February 27, 2019 2:24 pm
Published by Mikyron Padayachee
Travel influencers are taking the world by storm. With travel being more accessible than ever, travel influencers are becoming a huge asset to their audiences who follow their adventures and brands who want to collaborate with them. The best Travel influencers explore cultures, lifestyles, and food, documenting their journeys and creating awe-inspiring content. Travel influencers have great clout and engagement with their audiences making them thought leaders in the world of travel. Brands are collaborating with travel influencers to craft their stories and showcase their products and services. Brands like Trivago, Airbnb and Emirates are already collaborating with travel influencers.
Read on to see Webfluential’s top 5 most exciting travel influencers to follow in 2019!
Cassie is the first woman on record to travel to every country in the world and Guinness World Record Holder. In 2017, her trip called “Expedition 196”, gained worldwide media attention. By trade, Cassie is an author, speaker, brand ambassador, content creator, Ironman 70.3 Athlete, filmmaker, entrepreneur, and will be traveling to Space with Virgin Galactic in the near future!
Getting Stamped is written by real people, two people to be exact, Hannah & Adam. Their goals are simple, show you the best travel destinations on the planet in a meaningful way. Their mission is to inspire you through our pretty pictures and videos, but it doesn’t stop there. Hannah and Adam want to help you to plan and make the most out of each and every trip you take.
After quitting their jobs, selling (almost) everything they owned, packing four bags of essentials, and booking two one-way tickets to get far from home, Stevo and Chanel are now looking at turning full-time travel into a day job. Join them as they figure out how to make it work, one day on the road at a time.
Alex Tienda is a travel blogger and Video Producer who is currently traveling around the world and sharing his experiences. Throughout Alex’s years as a traveler, he has experienced a great variety of experiences, from sleeping on the street to staying in the most luxurious hotels.
Cory and G are a husband and wife team who think traveling together is the best thing ever. They are best friends, coffee lovers, and road trippers! Cory and G’s goal is to see you travel with your loved ones, fall in love with the world and capture intimate moments together.
Webfluential has thousands of travel influencers from all over the globe. Sign-up as a marketer to start collaborating here.
Got Influence? Webfluential gives you the tools you need to manage your influence. Apply to become a Webfluential influencer here.
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February 13, 2019 8:28 am
Published by Mikyron Padayachee
Being a combination of Instagram Stories and a YouTube, IGTV can potentially be a huge channel for influencers and brands to collaborate on in 2019. The future of video is rapidly changing with people watching less TV and consuming more video digitally. Brands and influencers are already collaborating on regular Instagram feeds and on Instagram stories, it’s just a matter of time before IGTV becomes a channel of choice for influencer marketing collaborations.
IGTV for influencers
Influencers can broadcast high-quality vertical videos without having to edit the video into 10-second segments as is the case with Instagram Stories and no advertisement breaks in the middle of videos, as is the case with YouTube. No breaks in broadcasting means no breaks in Storytelling.
IGTV creates a whole new platform that influences can use to share existing content, as well as upload content in addition to uploads on other channels. YouTube influencers, for example, can leverage their Instagram audience by sharing their YouTube content on IGTV. Uploading and sharing content on IGTV will definitely help in future collaborations, where a brand wants to use IGTV instead of other channels.
IGTV for marketers
IGTV is going to be mutually beneficial to both the influencer and the brands who want to collaborate on campaigns. Brands can upload their own branded content to IGTV, or book influencers to create IGTV videos that include product reviews, unboxing videos, tutorials, education, questions and answers, etc.
Research shows that video content created by YouTubers is 4x more effective at driving lift in brand familiarity than those with celebrities. Ramona Sukhraj shared useful insights and statistics on video and user behavior surrounding it. Here are just a few of the highlights:
- 75 Million people in the U.S. watch online videos every day.
- Merely mentioning the word ‘video’ in an email subject line, the click-through rate increased by 13%.
- Nearly 50% of all video is watched on a mobile device.
- By 2019, internet video traffic will account for 80% of all consumer Internet traffic.
- Videos up to 2 minutes long get the most engagement.
Kinzi Sparks, lead for paid social at iProspect, recently said that IGTV presents a unique opportunity to engage with users at a deeper level. When your customers are thoughtfully seeking and opting into a more in-depth viewing experience, there’s a stronger chance that your brand’s message will be received with welcome captivation.
Check out some of these influencers who are experimenting with IGTV:
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January 30, 2019 9:48 am
Published by Mikyron Padayachee
2018 saw the rise of virtual influencers. The subject of Virtual Influencers has rocked the influencer landscape leaving both marketers and influencers a bit confused. What is a virtual influencer? Are Virtual Influencers a fad or are they here to stay? How will Virtual Influencers affect me?
In 2018 the demand for influencer marketing increased significantly. The World Federation of Advertisers reported that 65% of marketers are looking to scale their use of influencers in the next 12 months. While the influencer industry has risen, so have the machines! With audiences in the millions, some virtual influencers have already collaborated with heavyweight brands like Prada and Gucci.
What is a virtual influencer?
A virtual influencer is a computer-generated avatar that uses artificial intelligence to operate on social media channels in the same way a human influencer would. Much like a human influencer, virtual influencers can gain popularity and collaborate with brands who want to use their influence to communicate the brand’s story with an audience. One of the most popular virtual Influencers is Lil Miquela, a “19 year old” computer generated model with over 1.5 million Instagram followers. Miquela has worked with fashion brands Prada and Channel. Another example of a virtual influencer is Shundu, the world’s first digital supermodel. Shundu collaborated with Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty lipstick. The collaboration went viral.
Human influencers come and go, however, IP lives forever
Human influencers have a ceiling to their potential. Virtual IP has almost unlimited potential. There are companies such as SuperPlastic, a designer toy company turned digital agency for virtual influencers, who are exploring possibilities of using AI and technology platforms to revolutionize entertainment and social media. They can do this by creating interactive games and using trends created by virtual influencer to influence a certain way of life.
The company behind virtual influencer Lil Miquela, Brud, is now worth at least $125 million after a new round of financing the company is currently closing. Investors are backing virtual influencer companies mainly because they are creating content that is free from the personalities and scandals that has defined a generation of social media stars.
Fad or are we living in an episode of Black Mirror?
For the foreseeable future, virtual influencers are not going anywhere. The success of virtual influencers like Lil Miquela and the incredible amount of venture capital that is being invested in virtual influencer companies means that we should all be prepared to see many more virtual influencers on our timelines. While virtual influencers may be fake, their audiences are real. According to managing director of Kantar, Gagan Bhalla, “What matters is not whether something exists or not, rather how creatively can a story be built around it – take Marvel or DC superheroes. They don’t exist, yet movies based on them are huge box-office grossers.”
What does this all mean for human influencers?
Human stories that are aspirational and inspirational will always be relevant. Brands will still want their stories to be associated with human stories that are in line with their identity and vision. After all, it is humans who will be buying their products. With this being said, more than ever, human influencers have a huge responsibility to uphold an appropriate image and follow FTC guidelines at all times while creating content that is engaging and authentic. As an influencer, you are now not only competing with other humans but also with technology.
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