Elon Musk has attracted the ire of film fans everywhere after making a Blade Runner reference that backfired on him. The Tesla billionaire and owner of Twitter/X made a passing comment about the seminal 80s sci-fi classic directed by Ridley Scott,

Elon Musk mocked after Blade Runner reference backfires

As the war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas continues, it has been reported that an "anti-Jewish" sentiment is spreading in China.

‘Anti-Jewish sentiment’ sweeping Chinese social media… Chinese media “blame America”

Police are investigating the death of American ice hockey player Adam Johnson after his neck was cut by a skate blade in a game in England.

Police investigating death of ex-NHL player Adam Johnson, whose neck was cut by skate blade

Lancaster University and St John’s Hospice have joined forces to open a new shop at the University’s campus. ReStore on Alexandra Square, combines everything from clothing and homeware, to cycling equipment and eco-friendly toiletries.

New charity shop open at Lancaster University sells donated goods alongside affordable and eco-friendly products

Fiancée of hockey player Adam Johnson killed in skate blade accident posts heartbreaking tribute - Nottingham Panthers player Adam Johnson suffered the cut after colliding with another athlete during

Fiancée of hockey player Adam Johnson killed in skate blade accident posts heartbreaking tribute

Artificial intelligence has made us all a little bit like android-hunter Rick Deckard in the movie "Blade Runner" — constantly questioning the boundary between human and machine.

Can LinkedIn outrun AI-generated content? We put it to the test.

Joel Ezekiel was charged in court on Monday after a police report was lodged against him for a video showing him wielding a samurai sword in public A raid of the 49-year-old's house uncovered more weapons,

Singapore man’s samurai sword social-media antics land him in court

A stretch of Union Avenue is home to the gritty, dismal domain of Bakersfield’s sex trade. It’s known as “The Blade.”

The Blade: Where exploited teens loiter in service of the Bakersfield sex trade

The Pittsburgh Penguins are mourning the death of their former player, Adam Johnson, who died at the age of 29 on Saturday after his neck was cut by a skate blade during a game in England.

Adam Johnson mourned by Penguins after death from ‘freak’ skate accident

An ice hockey star has died following a freak accident during a match on Saturday, during which he is believed to have taken a blade to his throat. American professional Adam Johnson, 29, who played f

US Hockey Player Dies After Taking Blade To The Neck In Freak Accident During Weekend Match

