What Digital Marketers Need to Know About California’s New CCPA Law

There are a lot of questions swirling around California’s new Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), which was enacted on January 1st, 2020. The good news is that enforcement action under the CCPA cannot be enforced until July, so brands still have some time to ensure compliance.

Essentially, this is California’s version of the EU’s GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), however there are some major differences in implementation.

And while this new law legally only impacts California residents, the regulations will likely impact many websites in the US, and possibly others overseas. If a company has clients in California than they need to comply with the CCPA, and for many, it’ll be easier to make one update to their website/s to cover new laws like this, rather than output a patchwork of IP-driven geo updates for every state or country that decides to produce a new online privacy framework.

The CCPA states that any business which collects, shares or sells the consumer data of more than 50,000 people, or produced revenue of more than $25 million in the previous year, must comply with the new law. This means that not every company needs to worry about it, for now.

Read full article HERE.

 

2019 Gaming on Twitter [Infographic]

Gaming is now a huge business, with the gaming sector set to be worth close to $200 billion by 2022.

Its influence can be felt all across the web – according to research, some 18% of all English-language videos posted by popular YouTube channels are related to video games or gaming, while five of the top ten highest-earning YouTubers of 2019 mostly share gaming-related content.

If you’ve not considered gaming to be a real ‘thing’, or gaming to be a competitive sport, it could be time to re-evaluate your thinking – while for marketers, the rise of gaming also opens up a range of opportunities for brand awareness, promotion and use-case framing.

See full infographic HERE.

New Study Examines How Brand Engagement on Social Influences Purchase Behavior

A recent survey by The Manifest sought to glean more insight how social media users from across the U.S. interact with brands on social platforms, and how those interactions subsequently influence their buying decisions.

The findings can help businesses understand how their social media interactions with consumers can boost brand awareness, build trust, and convert followers into loyal customers.

In this post, we’ll take a look at some of the key highlights from the report.

1. Use Social Media to Connect with Consumers and Other Businesses

According to the survey report, the traditional communication barriers between people and brands no longer exist because of the internet, and social media offers an increasingly convenient avenue for getting in touch with businesses.

Because of this, some 74% of people now follow brands on social media – and 96% of those who do follow brands also interact with them on social platforms.

Read full article HERE.

TikTok’s Year in Review: How the App Transformed Social Networking in 2019

Social networks are no longer what they used to be. Case in point: The rise of short video-app TikTok in 2019 is a sure sign that what defines a social network will be very different in 2020.

Since the 2000s, social networks were known as places where internet users could create profiles and interact publicly with a network of contacts. While those are still core characteristics, the meteoric rise of TikTok in 2019 has been a major factor in redefining the space.

While TikTok users can create a profile and interact with a network of contacts (which makes it a social network in our definition), the primary activity is watching or creating short videos. That makes TikTok part of a new type of “social entertainment” that’s capturing the attention of teens and young adults worldwide.

According to a September 2019 survey by Morning Consult, TikTok was used by about the same percentage of US internet users ages 13 to 16 as Instagram and Twitter. Overall, more than one-fifth (22%) of US Gen Z and millennial internet users used TikTok.

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TikTok’s rapid growth has caused older consumers and industry experts to scratch their heads. Leaked audio of a July internal meeting showed Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg comparing TikTok with Instagram’s Explore tab—a place where users can discover personalized content from Instagram. That caused observers to question whether Zuckerberg fully understood the app and if Facebook could maintain its dominance. To be fair, TikTok’s algorithmically driven “For You” tab also shows personalized content, but the makeup of the content (often 15-second selfie-style videos) bears little resemblance to Instagram.

Despite that, Facebook has stayed well ahead. As the Morning Consult study shows, it is still used by a greater percentage of young users than TikTok, though it is losing users in the 12 to 24 age group, according to our latest forecast. Then there’s sister-app Instagram, which will continue to make up for Facebook’s losses among younger US generations.

But time spent on Facebook is declining, and the growing popularity of TikTok may help to explain why. Instead of sharing status updates, photos and links to articles (the type of content that typically appears in a user’s Facebook News Feed), TikTok users create content primarily to entertain their audiences.

That’s in stark contrast to traditional social networks like Facebook, which tend to be more serious and at times, negative. In fact, too much negativity was one of the leading reasons that US Facebook users ages 13 and older were using Facebook less in a May 2019 survey by Edison Research, cited by 59%. Not liking rants or too personal comments was the most-cited response.

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At the same time, TikTok has also brought about a new wave of amateur content creators, many of whom have amassed followings that rival those of the more-polished influencers on other social platforms. According to the TikTok 100, this year’s top creators were primarily ordinary teenagers who have risen to “TikTok fame.” That’s thanks to the app’s algorithm that serves viewers content even before it has proven engagement, meaning that any user could become “TikTok famous” regardless of their follower count, likes or shares.

Other social apps also algorithmically recommend content to users based on previous viewing habits, but they prioritize content with high engagement rates. That’s how the “Explore tab” on Instagram works, for example, making it harder for a regular person with a smaller following to get discovered there than may be the case on TikTok.

The jury may still be out on whether TikTok can sustain its success, but its impact on the social media landscape is not in question. In 2020 and beyond, marketers will have to grapple with how to develop content that resonates with social users who prioritize entertainment and authenticity over practicality and celebrity.

7 Video Trends That Will Dominate in 2019 and Beyond [Infographic]

22 Instagram Stats You Need to Know in 2020 [Infographic]

Instagram continued its rise in 2020, adding more users and expanding its offering – be it through new Stories additions, eCommerce tools, updates for IGTV and more. And as Instagram continues to grow, more brands are looking at how they can expand their Insta presence, and maximize their opportunities – and as we shift into the new year, that doesn’t look set to change.

But in order to make the most of Instagram, you need to know the lay of the land. This new infographic from the team at squarelovin’ showcases a range of stats and usage insights which can help you make more informed decisions about your marketing approach, and improve response rates.

See full INFOGRAPHIC here.

6 Social Media Predictions for 2020 [Infographic]

To make relevant predictions for the year ahead, it’s vital to first have an understanding of what’s been going on social media for the past couple of years. This includes the tests that have been carried out, the bans that have been introduced, the regulations that have been changed, etc.

We’ve collected our findings into this infographic, which covers a range of key areas that are likely to see increased focus as we head into a new decade.

See full INFOGRAPHIC here.

Pinterest Publishes Listing of Top 100 Trends for 2020, Based on User Behavior

Pinterest has announced the launch of a new tool called ‘Pinterest Trends’ which will provide insight into the most popular search terms on the platform over the preceding 12 months, as well data on when the top searches peak throughout the year, in order to help marketers with their campaign planning.

Read full article HERE. 

116 Video Marketing Stats to Guide Your Online Marketing Strategy in 2020 [Infographic]

Are you looking for ways to improve your online marketing strategy in 2020? Want to learn more about video to see if you can make it work for your business?

The team from Review42 share the stats you need to know in this infographic.

They break things down as follows:

• The popularity of video
• The state of video marketing today
• How video marketing can help your business
• Video as a marketing tool
• Video marketing effectiveness
• Top video marketing benefits
• The types of video marketing

See the full article HERE.

A Beginners Guide to Using TikTok to Market Your Small Business [Infographic]

Are you looking for new ways to maximize your online marketing strategy? Have you considered what TikTok could potentially add to your content marketing efforts?

They break things down as follows:

• What is TikTok?
• TikTok functions
• A social network on the rise
• Who uses TikTok?
• Should your brand use TikTok?
• What about advertising?
• Case studies

Check out the infographic below for more detail HERE