@IntoIndy
After living on both coasts, Indianapolis Influencer Kate Ruddell realized there’s no place like home. She moved back and took to social to show her love for Indy and answer her critics--and haters--who questioned why she’d ever want to move back to the heartland. We catch up with this Hoosier on the latest episode of Eat, Drink, Social and ask her about her use of video, her love for Instagram, and how she likes to partner with brands. To hear from Kate and other food and beverage influencers, subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you may listen.
This Month's Spotlight
When Ale-8 wanted to start a conversation around its environmental-friendly bottles they turned to social. The brand asked fans to submit their photos and videos of outdoor Kentucky scenes in the #ItsOurBluegrass contest, and a new winner was drawn every week. Fans responded with more than 500 entries showcasing the best of the Bluegrass state. The brand gave back to eco-charities for entries submitted, and continues to donate a percentage of sales through its partner 1% for the Planet.
Ale-8 recently finished their annual #Ale8DaysofChristmas holiday contest on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Influential Stats
Influencer marketing is projected to be a $101 billion industry by the year 2020. Here’s what you need to know:
-
49% of internet users said they trusted information from online personalities with a small following, whereas only 36% said the same of well-known online personalities.
-
1,000 followers or less defines a nano-influencers. They could be the next big thing.
-
Non-celebrity influencer endorsements are 10X more likely to persuade someone to buy.
-
80% of influencers rely on Instagram as their primary network.
New Features
-
Facebook’s “Topics to Watch” report takes a look at the top conversations on social. Great for trend reporting or deciding your next hashtag.
-
You may have to squint to see follower counts on Twitter. The network is making the font size smaller to de-emphasize the importance of the number.
-
Instagram is changing the way personal and business profiles look. You’ll now be able to add several buttons including “Shop” near your bio.
-
Snapchat started them and Instagram took them to a new level. Now YouTube is offering “stories” on its channel to select content creators.
To Try This Month: Social Shopping
Whether you’re driving holiday sales from Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram, we take a look at the latest offerings each network has to make shopping online more seamless in our latest Go Social blog post.