Social Blade

social-blade

You open Instagram anytime, and your feed is flooded with posts promoted by influencers. Who are they? Influencers are individuals who have credibility in a specific niche, and people follow them and what they recommend on social media. For example, a celebrity promoting a protein bar brand on Snapchat showcasing that he consumes the same protein bar and is loving it. People are influenced by it and start buying the same protein bar. Another real-world example is Great Learning, an ed-tech company where they partnered with Virat Kohli, an Indian cricketer, to promote their online courses. Today, influencer marketing has become essential to businesses' complete marketing strategies. The Indian influencer market is expected to cross $280 million. For small businesses, leveraging micro-influencers can be particularly effective. This article will explore why micro-influencers are a secret weapon for small business growth. So, if you own a small business, this article is purely for you: What are Micro-influencers, and How Are They Special? Micro-influencers are influencers with followers between 1,000 and 100,000. They interact with their small followers and influence them to use their recommended products or services. These influencers typically have expertise in a particular domain, such as fitness, beauty, parenting, etc. They either become brand ambassadors or create content endorsing a product or service. They build a community around their interests and involve everyone on a single platform. For example, the millennial doc is a mom blogger who posts mom-related content and collaborates with various products. She has a follower count of around 50K. Mega influencers, on the other hand, are celebrities or influencers with more than 1 million followers. Not every business can afford to partner with mega influencers because they charge a high fee, which small businesses cannot afford. Also Read: Types of Influencers You Can Choose Based on Your Niche Why Do Small Brands Choose Micro-Influencers? Small Business often chooses Micro-influencers for several reasons: Higher engagement Because Micro-influencers deal in niche areas and have a small number of followers, they often have higher engagement rates. They also have more loyal followers with high levels of trust. For example, a baby food brand might collaborate with a micro-influencer who shares mom- and baby-related content. Their followers trust them and would want to try what the influencer has recommended. Authenticity and Trust Micro-influencers have a close-knit relationship with their followers. Followers feel that these influencers will be real and honest with them. For example, a local kids' clothing brand in Bangalore partners with various Momfluencers based in Bangalore who have less than 100K followers. This will help them target Bangalore moms who are interested in buying clothes for their kids. Cost Effective Small businesses do not have high marketing budgets, so they choose micro-influencers who do not charge hefty amounts like macro-influencers or world-renowned celebrities. This affordability allows small businesses with limited marketing budgets to run multiple campaigns and reach diverse audiences. Organic conversions With micro-influencers, you can expect the audience to engage with your business organically because they are like-minded people. This way, you can increase the number of your prospective consumers. Diversity of Platforms With micro-influencers, you can reach types of social media platforms that are highly effective depending on your target audience. These micro-influencers are able to connect with their followers on diverse platforms. Like this, you will be able to have good communication with your niche audiences. Real-World Examples of Micro-Influencer Success Mamaearth Mamaearth is a popular Indian skincare brand. The brand works with many micro influencers in India and their strategy works for them. The brand has seen an increase in its brand engagement and sales which is a result of the authentic and genuine content that their micro influencers post. Licious Licious is an online meat delivery food in India. It's a brand scaled up with micro-influencers and reposting their content on its profile. This helped them to reach more audiences and increase their customer base. How Small Businesses Can Leverage Micro-Influencers: 4 Basic Steps Small businesses have a huge scope to grow, and that's why it's essential to choose the right micro-influencers for their promotion. It's vital to understand the niche in which influencers deal and then select them for your brand: Identify the Right Influencers to meet your goals and objectives Before proceeding with influencer marketing tactics, it's important to choose the right influencer. Find individuals whose values align with your brand. You should select the one who really connects with their followers. Tools like BuzzSumo, HypeAuditor, and Social Blade can help you identify potential influencers in your niche. Select the platform Discuss and choose on which platform you want to promote your brand. Influencers are there on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and many other social media websites.  You need to analyze your audience type and select what platform is stable for you to promote your product. Coordinate and Create Engaging Campaigns Both the business and influencers should be on the same terms when creating campaigns for the brand. Both should discuss their ideas and allow each other the freedom to express their ideas. Provide freedom to the influencers to show their creativity so that the promotions look authentic. For e.g., if you are a food brand, you should allow an influencer to create their own recipes using your products. Have a track on the campaigns Once you are downrunning the campaign, remember to track the performance of your influencer campaigns. Monitor key metrics such as engagement rates, website traffic, and sales conversions. Adjust your strategy based on these insights to optimize future campaigns. Challenges of Working With Micro-influencers Time-consuming Identifying the right influencers and managing multiple micro-influencers is very time-consuming. You need a separate team to deal with this. However, nowadays, there are tools that can help you manage multiple micro-influencers and monitor their performance. Finding the Right Fit One of the biggest challenges in micro-influencer marketing is finding influencers who are the right fit for your brand. It’s essential to conduct thorough research and vet potential influencers to ensure they align with your brand’s values and target audience. Balance between guidelines and creative freedom Multiple influencer campaigns can be challenging. Sometimes, they don't follow the guidelines you provide, and hence, you should ensure that there is proper maintenance of terms and conditions while allowing them the creative freedom to maintain authenticity. Conclusion Micro-influencers offer small businesses a powerful and cost-effective way to reach and engage with their target audience. Micro-influencers are often considered the powerhouse that can change the way you live. Business looks. If you are a small business, you should definitely leverage this to get higher engagement rates and build lasting relationships. Whether you’re a start-up or an established small business, integrating micro-influencer marketing into your strategy can unlock new opportunities for success. So, are you ready to harness micro-influencers power for your small business? Start today, and watch your brand grow with the help of these authentic and influential voices. What do you think about this article, do let us know in the comments. Some Frequently Asked Questions About Micro-Influencers What is the difference between micro-influencers, nano-influencers, and macro-influencers? Micro-influencers: 1K-100K followers,
Nano-influencers under 1K, and
Macro-influencers over 1M. For more information on the types of influencers, go through this article. How to find suitable micro-influencers? There are various influencer marketing tools that you can use to find relevant influencers for your campaigns. How much do micro-influencers charge? The charges by micro-influencers are based on their followers, engagement, and niche. How can I measure micro-influencer success? You can track the engagement rates, click-through rates, conversions, and ROI to measure the success of micro-influencer campaigns. You open Instagram anytime, and your feed is flooded with posts promoted by influencers. Who are they? Influencers are individuals who have credibility in a specific niche, and people follow them and what they recommend on social media. For example , a celebrity promoting a protein bar brand on Snapchat showcasing that he consumes the same protein bar and is loving it. People are influenced by it and start buying the same protein bar. For example Another real-world example is Great Learning, an ed-tech company where they partnered with Virat Kohli, an Indian cricketer, to promote their online courses. Today, influencer marketing has become essential to businesses' complete marketing strategies. The Indian influencer market is expected to cross $280 million . For small businesses, leveraging micro-influencers can be particularly effective. $280 million $280 million This article will explore why micro-influencers are a secret weapon for small business growth. So, if you own a small business, this article is purely for you: What are Micro-influencers, and How Are They Special? Micro-influencers are influencers with followers between 1,000 and 100,000. They interact with their small followers and influence them to use their recommended products or services. These influencers typically have expertise in a particular domain, such as fitness, beauty, parenting, etc. They either become brand ambassadors or create content endorsing a product or service. They build a community around their interests and involve everyone on a single platform. For example, the millennial doc is a mom blogger who posts mom-related content and collaborates with various products. She has a follower count of around 50K. the millennial doc the millennial doc Mega influencers, on the other hand, are celebrities or influencers with more than 1 million followers. Not every business can afford to partner with mega influencers because they charge a high fee, which small businesses cannot afford. Also Read: Types of Influencers You Can Choose Based on Your Niche Also Read: Types of Influencers You Can Choose Based on Your Niche Types of Influencers You Can Choose Based on Your Niche Types of Influencers You Can Choose Based on Your Niche Why Do Small Brands Choose Micro-Influencers? Small Business often chooses Micro-influencers for several reasons: Higher engagement Higher engagement Because Micro-influencers deal in niche areas and have a small number of followers, they often have higher engagement rates. They also have more loyal followers with high levels of trust. For example , a baby food brand might collaborate with a micro-influencer who shares mom- and baby-related content. Their followers trust them and would want to try what the influencer has recommended. For example Authenticity and Trust Authenticity and Trust Micro-influencers have a close-knit relationship with their followers. Followers feel that these influencers will be real and honest with them. For example , a local kids' clothing brand in Bangalore partners with various Momfluencers based in Bangalore who have less than 100K followers. This will help them target Bangalore moms who are interested in buying clothes for their kids. For example For example Cost Effective Cost Effective Small businesses do not have high marketing budgets, so they choose micro-influencers who do not charge hefty amounts like macro-influencers or world-renowned celebrities. This affordability allows small businesses with limited marketing budgets to run multiple campaigns and reach diverse audiences. Organic conversions Organic conversions With micro-influencers, you can expect the audience to engage with your business organically because they are like-minded people. This way, you can increase the number of your prospective consumers. Diversity of Platforms Diversity of Platforms With micro-influencers, you can reach types of social media platforms that are highly effective depending on your target audience. These micro-influencers are able to connect with their followers on diverse platforms. Like this, you will be able to have good communication with your niche audiences. Real-World Examples of Micro-Influencer Success Mamaearth Mamaearth Mamaearth is a popular Indian skincare brand. The brand works with many micro influencers in India and their strategy works for them. The brand has seen an increase in its brand engagement and sales which is a result of the authentic and genuine content that their micro influencers post. Licious Licious Licious is an online meat delivery food in India. It's a brand scaled up with micro-influencers and reposting their content on its profile. This helped them to reach more audiences and increase their customer base. How Small Businesses Can Leverage Micro-Influencers: 4 Basic Steps Small businesses have a huge scope to grow, and that's why it's essential to choose the right micro-influencers for their promotion. It's vital to understand the niche in which influencers deal and then select them for your brand: Identify the Right Influencers to meet your goals and objectives Identify the Right Influencers to meet your goals and objectives Before proceeding with influencer marketing tactics, it's important to choose the right influencer. Find individuals whose values align with your brand. You should select the one who really connects with their followers. Tools like BuzzSumo, HypeAuditor, and Social Blade can help you identify potential influencers in your niche. Select the platform Select the platform Discuss and choose on which platform you want to promote your brand. Influencers are there on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and many other social media websites.  You need to analyze your audience type and select what platform is stable for you to promote your product. Coordinate and Create Engaging Campaigns Coordinate and Create Engaging Campaigns Both the business and influencers should be on the same terms when creating campaigns for the brand. Both should discuss their ideas and allow each other the freedom to express their ideas. Provide freedom to the influencers to show their creativity so that the promotions look authentic. For e.g. , if you are a food brand, you should allow an influencer to create their own recipes using your products. For e.g. For e.g. Have a track on the campaigns Have a track on the campaigns Once you are downrunning the campaign, remember to track the performance of your influencer campaigns. Monitor key metrics such as engagement rates, website traffic, and sales conversions. Adjust your strategy based on these insights to optimize future campaigns. Challenges of Working With Micro-influencers Time-consuming Time-consuming Identifying the right influencers and managing multiple micro-influencers is very time-consuming. You need a separate team to deal with this. However, nowadays, there are tools that can help you manage multiple micro-influencers and monitor their performance. Finding the Right Fit Finding the Right Fit One of the biggest challenges in micro-influencer marketing is finding influencers who are the right fit for your brand. It’s essential to conduct thorough research and vet potential influencers to ensure they align with your brand’s values and target audience. Balance between guidelines and creative freedom Balance between guidelines and creative freedom Multiple influencer campaigns can be challenging. Sometimes, they don't follow the guidelines you provide, and hence, you should ensure that there is proper maintenance of terms and conditions while allowing them the creative freedom to maintain authenticity. Conclusion Micro-influencers offer small businesses a powerful and cost-effective way to reach and engage with their target audience. Micro-influencers are often considered the powerhouse that can change the way you live. Business looks. If you are a small business, you should definitely leverage this to get higher engagement rates and build lasting relationships. Whether you’re a start-up or an established small business, integrating micro-influencer marketing into your strategy can unlock new opportunities for success. So, are you ready to harness micro-influencers power for your small business? Start today, and watch your brand grow with the help of these authentic and influential voices. What do you think about this article, do let us know in the comments. What do you think about this article, do let us know in the comments. Some Frequently Asked Questions About Micro-Influencers What is the difference between micro-influencers, nano-influencers, and macro-influencers? Micro-influencers: 1K-100K followers, Nano-influencers under 1K, and Macro-influencers over 1M. Micro-influencers: 1K-100K followers, Nano-influencers under 1K, and Macro-influencers over 1M. For more information on the types of influencers, go through this article . article article How to find suitable micro-influencers? How to find suitable micro-influencers? There are various influencer marketing tools that you can use to find relevant influencers for your campaigns. How much do micro-influencers charge? How much do micro-influencers charge? The charges by micro-influencers are based on their followers, engagement, and niche. How can I measure micro-influencer success? How can I measure micro-influencer success? You can track the engagement rates, click-through rates, conversions, and ROI to measure the success of micro-influencer campaigns.

Micro-Influencers: The Secret Weapon for Small Business Growth

When it comes to building a business, growth is key. Benjamin Franklin said, “Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.” While it’s not always easy to keep your business growing, there are plenty of tools out there that you can use to help you boost your business’s growth. For example, Instagram is a great tool you can use to help you grow your business, and there are even top available that you can use to maximize your growth. From to tools that let you schedule posts in advance, below are ten helpful Instagram growth tools you should start using right away. Instagram tools Instagram automation tools 1. HashTagsForLikes As far as Instagram growth goes, followers play an important role. The more followers you have, the greater the potential for growing your business. It’s not always easy or fast to grow your following, though, and not all services that say they’ll help you get followers can get you real ones. That’s what makes HashTagsForLikes standout. It’s a tool that helps you get , making it easy to get more followers, grow your Instagram, and in turn, grow your business. real followers for Instagram 2. Instamber is a smart Instagram automation bot that promises to bring you real followers for lower prices than most of the other Instagram services. They are using several clever techniques for interacting with users in an automated way, all of these interactions happen via secure connections. Every single comment is unique and undetectable by the Instagram anti-spam algorithm. Instamber The cool thing about is that they also provide you with a single stream of received comments so you can take over and further engage with interested people. Besides the comment tracker, it is also possible to automatically send direct messages to people who are interested or started following you. Instamber In short, Instamber does not try to be just another bot to grow your numbers but tries to help you with building connections as that’s more important for a business or service. To even continue on this ideology, they have a function to auto view stories so users get the feeling you spend time on them and also auto following helps you to build new connections more quickly. The tool itself runs in the cloud and can be controlled via a simple and configurable dashboard. 3. Magic Social Magic Social is an that you don’t want to miss out on if you’re looking to grow your account. The tool helps you get real followers that are specifically targeted based on your ideal customer. The tool does all the work for you, but you get the benefit of the followers, likes, and engagement on your Instagram account. Instagram service 4. Grum One of the downfalls of Instagram is that you can’t schedule posts in advance. Without Grum, that is. Whether you are going on vacation, want to publish some posts in the middle of the night, have an important meeting during the ideal time to send out a post, or simply want to get ahead of your work, Grum lets you create and schedule posts in advance so that you don’t have to worry about setting an alarm to make sure you get a post out on time. Consistently posting is an important part of driving growth, and Grum makes it easy to keep posts going out as often as they need to. 5. Crowdfire Crowdfire is another tool that lets you schedule posts in advance. That’s not all it does, though. Not only can you use it to manage all of your social media accounts, but you can use it to find relevant content, publish your own content directly from your site, and more. Not only does posting consistently help grow your following, but posting interesting, relevant content does too. 6. Repost There is a lot of great content out there, and whether it be a customer, friend, competitor, family member, or business partner who posts it, you may sometimes want to share that content on your business’s Instagram account as well. Repost is a great tool for doing that since it not only makes it easy to share another Instagrammer’s content but also lets you give credit to the original poster, as you should. Plus, it helps you ensure you have content, even if you’re having trouble coming up with some of your own one day. 7. Iconosquare Iconosquare is an analytics tool that you can use to track engagement, keep tabs on the industry, and even plan out your content. How do analytics help you grow your business? When you know what’s working and what isn’t, it’s a lot easier to make the necessary changes and get your marketing going in the right direction. And thanks to Iconosquare it’s fast and easy to get your Instagram growth on the right track. 8. Social Blade A marketing and growth strategy that has become increasingly popular in the last little while is using influencers to help you promote and grow your business. Social Blade is a tool that helps you find influencers in your industry in addition to giving you access to public databases with valuable analytics you’ll be able to use to give your following a boost. 9. Google Surveys Did you know that of Americans will consider switching companies if they experience poor service even just once? Knowing how you’re doing, what you’re doing well, and how you can improve is an important part of any business, and it can even help you drive growth. In order to know how you’re doing, you have to reach out to your customers, though, and Google Surveys is a great way to do just that. You can ask your existing followers questions like what they like about your Instagram page, or what they don’t like, enabling you to make valuable changes. 33 percent 10. Magisto Magisto is a social media video maker that includes a smart editor for better videos. Since it’s a very visual platform, it’s important that all of the content that you post on your Instagram page is high-quality and professional. Don’t think it matters so much? You can lose followers if what you post comes across unprofessional and can’t be taken seriously, so Magisto is a tool you can use to help growth. Extra: NinjaOutreach NinjaOutreach is a tool that helps you find business leads, influencers, and emails as well as automate your growth efforts in areas like link building and traffic growth. Not only can it help you get access to the leads you need, but because it enables you to automate tasks, it saves you time and helps you drive growth with less effort but more results. In Conclusion When you run a business, growth is important and something you’re constantly working on, especially on social media platforms like Instagram. Luckily, with tools like , Magic Social, and others listed above, getting that growth is easier than trying to do it on your own and can help you see results faster. HashTagsForLikes Have you already tried any of the tools listed above? What were your results?

