Whether you’re preparing your sweet potato souffle a week out or rushing recipes on the table at the last minute, Thanksgiving cooking is a high-pressure task. This year cooking influencers are helping chefs of all levels whip up the perfect holiday!

The holidays are a great time for cooking and food brands to partner with influencers- consider sponsoring their holiday recipes or collaborating on holiday giveaways. Consumers looking for holiday recipes will seek out their favorite influencers for recipes, making them the perfect creators to increase brand awareness.

Working with brands of all shapes and sizes, these cooking influencers are helping followers whip up their best thanksgivings yet!

1. Yumna Jawad (@feelgoodfoodie) - Posting new recipes and cooking videos every Wednesday, Yumna Jawad’s platforms (FeelGoodFoodie.net) are great resources for finding family-friendly meals. Whether cooking classic recipes, simplified dishes, or easy, weekday meals, Jawad also has partnered with nearly 300 brands. Her most frequently partnered-with brands include Califia Farms, Walmart, and Roth Cheese.
2. My Nguyen (@myhealthydish) - When she’s not posting easy and delicious recipes, Nguyen also shares what it’s like balancing life as a mother of twins, full-time health blogger, and influencer. With substantial followings on multiple platforms, including TikTok and Youtube, Nguyen’s content is accessible for followers on nearly any social media platform. At 277 branded mentions, Nguyen’s Tiktok partnerships have reached as many as 6.5M views.
3. Meg van der Kruik (@thismessisours) - With multiple dietary restrictions within her family, Meg shares healthy recipes with accommodations for vegetarians, ‘gluten-free-ers,’ and meat-eaters. Many of her recipes feature whole foods and home-grown ingredients. Brand partnerships include Pompeian Inc, Premier Protein, and Tillamook.
4. Camille Styles (@camillestyles) - Between sharing healthy recipes and raising her family, Styles is the editor-in-chief for her self-named blog, where she also informs on travel tips, wellness info, and home design. Styles has partnered with HP, BEHR Paint, Blue Diamond Almond, and La Crema Winery.
5. Cassy Joy Garcia (@fedandfit) - Sharing everything from recipes to safe beauty tips, Cassy Joy runs the fedandfit.com blog, authored the ‘Fed & Fit’ book, and created the Fed & Fit Project. Found on multiple platforms, Cassy has a growing Youtube channel as well. Garcia’s Instagram features the most brand partnerships among her platforms, including King Arthur Baking Flour, Vital Proteins, Primal Kitchen, and many more organic brands.
6. Beverly Weidner (@bevcooks) - Weidner’s posts are essential for holiday cooking with easy and kid-friendly recipes. Brand partnerships include Stonyfield Organic, Target, Edwards Desserts, and Quaker Oats. Weidner’s total engagements from Food & Drink brands are over 80k.
7. Gerry Speirs (@foodnessgracious) - Between his foodnessgracious.com blog and growing Instagram, Speirs’ platforms share simple recipes in the format of your choice. Whether you prefer a traditional recipe breakdown or a video on Instagram, his recipes are unique and delicious. Most of Speirs recipes also feature a brand partnership, including Lightlige, The Feedfeed, Brummel & Brown Yogurt, and Sabra.
8. Alice Choi (@hipfoodiemom1) - With various recipes spanning Asian cuisine to health and comfort food, Choi’s content focuses on fresh ingredients. Choi has partnered with Land O’Lakes, Blue Diamond Almonds, Instant Pot, and Whole Foods, among 217 others.
9. Sonja & Alex Overhiser (@acouplecooks) - Featured on the Today Show and in the Washington Post, Sonja and Alex’s classic recipes accommodate a wide variety of dietary restrictions and food preferences. The Overhiser’s award-winning recipe website and subsequent social media platforms feature long-term partnerships with Aldi, Kroger, and Instacart, among other food and grocery brands.
10. Winny Hayes (@winnyhayes) - While followers flock to Hayes’ profile for her daily posts on what her kids eat in a day, her platform is just as excellent a resource for holiday recipes. Hayes has partnered with Kroger, Thrive Market, and Ben’s Organic USA- her highest reach has measured 1.6M impressions.
11. K.C. Cornwell (@gfreefoodie) - Fifth-generation farmer turned food blogger and editor for The Feed Feed, Cornwell’s recipes are all gluten-free. Cornwell focuses on fresh and home-grown ingredients and shows her audience how to use fruits and veggies to spice up classic recipes. Cornwell’s partnerships feature Enjoy Life, Williams Sonoma, and Driscoll’s Berries, but she has also featured affiliate links on multiple posts.
12. Jenné Claiborne (@sweetpotatosoul) - Vegan chef Claiborne’s successful Youtube channel, Instagram page, and vegan cookbook provide audiences with great resources on veganism. Claiborne’s recipes include almost 250 brand partnerships from predominantly food & drink brands. Brands not in the food category include American Express, Brooklinen, and Wedding Wire.
13. Katie Price Webster (@healthyseasonal) - Katie Price Webster is a professional recipe developer and cookbook author. Her recipes focus on easy healthy meals for busy families, featuring the regular brand partnership in posts. Brands include Hannaford Supermarkets, La Tourangelle, and Fage Yogurt, among 60 others.
14. Kate Ramos (@holajalapeno) - Offering virtual cooking classes and a blog with a years-long backlog of recipes, Ramos’ recipes celebrate Mexican flavors. By merging authentic ingredients and flavors with modern preparations, Ramos features traditional and not-so-traditional Mexican cuisine. Brand partnerships include Juicy Juice, Farmer John, and Herdez, with over 450 partnerships total.
15. