Trends Medias

Over the past few years, short-form video app TikTok has become the central hub for the young, ambitious creators of the world. Attracting major record labels, Hollywood talent agencies, and luxury fashion brands, faces like Charli and Dixie D’Amelio and Addison Rae have ushered into the mainstream due largely in part to their TikTok fame. Fast forward to today, under a new CEO, former Disney executive Kevin Mayer, the platform is looking to help more leading creators in its community earn a living from their innovative content.

The TikTok Creator Fund

Distinct from its competitor YouTube, TikTok doesn’t offer a commission from ad dollars. Rather, its model has mimicked that of Instagram’s in the sense that it offered monetization for live streams and creators are allowed to run sponsored videos on their channels, but there was no direct and ongoing monetization program in place. Until now.

In its first official decision to pay its creators directly, the social app is unveiling a 200M “Creator Fund,” that will be officially open to U.S. creators next month. To be eligible, users must be 18 years or older (sorry, Charli), meet a “baseline for followers” and post content in line with the app’s Community Guidelines. Grants will be distributed over the coming year, during which TikTok says the fund will continue to grow. As of now, details are sparse as to how many creators will receive funding, how frequent payments will be made or how much creators can expect to earn.

“Through the TikTok Creator Fund, our creators will be able to realize additional earnings that reflect the time, care, and dedication they put into creatively connecting with an audience that’s inspired by their ideas,” Vanessa Pappas, General Manager of TikTok US, said in the official announcement.

An ongoing push towards monetization

For those keeping tabs, this isn’t the first time TikTok has explored ways to financially support creators on the platform. The ByteDance-owned company also allows donations to be collected from viewers during livestreams. It also introduced a $50 million “Creative Learning Fund” to more than 1,000 teachers who have been financially impacted by the global pandemic. Finally, TikTok’s “Creator Marketplace” facilitates the collaboration between brands and creators on paid campaigns that aim to drive awareness and attract new customers.

“In a relatively short time, TikTok has grown to become a source of income and opportunity for creators and their families – and we couldn’t be more encouraged by their success. As our community continues to flourish, we’re committed to fostering even more ways for our creators to earn livelihoods by inspiring joy and creativity,” Pappas added.

Fostering creator loyalty

While we’ve watched the D’Amelio sisters sign with United Talent Agency and Addison partner up with WME, it’s clear creators won’t stay on TikTok forever. Nonetheless, the platform is eager to keep them around for as long as possible. If creators are incentivized both by the passion for what they are sharing and are financially supported for their time and effort, they will be driven to post often, which ultimately builds the platform.

What is the takeaway here? Regardless of whether this plan will ultimately pan out for TikTok, if there isn’t a real, meaningful way for top creator to support themselves, they will look elsewhere for opportunity. Other platforms taking this to heart include Facebook-owned Instagram, which released IGTV ads and badges for Live. In these uncertain times, this is more true than ever and in order for platforms to survive, they must take this moment to reflect and focus on those that ground the entirety of their business.

Join 100,000+ fellow marketers who advance their skills and knowledge by subscribing to our weekly newsletter.

The post How TikTok’s Creator Fund is Empowering its Community appeared first on Social Media Week.

Having to practice social distancing can make people feel isolated and lonely, which can fuel spikes in stress and anxiety levels. However, these actions are necessary to reduce the spread of COVID-19. With easy and accessible ways to cope with stress, you, your loved ones, and your community can become stronger and prevail on the other side.

Social platforms continue to offer ways to practice mindfulness amidst the uncertainty — a welcomed digital respite for many. Here’s a look at some of the latest efforts building on this trend.

Snapchat’s ‘Headspace Minis’

Back in June, at its 2020 Partner Summit, Snapchat previewed ‘Snapchat Minis’, micro-versions of full apps built within the Snapchat itself. This opportunity essentially allows developers to engage within the platform directly rather than prompt users externally to download their own apps.

The first Snapchat Mini to go live? The “Headspace Mini” featuring a mindfulness and meditation tool. In an interesting take on the practice of meditation, typically done solo, the app is looking to use this opportunity to encourage friends to engage in the activity together — stripping it of the fear and discomfort that can sometimes present itself when trying something new. As an added perk – you don’t have to separately install the Headspace app nor be a Headspace subscriber to take advantage.

To access the Mini, toggle to your chat and click on the rocket icon towards the bottom of your screen. This will trigger a Headspace session within the app that the person you’re chatting with can also access. Once they join, you can choose from up to six bite-size meditations ranging from three to four minutes in length to participate in including “Just Breathe,” “Get Out of a Funk,” “Kick the Panic,” “Be Nice to You,” “Pressure to Succeed,” and “Me Time.” All of the sessions are narrated by Hedspace’s co-founder Andy Puddicombe and emphasize the basics of being mindful: abstaining from passing judgment, staying in tune with how you’re feeling, and coming back to your breath.

The chat function is accessible throughout the sessions, but using it will temporarily pause the meditation. There is also a Bitmoji presence in which you will have a friendly avatar in the bottom corner reminding you in the process that you’re not alone.

Share your experiences

Also within the Minis, Snapchat is bringing visual communication to the forefront with fun and interactive “vice check?” and “Snaphow your feel” stickers. Aligned with the mission of a recent campaign by Holler and Ad Council, the goal is to reach a younger demographic and normalize these often complex and difficult conversations.

For meditations specifically, users have the option to share a meditation directly in a Snap via a clickable filter overlaying a selfie. Again, the mission is to facilitate a seamless and shareable experience that makes these practices and dialogues feel more natural. For people who may opt to do a meditation solo, they can simply search for Headspace Minis in the search bar or within the Here for You portal — Snapchat’s hub for mental health education and resources.

Calm x HBO Max: Guided Imageries

Headspace isn’t the only meditation in the game looking to forge meaningful partnerships with platforms or brands. HBO Max recently revealed its effort to build upon its collaboration with the Calm app and the creators of Nutopia in the form of a 10-part series called “A World of Calm” Each half-hour episode will be narrated by A-list stars – including Mahershala Ali, Idris Elba, Oscar Isaac, Nicole Kidman, Zoë Kravitz, Lucy Liu, Cillian Murphy, and Keanu Reeves.

“We are delighted to bring the magic behind our audio Sleep Stories to the screen for the first time. These experiences are visual Valium and will help people relax and unwind during these stressful times,” shared Calm Co-Founder and Co-CEO Michael Acton Smith.

Building on Calm’s Sleep Stories, these guided imageries are targeted to enhance how you feel through tranquil music, soothing narratives, and stunning visuals provided by the producers of National Geographic’s One Strange Rock documentary series.

“..This series has been entirely created during quarantine using Nutopia’s worldwide network of award-winning cinematographers and filmmakers. We hope this series of serene stories will bring a sense of much needed calm to audiences,” added Nutopia’s CEO and Founder Jane Root.

As more platforms utilize their communities, partners and technologies to prioritize mental health, we as marketers have a greater ability to play an integral role in de-stigmatizing mental health. In particular, by demonstrating that with a little bit of a practice, we can all be more empathetic listeners even without face-to-face contact.

Join 100,000+ fellow marketers who advance their skills and knowledge by subscribing to our weekly newsletter.

The post How Social Media is Driving the Accessibility of Meditation appeared first on Social Media Week.

Crowdcentric Media, who owns and operates Social Media Week, is announcing the launch of SMW+, a live and on-demand video streaming service for marketers that aims to help marketers advance their careers and brands.

SMW+ will provide live programming led by some of the world’s greatest thought leaders, innovators, and marketing practitioners with the goal of helping marketers, like you, advance in your careers, achieve your goals, and become the smartest and most connected professional in the room.

At launch, we’re thrilled to work with a lineup of incredible presenters with programs that include content that will be organized according to what’s new, what’s popular, and by categories which can be filtered to create a customized experience. The SMW+ recommendation engine will also serve members content based on the sessions they have participated in previously.

Meet Our Presenters

Members will have access to programs and sessions led by Orchid Bertelsen, Head of Digital Innovation at Nestlé who will unpack ways to spot opportunities and drive innovative change from within organizations in “The Intrapreneurial Mindset,” and Joe Wadlington, Global Creative Lead at Twitter who will teach you how to be a better and more creative short-form copywriter. Sabena Gupta from Alexa at Amazon will lead a session centered on purposeful and values-based marketing and how organizations can create meaningful intention today and beyond. Also, Randa Stephan, Head of Brand at Weber Shandwick will headline a Media IQ program to help business leaders navigate the disruptive forces impacting media, culture, and technology.

Ben Shaw, Chief Strategy Officer of BBH LA and his team will share the latest trends coming out of their Lab, Raashi Rosenberger, who is on the Brand Marketing team for Consumer Apps at Google will host a program that blends neuroscience with storytelling, and Mario Moreno, the Head of Marketing at H&M will host a series that takes you on a journey of discovery with regards to how they work with creators and influencers.

The SMW+ platform is proud to launch with an incredible array of leading experts including Kenny Gold, Head of Social for Grey who will host the show “The Comments Section,” which will address the latest industry news and emerging trends through a debate-style format, Will Cady, Reddit’s Head of Brand Strategy will host a series on the how to find your purpose through community and Selena Hill from Black Enterprise will lead SMW+ members through a process to understand how the Black Lives Matter movement is not a moment for marketing — it’s a moment for change. Katie Perry, VP of Marketing at Public.com, will host TIL (“Today I Learned“) a weekly series digging into the nitty-gritty of marketing tactics that will teach you how to up your game with just a few actionable tips.

Programs will be rolled out over the coming weeks and months and will also feature a content series hosted by Dan Gardner, the CEO of Code and Theory who will host “Decoded,” a show that looks at five industry sectors and unpacks the ways they are being disrupted by the current moment we’re experiencing. In “You Know What I Mean” Marcus Collins, Lecturer of Marketing at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business will set out to tackle some of the latest trends and unpack their meaning through the lens of folks with their finger of the pulse of culture—college students. Sub Rosa CEO and Founder Michael Ventura will lead a series titled, “Contextualized” that will utilize proprietary technology, Empath, to help us understand the unique stories hiding below the surface in social media today. “Beats, Bytes and Brands” hosted by Nue Agency’s Jesse Kirshbaum will dive into the music vertical exploring why this aspect of culture is vital for brands and marketers today.

Finally, SMW+ is also excited to host a series with Mathew Sweezey, the author of The Context Marketing Revolution and Director of Market Strategy at Salesforce, which will look at the near and not too distant future trends affecting consumer behavior, marketing strategy, and media.

Why SMW+?

“The accelerated shift to remote learning and networking has unlocked a new opportunity for us to deliver on our promise of arming marketers with the tools and education they need to progress in their careers,” said Toby Daniels, CEO of Crowdcentric. “SMW+ expands on Social Media Week’s conference format in a way that offers greater flexibility and a wider range of content for our community.”

“We’re proud to be part of the launch of SMW+ and to share learnings from our global Media Genius work,” said Chief Innovation Officer at Weber Shandwick, Chris Perry. “We’re experiencing a media reset moment — one characterized by new formats, sources, and cultural icons, and accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Bettering our collective understanding of the shifting landscape has never been more important.”

Activating Your Free Trial

SMW+ will be available to subscribers and enterprise members, with live programming officially launching on August 4th. The benefits of becoming a subscriber include access to live programming, the on-demand library, and the opportunity to connect with thousands of other digital marketers. Subscriptions start as low as $39 per month.

SMW+ will be available for a free month-long trial beginning on Aug. 4. Subscriptions start at $39 per month. To learn more and request an invite, visit smw.plus and follow @smwplus on Twitter and Instagram.

The post Announcing the Launch of SMW+ appeared first on Social Media Week.

COVID-19 has drastically altered the global economy causing disruption at unprecedented speed and scale. Essential to creating a prosperous post-pandemic world is inclusivity and enhancing digital literacy through easier access to resources and tools to build skillsets in remote settings.

Many platforms have made efforts to promote education during this time. Most recently, LinkedIn is looking to help current job seekers in a number of ways from learning and applying for jobs to building their professional networks when in-person contact isn’t possible.

“By giving free access to the skills and training that job seekers need to get jobs, we hope to do our part and help connect job seekers around the globe to new opportunities,” said CEO Ryan Roslansky in the official announcement

Here’s a break down of the platform’s newest efforts and how to take advatange of them for your own development and business growth.

Fostering skills for in-demand jobs

Drawing on insights from its own community — 690M members, 50M companies, and 11M job listings — and a new interactive tool dubbed the “Economic Graph,” LinkedIn is shedding light into the rapidly changing economy, global hiring patterns, and in-demand jobs and skills to help those unemployed as a result of the global pandemic.

From this, LinkedIn created a shortlist of the 10 most critical jobs in today’s COVID economy. These directly informed the launch of the 10 LinkedIn Learning Paths program in partnership with Github and Microsoft who are providing advanced course material in technically advanced areas including the developer space. For each of the 10 paths, individuals will have free access to content from the LinkedIn Learning library through the end of March 2021 led by industry experts. Upon completion, they will receive a certificate that can be shared on their profile.

Aside from skills that are very trade and skill-based, there is also a growing need for knowledge around basic digital literacy, how to collaborate virtually, and actionable ways to create an environment of diversity, inclusion, and belonging for all.

Tools and resources for job search and placement

In addition to better understanding the job market and navigating emerging trends, there is the added layer of understanding how to apply. Since the beginning of the outbreak in March, LinkedIn has seen a 55 percent increase in conversations among connections. Year-over-year the platform has also seen a 60 percent increase in content creation on the platform paving way to new opportunities to increase discovery and connect directly with companies and specific job listings.

A few key ways LinkedIn is leaning in on this trend is through several resources and tools to improve interview performance and receive guidance on resumes or general job seeking best practices. Specifically, to help recruiters easily identify those who are looking for their next opportunity and may be a fit, LinkedIn unveiled an #OpenToWork profile photo frame accessible by clicking on “Me” > Settings & Privacy > Job seeking preferences.

Separately, the platform is looking to make it easier to seek and receive help in the job hunt process by a simple post to the feed that lays out how you can help whether that include making an introduction to someone in your network, offering input on a resume, or general do’s and don’ts for making the journey more seamless and less stressful. To do this:

1. Start a new post and click the “Offer to Help” option
2. Select the ways you’d wish to help others in their job hunt or career and click “done.”
3. Edit your post and determine who you’d like to see it
4. Hit post and start a conversation

For feedback on your interview technique, LinkedIn is teaming with Microsoft in an AI-driven feature geared to deliver real-time thoughts on your answers and where they can be improved.

New ways to connect with your network

Taking a page from Facebook’s playbook and that of several other major platforms, LinkedIn launched a “Support” reaction for those instances where a generic ‘Like’ or ‘Love’ reaction doesn’t fit the situation, which in these uncertain times, is often the case.

“We’re continuing to roll out new tools that allow our members to give and get help on LinkedIn, because we’re all better when we’re in it together,” said LinkedIn’s Kiran Prasad, VP of Product, on the update. People crave authentic and fluid conversations when they can no longer supplement their digital relationships with in-person encounters.

In an era where social utilities are gaining popularity by their ability to bring people together, and reactions, emojis, GIFs are becoming increasingly habitual, we have the opportunity to bring empathy and shared experiences back to the core of social media. This will not only be a beneficial driver for business, but instrumental in bridging a global society. Conversations are more digital now than ever, but they don’t have to be any less human.

Join 100,000+ fellow marketers who advance their skills and knowledge by subscribing to our weekly newsletter.

The post How LinkedIn is Supporting COVID-19 Unemployment appeared first on Social Media Week.