10 Helpful Instagram Growth Tools

Recently, the total market cap for Play-to-Earn tokens reached a staggering $38 billion. This number is not just significant for crypto traders: By our approximation, GameFi has already obtained a twenty-percent market share of the total global . gaming industry With players switching to blockchain-based games at an exponential rate, investors have begun lining up to get in early on new opportunities. One popular way of doing this is through the purchase of Play-to-Earn tokens during special fundraising events called Initial Decentralized Exchange Offerings (IDOs). With so much happening in the space today, new GameFi IDO projects need to put a lot of effort into setting themselves apart. To help the founders of these projects out, the team at has prepared this guide to IDO marketing. Crypterius Test Your Idea with an MVP Before you get started building your platform and raising funds, you need to make sure that your game concept can actually succeed on the market. In our experience, the only way to be certain whether you should move forward with your project is to build a minimum viable product (MVP). really In the words of Steve Jobs, “people don't know what they want until you show it to them.” Your MVP does not need to be a finished game or anything technically complex: Try at least to create some initial artwork and some videos demonstrating gameplay. Then, carry out A/B tests with different audiences in order to confirm the business viability of your ideas across markets. An important thing to remember is that you should never spend more on user acquisition at this stage than you would during your fundraiser. User-acquisition costs (UAC) getting too high may be an indication that your initial concept is not as attractive to gamers as you initially thought. In order to track UAC, make sure you have Google Analytics and Tag Manager set up properly. Use these same tools to check where your traffic is coming from and ad-spend per source. Don't be afraid to throw out bad ideas — your aim at this stage is to build a 'lean startup,' and you should always be ready to pivot. At , we have helped more than a dozen crypto projects run their initial concepts through the complete customer development framework. We can help you to do the same. Crypterius Public Relations and Auditing In order to create a sense of trust around your project, get your smart contract audited as soon as it has been developed. If you procrastinate on this, your entire project might get labeled incorrectly as a scam. Another way to build legitimacy for your project is to start early on forming partnerships with companies in both the crypto and gaming industries. Every new partner represents a world of new opportunities for your project. Make regular announcements across your social channels about new partnerships, successful audits, and positive brand mentions. Get into the habit of writing press releases about every project achievement. You can publish these releases to a special section on your website and submit them to popular media. Get Your Tokenomics Right Something that many IDO project founders forget is that during your fundraiser, you are as much selling your token as you are your project. Your game idea might be fantastic, but if your tokenomics aren't right, traders will just not be interested. When preparing for your fundraiser, it's usually best to avoid too much innovation in terms of token mechanics. Research successful projects that are similar to yours and take inspiration from their token models and in-game economic systems. Watch for current trends in terms of token protocols. For example, Ethereum's recent introduction of token burning through EIP-1559 has led to a number of other projects doing the same thing. Basically, traders like to see fashionable tokenomics in new projects, and implementing them into your protocol will help to attract investors. Remember to always leave room in your tokenomics for adjustments further down the line, after your game has launched. You never know what new technological opportunities will arrive in the future. Develop an Informative Website Starting from the initial phases of your IDO on through to game launch, your website will serve as the primary 'front office' for your project. In our experience, it is preferable to develop a website that can easily and inexpensively be altered and added on to. Your lean startup needs to be designed for change. Don't refrain from using a content management system (CMS), such as WordPress. Many people make the mistake of thinking that platforms like these are too limited from a technical perspective. We have seen that this couldn't be further from the truth. In order to not confuse your target market — who may in fact be browsing dozens of project sites a day — try not to innovate too much with the structure and content of your site. On your home page, put priority on things that set your project apart, and near the top of the page, put a link to your white paper and tokenomics documents. Make sure also to include information about your team (with real photographs) and partners. Provide links to your MVP in a prominent location, but refrain from any heavy tech integrations that could negatively webpage loading times. Slow websites sink to the bottom of search engines. This is not something you want to happen to your project. Write a White Paper The cryptocurrency and blockchain industry is, in relative terms, still in its infancy. Nevertheless, the movement which started in 2009 with the release of the Bitcoin whitepaper holds to certain traditions. To this day, it is expected of new crypto projects to put out an initial manifesto that outlines project goals. As you prepare for your IDO, one of your very first steps will have to be the release of a white paper. ** ** While sitting down and writing out this lengthy document might seem like a needless distraction from the technical development of your platform, taking the time to clarify key project concepts can actually be very valuable long term. Not only will it give investors a better picture of what you are trying to build, but it will also help to get your entire team on the same page. Moreover, reading the document will enable your sales and marketing staff to understand exactly the message they need to get out to your target market. ** ** The development of this document is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. Take some time to read the white papers of successful GameFi projects and try your best to imitate the way they are structured. At a minimum, your white paper should include an overview of your game's features, an explanation of what makes your game unique, and a description of the Play-to-Earn functionality. You must also provide an in-depth overview of your game’s internal economy and the role of your game's tokenomics. Make sure to put a lot of thought into your project's development roadmap. IDO participants want to see that your team has committed to building your game quickly and efficiently. ** ** You may also want to consider making shorter, more easily digestible documents, for more time-pressed readers. Many successful projects publish so-called 'litepapers,' which are 10-15 page documents that tell the main story from the whitepaper without all the technical details. Targeted and Search Advertising According to , advertising cryptocurrency, exchanges, and blockchain-based fundraisers on the search engine is prohibited. If you do decide to go down this route, it is essential that you tread carefully: advertise your game as a game — not as a crypto project of any kind. Google policy Most Play-to-Earn IDO projects, weighing their options, ultimately come to the conclusion that it is best to avoid Google's paid advertising products. If Google does end up blocking your project, it could be very bad for your game when you are more actively looking for players, post-IDO. For similar reasons, it may be best to stay away from targeted advertising on Twitter during your IDO. Twitter has very active gaming and crypto communities that you will want to have access to later on. Basically, include Twitter in your communications strategy, and only depend on it for organic leads, not sponsored ones. During your IDO, it may be a better idea to pursue targeted advertising through Facebook and Instagram. Still, to stay on these platforms' good side, drop words in your ads like “income,” “profit,” and “earnings.” Additionally, avoid references to top cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum. Make sure in your ads to include vivid imagery from your game. Pictures are always effective and, by , videos can increase conversions by as much as 20-30%. some estimates Crypto-Specific Advertising Networks Given that the goal of your IDO is to sell tokens, it makes perfect sense that you would want the viewers of your advertisements to be people who have a history of participating in token sales. You can find this audience through specialized cryptocurrency ad networks like Cointraffic and Bitmedia. For these generalized crypto audiences, make sure to not be too specific in your ads about gaming. Focus instead on the way your game innovates using NFTs and other advanced blockchain tech. Search-Engine Optimization New companies tend to underestimate the power of search engine optimization (SEO). If you have long-term plans for your Play-to-Earn IDO, you need to make sure you have optimized your website from the very start. If you take a look at any successful companies in the crypto industry, you will see that their websites are optimized for search engines. Cryptocurrency exchanges, for example, understand that a huge percentage of their users come through organic searches. For this reason, they invest significant resources into the production of educational content. SEO experts generally agree that in order to have your content featured at the top of organic searches, you should publish anywhere between 8 and 12 pieces of quality content per month. In other words, you should start soon! Of course, this represents a major time commitment for busy project teams. We at Crypterius specialize in streamlining the content production process for startups in the crypto space. Over the last four years, we have helped clients reach millions of organic leads through our SEO optimization and content creation services Brand Mentions and Backlinks Mentions of your website and project on external resources have massive importance for building SEO and brand awareness.  An integral part of your IDO marketing strategy should involve finding ways to increase the quantity and the quality of these mentions in the form of backlinks. These links back to your website are necessary to ensure that the indexing algorithms of search engines understand what your project does and that it has legitimacy within its industry. Many projects strive to get mentions from only the most popular media in their industry. While a few such publications are certainly worthwhile, access for new brands to such media is usually costly, and almost always marked as “sponsored.” A better strategy is to collaborate with agencies, like Crypterius, that have long-established partnerships with these industry-leading news sites and media. We offer strategies that maximize the online presence of your project while reducing UACs. IDO, IEO, ICO, and GameFi Ratings An excellent source of free organic traffic and backlinks are rating sites and calendars that list out and track token sales. Getting your project listed on one of these sites is not very complicated and generally doesn't cost anything. Some of the most popular sites include: https://playtoearn.net/ https://icodrops.com/ https://icoholder.com/ https://egamers.io/ https://www.icohotlist.com/ Influencer Marketing A major opportunity for traffic generation for your Play-to-Earn project is influencer marketing. Collaboration with top influencers in the spheres of crypto and gaming will not only grow your community in the short term but will increase your brand awareness for years to come. If you decide to engage with an influencer for your project, it is recommended to check into each potential new partner using tools like . Pay attention to metrics such as the number of new subscribers to the channel per month and the ratio of video views or impressions for each of these subscribers. https://socialblade.com If you, for example, see a drop-off in the number of subscribers over the last few months, that may indicate that the channel has recently done something questionable with which you probably wouldn't want your brand associated. If you see few subscribers per view, it may be an indication that the channel generally only focuses on spammy content and should be avoided. Additionally, Ad placements in popular Telegram groups and feeds have historically been an effective source of traffic for crypto projects, including Play-to-Earn IDOs. For Telegram advertising, take advantage of the excellent analytics platforms Telemetr and Tgstat. Key metrics on these sites include audience quality, engagement rates, and ROMI. Social Media, Forums, and Community Management The days when social media managers and CMM could just share company news and brand mentions across channels and leave it at that are behind us. The key aim today for content and SMM marketers should instead be to turn their communities into outstanding places for social exchange. Community managers involved in IDOs need to excel at combining elements of fun with the steady stream of informative content they provide to the growing network around the project. At a minimum, new projects should have a presence on Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, Discord, and Telegram. For Play-to-Earn projects, the social network of primary importance today is Twitter. Engagement, activity, and interest in GameFi among the Twitter audience is much higher than on other platforms. Youtube is useful as a means by which to host and distribute videos of gameplay. While not a social media site per se, Twitch is an extremely popular platform among gamers, and you may want to experiment with different ways of promoting your project there as well. In terms of community management, the focus of late has shifted from the traditionally crypto-friendly Slack and Telegram to Discord. Make sure to always have a community manager on duty who can answer questions, initiate discussion, and draw attention to important project developments. The same goes for popular crypto forums, such as Bitcointalk. Build Hype with Giveaways and Airdrops Airdrops are an excellent opportunity to build your community and add an element of interactivity to your fundraising campaign. Try assigning real-world tasks — perhaps related to your game's theme — that people can complete in order to receive tokens. Develop contests that engage with your audience, and reward participants for providing feedback on your game. Summary An expertly tailored marketing strategy is not just about planning campaigns and calculating a budget. It involves setting goals, identifying target audiences, choosing the right communication approaches, and conducting constant analytics and data-based optimization. This is a process that takes a lot of effort and experience.

