marketing is bound to be the latest outlet for influencers ready to command yet another new social platform.
LinkedIn company pages can now send and receive direct messages through their own inbox. The goal of this update is to allow company admins to monitor and send messages easier.
LinkedIn is phasing out three of its creator-focused features carousels, profile videos, and link stickers. According to social media expert and consultant Matt Navarra, LinkedIn found that these features did not serve users. Despite their removal, posts using these features will remain up, and this action will only prevent new ones from being created.
Additionally, LinkedIn is testing a generative AI feature that will allow users to generate entire posts using AI technology. Users begin by filling out the “share your ideas” prompt, and the tool will provide a first draft suggestion. LinkedIn plans to continue testing the feature before releasing it to all its members.
Twitter / X
Twitter’s owner, Elon Musk, announced the platform’s rebranding on the morning of July 24th. The platform is losing its blue bird logo and replacing it with an X logo, stay updated with this Stay on Trend blog for future updates on Twitter’s rebrand.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 23, 2023
Additionally, Twitter is testing direct message restriction tools that will allow users to monitor and be selective about the DMs they receive. The goal of this feature is to limit the amount of spam received through DMs. According to Social Media Today, it is believed this feature may only be available to Twitter Blue members.
The message control options include:
- Allow message requests from verified users and people you follow only.
- Allow message requests from people you follow only.
- Allow message requests from everyone.
Open Influence’s team stays on top of the latest trends and is here to help you maximize your creator campaigns. Open Influence is a global creator marketing agency dedicated to creating engaging campaigns. Reach out to us today!