The Ultimate IDO Marketing Toolbox for P2E Projects

Market overview As of September 30, 2020, the total market capitalization of DeFi tokens has reached over $16 bln, which represents one-third of the total Bitcoin capitalization. According to Google Trends, the popularity of DeFi is continuing to grow exponentially, and the niche has yet to be filled with new startups and projects. Nevertheless, any crypto project in an emerging and rapidly growing market with high competition needs a very well-thought-out and weighted marketing strategy that will draw attention to the project and its token. Considering the existing advertising limitations on Google and many social media platforms, DeFi promotion may seem like a nightmare, though the devil is not as black as he is painted. Crypterius has developed a thorough guide to DeFi marketing designed to serve as a helping hand for entrepreneurs and marketers who have yet to enter the scene. Source Run-up: USP, hypotheses, and A/B testing Before you launch any product and start raising funds, make sure the product solves some of your audience’s problem. Though these things are extremely basic, many companies have forgotten about testing product hypotheses before they start development and promotion. A minimum viable product (MVP) is what startups target when they test a concept and try to determine its promotion price. It doesn’t need to be neat, beautiful, and well designed. As long as your MVP solves some of your audience’s problems and has a good UX, it will be in high demand. Tokenomics, USP, narrative, communication approach – all these things are evaluated during the MVP testing phase as well as the user acquisition cost (UAC) numbers. Note that MVP UAC should never exceed the actual product UAC. If you have several key hypotheses to test (monetization scenarios, USPs, UX), A/B testing can be a helping hand in determining the right development direction. 500–1000 new users acquired from media buying, social media advertising, or just networking will help you better understand your website’s performance as well as assess the key conversion rate (CR) and UAC metrics. Furthermore, it has become increasingly important to have your smart contract audited. Both investors and the crypto community pay significant attention to it, and if the contract has some bugs, it will not raise investments or draw users. Last but not least, before you launch any ad campaign, make sure that you have Google Analytics as well as Google Tag Manager set up correctly so that you can calculate the return on marketing investment (ROMI) and choose the most efficient ad instruments. SEO and content marketing SEO is often underestimated by startups and young companies, but if you have any long-term plans, optimizing your website, and creating commercial and informational pages is a must. If you have a closer look at the cryptocurrency exchange sphere, which has been highly competitive over the last two years, you realize that all industry leaders have their websites and blogs SEO-optimized. That said, it’s never enough just to have your content optimized according to the semantic kernel. Arm up with statistics, surveys, insights, and infographics to get readers interested in what you do and constantly track your progress. To have your articles reach the top pages in organic searches, you need to publish 8–12 articles on a monthly basis, and you’ll soon start to see results. In content marketing, it’s also important to have all the content proofread by a native-speaking editor who understands the industry terms and can make the articles easy to read for both experts and newbie audiences. Even a very well-tailored advertising campaign can fail if your content is barely readable. Over the last year, Crypterius has submitted and proofread over 120 articles, many of them featured on Forbes.com, Bloomberg.com, Entrepreneur.com, Businessinsider.com, and more. Brand mentions and link mass Website mentions on external resources matter significantly for SEO and brand awareness, and if you take the right approach, it can serve two purposes: generating traffic and creating external link mass. The idea is that you get mentioned in mass media that have their articles in the first pages of a Google search: top 10 DeFi companies, best DeFi tokens, top-yield farming projects, etc. Mentions in media that may not be very popular themselves will cost less than mentions in tier 1 or tier 2 media, but they will better generate traffic in the long run. Source: Google Search Never forget to add utm links to any mentions in such media so you can always track the efficiency of your advertising activity. DeFi trackers, ratings, calendars, and listings Mentions in DeFi-oriented trackers and calendars also provide companies with mostly free organic traffic and generate link mass. As of today, there are around 30 different DeFi calendars worldwide. When creating a company profile, provide the details that may interest your target audience: links to GitHub code, technical documentation, press portraits of team leaders, project mission, partners, etc. Analyze other DeFi companies and do your best to stand out among the competitors on such listing platforms. The most popular trackers include: https://defipulse.com https://defiprime.com https://defi.cx https://defiscore.io https://defirate.com Source: https://defiscore.io Targeted and search advertising Promoting your company in Google searches is possible but cumbersome: According to the , advertising cryptocurrency, exchanges, and related content are restricted, and thus cloaking and buffer websites are the only chance for many companies. Even if you succeed in launching an ad campaign directly to a website, the Google Ads accounts will generally be banned, and the website may ultimately be blacklisted. Financial Services Policy It’s less cumbersome with targeted advertising on Facebook and Instagram (Twitter is a no-go zone for crypto-related advertising as well). Crypto ad creatives may still be banned on Facebook and Instagram from time to time, though. If you drop words like “income,” “profit,” “earnings,” and the names of top cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, BTC, Ethereum, ETH, etc., such cases will be rare. According to our statistics, the lowest CPC for crypto-related advertising is in Latin America, French-speaking Africa, and South-East Asia. Thus, for emerging projects eager to attract their first customers, this may be a good option, although in such cases, you’ll have to localize your website and ad materials. Note that your website should be ready for any ad campaign. A good option to boost the number of registrations is to create a separate landing page that describes the problem and solution for a single target audience (TA) segment. If the traffic is attracted to the main page, the CR is likely to be lower (3% normally) than on landing pages (10–15%). Media advertising Many brands strive to get mentions in tier 1 or tier 2 media to increase their brand loyalty, credibility, and awareness. Nevertheless, such mentions are usually costly and marked as “sponsored,” if companies contact the media themselves. Thus, collaborating with agencies that have a long partnership established with the largest media is a great solution that helps decrease the publication price and get mentioned without a “sponsored” mark. Once you submit an article to a large media outlet, make sure it has some value for the reader. That means the story itself should be devoted to the resolution of some issues with detailed market research rather than simply directing readers to your company and its goals. No one should understand that the article is a paid placement until they read it all the way through. For decentralized exchanges, a great opportunity is banner advertising on data aggregators, trading forums, and other exchange-related resources. For example, TradingView banners’ CPM varies from $4 to $15, depending on the country, with a predicted ad CR of 0.55%. That means the CPC will vary from $0.73 to $2.18. Even if the website CR is pretty low (2%), one registry will cost you between $36.36 to $136.36. Before you launch any media-buying campaigns, be it influence marketing or banner placements, calculate the predicted ROMI. All that you need to take into account is the CR at all stages, the CPM, or the number of views and the cost of the ad. Influence marketing Collaborating with top influencers in the sphere of crypto grants not only brand awareness but also traffic. Nowadays, people are more loyal to recommendations from real people rather than to general searches, banners, and targeted advertising. Nevertheless, in the crypto industry, the number of scammers who add bots to their channels is very high, and when working with influencers, you should be highly attentive. Most influence marketing platforms, such as GetBlogger, EpicStarz, and others, do not cover channels associated with the crypto industry, and it’s impossible to contact influencers before you subscribe to their service. Thus, companies have to collect the list of KOL manually, which is very time-consuming. Many business people who are not overly familiar with the KOL industry prefer to delegate influence marketing to agencies that already have experience in this area and can then choose the most ROMI-efficient channels, possibly reducing the advertising price. If you decide to do influencer marketing yourself on YouTube, for example, arm up with analytical resources such as . Furthermore, you should pay attention not only to the number of views but also to engagement: the type and number of comments and the number of likes. Many crypto influencers buy comments as well as views and likes, so if you see dozens of praise-filled commentaries under each video, it’s likely to be a scam. https://socialblade.com Source: https://socialblade.com On Telegram, luckily, the infrastructure is better thanks to the existence of analytical platforms Telemetr and Tgstat. Both cover mostly Russian-speaking audiences and can provide key metrics on audience quality, engagement rates, and ROMI. Based on our experience, the average ad CR on Telegram, provided the creatives are very good, is 0.75%, which is higher than banner advertising but still pretty low, considering that many channels charge $350 for a single ad. Social media marketing, forums, and community management Nowadays, traditional SMM when you share company news and brand mentions is bygone. The key aim that content and SMM marketers should focus on now is making their community and social media pages outstanding places for social exchange and fun and valuable information. The “What is Bitcoin” stuff does not inspire anyone any longer, so you need to create an excellent communication strategy, generate memes, and share content that your audience will enjoy. Twitter has now become the key social media platform for discussing crypto and blockchain-related issues. The engagement, activity, and interest in DeFi among the Twitter audience is much higher than on other social media sites. For beginners, we suggest having a company Twitter, Telegram, Facebook, and Reddit constantly managed and filled with news. Nevertheless, don’t be afraid to experiment with other social media sites with lower competition for the crypto audience, such as TikTok. Underestimated by many, TikTok is a youngster’s heaven, and if you have a well-thought-out communication strategy, you may become beloved and praised by the new and active community. In terms of community management, the focus has shifted from the traditional and crypto-friendly Slack and Telegram to Discord. Make sure you have a few community managers who can not only provide users with the details they need but also initiate discussions and draw attention to important issues. The same goes for forums like Bitcointalk, Cryptotalk, Cryptointalk, and others. It’s not enough to create a thread and share company news: you need to be responsive and initiate activity to engage the forum community. Get ready to face negative comments, bullying, and critics: crypto people consider every new project a scam, and you have to assure them that your product is different. Source: Chainlink thread on https://cryptotalk.org/ Giveaways and promo campaigns Costly, but effective — this is a great description of giveaways, which have become pretty popular in the crypto sphere. A great example is Uniswap, which surprised users with an airdrop of their token UNI. Currently valued at $97,000,000, this was easily the biggest crypto giveaway ever and has already attracted many new customers to Uniswap. Practically speaking, promo campaigns are not limited to giveaways and airdrops. Do inspirational special projects, develop contests and games, engage your existing audience, and never limit yourself to what others are doing. Be creative, and the results will exceed your expectations. Summary Whatever instruments you choose to promote your DeFi company, just make sure that it suits your strategy. Tailored by experts, a marketing strategy is not just about planning a campaign and calculating a budget. It includes setting goals, portraying your target audience, choosing the right communication approach, and conducting constant analytics and optimization. There’s no secret strategy guaranteed to lead any DeFi project to success. There’s a set of different instruments that you can test and evaluate the results. At Crypterius, we have assisted many startups, emerging companies, and blockchain projects in reaching their goals through digital marketing. We have gone through this process of constant tests and campaign optimization multiple times and in many niches. Thus, if you need professional assistance, drop me an email at or reach me at Telegram @ilyshka, and my team and I will be glad to help you enter the scene of the best DeFi companies worldwide. ilya@crypterius.com

DeFi Marketing from A to Z: 
The Most Efficient Instruments

We spent 3 days with 25,000 tweens — here’s what we learned! Last week, we attended our first , an online video convention for creators, fans, and the media industry founded by and . We were a bit late to the party — the conference started in 2010 with 1,400 attendees, and has since ballooned to 25,000+ people. It’s now widely recognized as a key destination for brands to reach the Gen Z demographic. VidCon Hank Green John Green As early stage consumer investors, we saw VidCon as a great opportunity to better understand the online habits of today’s teens. They may be young, but they’re often influential early adopters of the next big brands, social networks, and content distribution platforms. According to Nielsen, Gen Zers now make up the largest percentage of the population (27%), and consume an average of 30 hours of digital content weekly. We bounced around between the conference’s three tracks, which each attracted different audiences — (millennial/Gen Z fans), (aspiring influencers), and (media and finance executives). We also spent time in the Expo Hall, which featured booths and lounges from brands ranging from Instagram to Snickers to Audible (check out TubeFilter’s review ) — even Invisalign sponsored a and a . Community Creator Industry here ferris wheel giant candy dispenser For anyone who couldn’t make it to Anaheim (or got stuck at ), we recapped our top ten takeaways from the week, grouped into key categories. TanaCon For VidCon week, the outside of the Anaheim Convention Center was plastered with promo materials for upcoming original content from YouTubers — including Liza Koshy’s Liza on Demand, and Joey Graceffa’s Escape the Night, which are both hosted on YouTube Red. Creators/Influencers . This won’t come as a surprise to anyone who read our post on the , but being a successful creator is big business. As gamer (1.8M subscribers) said on a panel about brand deals, “We’re all companies at this point.” Though social media stars may get started making webcam videos in their basements, many eventually hire teams of agents, managers, and staff who handle editing, social posts, brand engagements, and production schedules. The creator still ultimately owns his or her brand, but just like traditional celebrities, day-to-day decisions are abstracted away from them to people who can monetize their image. 1.Creators are companies rise of influencers StacyPlays One of the strongest influencer brands for Gen Z at VidCon was that of 15-year-old JoJo Siwa (pictured above as part of the Nickelodeon display). Siwa, a former Dance Moms star, is now a YouTuber, singer, and author, and is signed to Nick’s talent label — she performed at VidCon’s Night of Dance and at the Night of Awesome. Grant Thompson, “ ,” is a perfect example of how a creator turns into a brand. He started YouTube has a hobby, but ended up leaving his job as a pilot to make videos full-time for his almost 10M subscribers. He now employs a team of 13 people that serve as a full production company and help him find new ways to monetize his content. The King of Random Brands are tempted to script influencer posts, but creators don’t want to feel like they’re shilling a product. (Fine Brothers Entertainment, 17M subscribers) includes a clause in contracts that allows him to ignore 50% of edits that brands propose. Creators are more positive on longer-term partnerships that integrate the brand naturally, like a video series or a channel takeover. If fans feel a like brand is enabling content the creator otherwise couldn’t make, they’re more likely to have a positive association. (10M subscribers) said he only works on brand campaigns that feel consistent with “what fans expect” from him, and where he can make the brand the “hero” of the video in an authentic way. 2. Struggle for authenticity. Benny Fine Kurt Schneider Schneider cited his Candyman brand video with M&M’s as a successful example of an influencer/brand collaboration — it looked like something he might normally make, got a great reception from his audience, and the like/dislike ratio was in line with his non-sponsored content. On the topic of authenticity, producers of YouTube Red series said they’ve found success in treating influencers like stars, not actors. Fans want to see influencers appearing as themselves, not as another character. is what showrunner Adam Lawson calls a “surreality” show — influencers are placed in a historical setting and have to complete challenges to make it back to the present. While the show has a group of background actors with scripted lines, the influencers were completely unscripted and were asked to just respond naturally to the action around them. Escape the Night Escape the Night Along with CPO Neal Mohan’s product announcements, YouTube’s featured two creators — music producer , who boasts 10M+ subscribers, and therapist , who has a relatively modest 360k subscribers. YouTube’s decision to highlight Morton, whose videos help people worldwide struggling with mental health issues, illustrates a repeated theme that creators should make a positive impact on the world. Jennifer Wiener from Fullscreen Media, an agency that manages influencers, said that the most successful creators focus on a message of “empowerment, diversity, and inclusion,” and highlighted that younger viewers “want to do good and see others doing the same.” 3. Creators should do good. annual keynote Kurt Schneider Kati Morton This theme carried through the track sessions for young fans — we counted more than 25 sessions on topics like racial equality, sexuality, feminism, and cyberbullying, including: “Body Image, Gender, Presentation, and Online Video,” “We’re Here: Talking about Marginalized Identities,” and “They See Me Trolling: How to Create a Kind Community.” The trailer for the upcoming movie based on Angie Thomas’ also premiered at VidCon, and the encouraged visitors to “Spread Love” by putting up positive messages on a public board. Community The Hate U Give brand’s popular booth Photos of The Hate U Give booth at VidCon. Courtesy of @cathhick . Brands and Monetization It’s no surprise that teens hate pre-roll ads. Ads are also an inconsistent revenue stream for creators, as they have to rely on the platform’s algorithm and CPMs are low. Smart creators diversify their revenue through subscriptions for premium content, brand partnerships, and merch/live shows. In a panel on monetization, (2.5M subscribers), Burnie Burns (9.5M subscribers via ), and (6.2M subscribers) all emphasized that they’ve focused on non-ad revenue — Rooster Teeth has 300k+ paying subscribers for its , while merch and live shows have been crucial for Hannah and Phillip. 4. Pre-roll ads are passé. Hannah Hart Rooster Teeth Philip DeFranco SVOD service Nielsen’s Amanda Tarpey released data at VidCon on SVOD growth in households between 2017 and 2018 — their data shows growth across all generations, with strongest adoption for millennials and Gen Z. YouTube’s at VidCon focused on making it easier for creators to monetize beyond ads, including channel subscriptions and merch shelves that live directly below videos. The company also released early stats on some of its other monetization initiatives — 50% of channels using doubled their revenue in the first three months of 2018, and 65% of channels using have more than doubled their livestream income. product announcements FameBit SuperChat Though many creators are grateful to YouTube for launching their careers, there’s an underlying tension around who “owns” the relationship with fans. This issue has become increasingly important as YouTube recently required users to “opt in” to notifications for new videos on channels they’ve already subscribed to (which resulted in a significant for many creators), as well as stricter . 5. Who “owns” the fans? drop in views monetization policies Hannah Hart voiced her frustration with the new notification policy, noting that it created unnecessary friction for fans to access her content. When asked about the best piece of advice she’s received, she responded: “Don’t build mansions in someone else’s backyard.” Burnie Burns also warned creators against relying too heavily on one platform, arguing that the demise of Vine illustrated the importance of moving your audience to a destination that you control. Philip DeFranco took more aggressive action when he launched his own app, DeFranco Now, in May 2018 after comparing YouTube to an “alcoholic, negligent stepfather.” It was DeFranco’s at VidCon, as he plans to start focusing on his own events. last year Frustration with YouTube and VidCon motivated the launch of TanaCon, an alternative conference organized by YouTube influencer Tana Mongeau. The event, which was held in Anaheim the same week as VidCon, was born out of Mongeau’s that VidCon wouldn’t feature controversial creators like herself. Though TanaCon was poorly and eventually shut down, Mongeau was able to attract more than 20k teen fans as well as like Shane Dawson, TheGabbieShow, Casey Neistat, and Miranda Sings. frustration organized huge creators TanaCon sold 5,000 tickets but was by another 15,000 teens eager to meet their favorite YouTubers. Photo courtesy of . reportedly mobbed @SocialBlade . To generate real value from campaigns, many brands have set the following priorities for influencers they partner with: (1) engagement (likes, comments); (2) views; (3) subscribers. As purchase behavior continues to shift towards mobile and social platforms, influencers have a huge ability to drive sales, but it’s key that viewers actually watch and engage with the content, and use it to make purchasing decisions. 6. Engagement > views The increasing focus on engagement over reach was echoed by brands and publishers, whose KPIs for content have shifted away from pure views. Jay Holzer, Head of Linear Programming at Tastemade, mentioned that his team primarily focuses on watch time over number of views — they want to ensure they are building a real connection with viewers who will return to their page. Similarly, NBC worked with 40 music YouTubers for a — while they tracked views, they specifically focused on boosting search traffic for , which was up 170% over the course of the campaign. campaign The Voice The Voice . The rapid rise of e-sports caught many brands by surprise, and they continue to struggle with how to reach these viewers in an authentic way. It’s a valuable demographic — viewers often stream hours of content with no break and are eager for opportunities to emulate the gaming lifestyle. Brands need to think of creative ways to establish a value-add presence in the space — Perrin Kaplan of Zebra Partners cited IKEA’s new for gamers as an example of this. 7. Brands need to catch up on e-sports ergonomic furniture HyperX and Allied Esports on a mobile touring arena that made a stop on the VidCon Expo Hall floor — conveniently located next to the Axe (yes, the body spray company) Gaming Lounge. partnered Other industry experts encouraged brands to think more strategically about which games best fit their ethos and not scramble to sponsor top hits like Fortnite. UEG’s Lauren Flanagan said that the current environment reminds her of youth soccer, where “everyone is chasing the same ball up and down the field” rather than spreading out and pursuing different properties. VidCon did feature a case study of one successful partnership in the space — Hot Pockets ran a social in 2017 where they dedicated most of their marketing budget to 20 gaming influencers, and saw a 6–7% lift in business. campaign Wandering around VidCon’s giant Expo Hall, we that almost every booth had two things in common: they were interactive, and they were optimized for Instagram. At the very least, this meant a trendy wall to snap a photo against (Facebook had mini photo-rooms dedicated to this), but most brands got a little more creative. Hubert’s Lemonade had a ball pit filled with lemonade floaties and a claw machine of merch, while Nickelodeon built a giant obstacle course. Brands weren’t shy about encouraging social posts, putting up signs with a hashtag and request to share on Instagram. 8. Gen Z wants interactive and Instagrammable experiences. quickly realized A few of the brand booths in VidCon’s expo hall. Clockwise from upper left: Ugly Dolls, Hubert’s Lemonade, United Airlines, and Califia. It’s easy to make a physical booth interactive, but how can content creators do the same for YouTube? Chase Landau, VP of Partnerships at , said that the company’s creators focus on videos about things that kids can replicate at home. How-to videos on cooking, building things, and gaming are often the most popular content. In another interesting example of interactive content, Twisted Food launched a delivery-only restaurant that allows viewers to order the food they see in the company’s viral . pocket.watch Facebook videos Social and Entertainment Platforms UGC platforms often struggle with balancing freedom of speech and creating a safe community. At VidCon, many creators voiced the opinion that YouTube and other platforms should be doing more to ensure that users aren’t exposed to harassment or inappropriate content. On a panel titled “Why 2017 Sucked for Online Video,” vlogger criticized YouTube for leaving up Logan Paul’s “suicide forest” video for 12+ hours, and argued that real people (not bots) should review and approve featured or trending content. 9. Platforms are responsible for content. Jana Hisham Tech execs have historically disagreed with the idea that they are responsible for user content, but it seems the tide is beginning to shift. At Twitch’s keynote, co-founder Kevin Lin said that the company has a “responsibility to create a safe environment for creators and fans.” Trolls, be warned — platforms are making strides to rein in the Wild West of the Internet. YouTube, IG/Facebook, Snap, and Twitch are in a race to become the primary destination for video. YouTube is encroaching on Instagram with the launch of a for casual, short-form videos. Meanwhile, Instagram made waves with the , which allows users to create longer-form, YouTube style videos. Facebook VP of Product Fidji Simo said that her team is working to encourage more creator content on Facebook Watch due to consumer demand. And while Snap has lagged in creator videos, the company had a big — the Snapchat Shows feature will be opened up to creators, starting with a makeover show from of 10. Platforms converge to multi-format video. “Stories” product launch of IGTV VidCon announcement Patrick Starrr Face Forward. You can catch the full YouTube keynote above — other than YouTube Stories, some of the biggest announcements were the launch of monthly memberships, expanded merch opportunities (including a partnership with Teespring), and a new Premieres feature for the live debut of pre-recorded videos. Creators have mixed feelings on the idea of platform consolidation. Some seem exhausted by the challenge of producing content to fit the demographic, format, and viewing habits of each platform, and would welcome the ability to focus on one. Others, especially newer creators, appreciate the ability to publish across many platforms and figure out where their content “hits.” NBA Entertainment SVP David Denenberg said the NBA has benefited from platform diversity — they can livestream a game on Facebook, post highlights on YouTube, and do player Q&As on Instagram. Denenberg said the NBA works with social platforms to produce the best content for viewers —after a contact at Facebook recommended videos with tighter angles, the NBA installed new cameras in arenas and saw engagement increase 2.5x. Thanks for reading — we hope you found this post to be helpful! If you were at VidCon this year or in past years, we’d love to hear your feedback below, or you can reach us on email at twins@crv.com or on Twitter . @venturetwins Like this post? to help more people see our story, and share it with your friends! Clap for it Interested in reading more content from us? You can subscribe to , , for more insights on millennial and Gen Z trends. our weekly newsletter Accelerated

A VC’s top 10 takeaways from VidCon

This tweet was originally published by Insha Ramin I grew my account from 0 to 64k+ in less than a year. Created over 100 million impressions through my content! Made 10,000$ online 💰 Here's how I did it and you can do it too👇🏻 → Build a decent profile Always have a pfp of yours rather than any random image taken from the internet. Create a bio that conveys the message to people about what value you're going to serve them. Add elements that represent what you tweet/who you're in the header. → Attract your ideal audience Make sure to follow the group of people who enhances your timeline. When you're in your early phase try to follow the 80/20 rule: Engage with people - 80% Create content- 20% Engaging with people in your niche is important! → To share knowledge, you don't need to be an expert! The easiest way to provide value to people is to share what you’ve learned from your own evolution. Lots of people have problems you’ve already solved and they’ll appreciate you sharing the solution with them. → A valuable audience is a collection of relationships. Make it a priority to know your audience on an individual level and let them get to know you. It may change later as you grow. One way to keep your relationship with the audience alive is to always reply with value. → Consistent Content Creation Every other person on Twitter is creating content in one or another form. Some of them are experiencing growth while some struggle to achieve the same. What creates such a difference? - Consistently putting out the valuable content! → Create value for people Create things that help people get from Point A to Point B. The best way to create value for people is to help them transform. Remember that your content is the bridge. Encountered a problem? Find a solution Put it out. It'll help your peers! → Short of Content Ideas? At times you'll be short of content ideas and the threshold to quit will be quite high. What to do then? Re-purpose Re-share Re- create your old content. Every creation is an asset you can leverage forever. → Content creation is no joke. The less you focus on algorithms, the more you produce good content. Focusing on what you can control is the best way to get what you want. The creative journey isn't a constant graph, you'll experience highs as well as lows. Stay at it. 🙌🏻 → DM Mastery DM's are gold only if you use them the right way. Build genuine relationships, and show people that their presence matters. ❌ Do not spam the DM of your favourite creator. ❌ Don't ask for favours at the first go ✅ Like their work? Appreciate the efforts. → As you grow, use tools that ease your task At first, you may not feel the need to use growth tools but as your audience grows you need to incorporate some of them. Rather than spending a big part of your day surfacing the content, use tools that help you manage the tasks. → Must use Twitter growth tools: Hypefury — All-in-one growth tool, lots of content ideas. Tweetdeck — Organise your timeline by chronology Copy. ai— Generate marketing copy in seconds. Twemex— Get more insights into any account. Socialblade— Spy on competitor's growth. That's a wrap! 🙌🏻🔥

How I Grew My Twitter Account From 0 to 64k+ in Less Than a Year

Not long ago, the wider sentiment in the AI industry was that "AI can't be creative." Even today, some people hold to that view, though AI is being used to compose music, poems, sculptures, and draw paintings, like the one below: You can create your own art using deep learning with tools like . To listen to AI-generated music, you can follow YouTube channels like , which has almost a million video views to date according to . Individual AI-composed hits like have reached millions of views. deepart Aiva SocialBlade Daddy's Car You can create your own AI-generated poetry with Google's project. Check out this poem : PoemPortraits written by an AI the sun is a beautiful thing in silence is drawn between the trees only the beginning of light Google actually runs a number of arts and culture projects, many of which are AI-related. You can check them out at . Another AI-driven experiment is called " ," an interactive public sculpture driven by machine learning: Experiments with Google Please Feed the Lions You might ask, how does AI do this? For most AI-generated creative work, whether it's art, poetry, sculptures, or music, it's using what's known as a "generative adversarial network," or for short. GAN To give an explanation, a GAN is based on unsupervised machine learning, which means that it works on data without labels, like images, audio, and video, and it's implemented via two competing neural networks. ELI5 For example, let's say you want to build an AI that can draw. Of the two competing neural networks, one neural network might start with a random static image, and calculate the error between this image and an inputted painting. Of course, the error is extremely high, so it makes adjustments to the algorithm in an attempt to decrease the error, until it successfully descends the gradient and makes an image with high likeness to the inputted paintings. In short, it can draw! If you want to go very in-depth into how GANs work, check out . Ultimately, the evolution of AI into creative fields is incredible to witness, and has grabbed the attention of even the most vocal AI naysayers. this Towards Data Science article

What Are Generative Adversarial Networks and What Can They Achieve? [ELI5]

Right now, without you knowing, many of the websites you browse every day are signed up as Brave Publishers 27k publishers exactly, and over 4.6M monthly active users for the web browser itself, for a project that started only 2 years ago. That’s impressive! What is Brave again ? is a web browser with a focus on privacy, materialized by a built-in blocker for ads & trackers. Brave Furthermore, Brave introduces a few more features: A tab integration, and a new advertising model for both browser users (get paid to opt-in for privacy-friendly ads) and content creators (get verified as a publisher, and you’ll earn from you visitors using Brave browser, if they include your content in their payment settings). Tor BAT It’s (the creator of Javascript, Mozilla foundation) latest project. Brendan Eich Ok, and what exactly is a Brave Publisher ? Introducing Brave Rewards In the good old days, publishers created content and ads paid the way. But ad blocking has grown significantly over the last few years. Now over 500 million people use software to stop ads on their mobile and desktop devices. How does it work? Readers may choose a monthly contribution amount which is divided among the publisher sites they visit most. As Brave grows, so does your revenue. Here is the best part. Neither the readers nor the publisher need to do anything different. They just keep surfing and you just keep publishing. Source: Brave publisher FAQ When I first started reading about Brave, I learned that it was a new reward system for publishers and a new advertising model. I wondered how many publishers there were, and who they were, but wasn’t able to find a list anywhere. This is why and built , to find out who were signed up as Brave Publisher I scraped millions of websites/youtube/twitch channels batgrowth.com That’s how I realized that Brave was taking the web by storm, without me noticing: So many of the websites I am using daily, either be at work (like ), for entertainment (VICE’s Youtube channel**,** Vimeo**,** ) or as tools (DuckDuckGo**,** CoinMarketCap or Archive.org) have already signed up to be Brave verified publishers jsbin.com rockpapershotgun.com Even the very website you are reading this post from, , is a verified publisher since October 2, 2018! Hackernoon Let’s see how many websites that you are browsing every day have become Brave Publishers, I’ll just list some of the most popular ones below Now it’s time to surprise you: More then are verified Brave publishers, amongst them, some huge channels: Trap Nation, Bart Baker, Philip DeFranco, VICE, HowToBasic- - Vimeo Video streaming: - 17210 Youtube channels Almost 3000 Twitch streamers are verified publishers **Media**- The Guardian- VICE- WikiHow- Washington Post- Al-Arabiya- HackerNoon- SitePoint- Slate.com- LADbible- AndroidPolice- Scotch.io **Privacy tools**- DuckDuckGo- HOLA- Qwant CoinMarketCap- Coindesk- Coingecko- Cryptocompare Crypto-currencies related- **Miscellaneous**- BitTorrent- xda-developers.com- Archive.org- SocialBlade.com- TinyURL.com- APKMirror Drupal.org- FreeCodeCamp Programming- **Porn**- Xhamster You can find the full lists of Brave publishers on Reader, let’s make a bet: If you’ve unknowingly visited at least 2 Brave Publishers today, you have to clap ;) batgrowth.com Feel free to reach out on if you have comments or questions. Twitter Try out the Brave Browser: https://brave.com/bat684

Stories, News & Mentions about SOCIAL-BLADE

Social-blade’s Stories on HackerNoon

Social-blade's News & Mentions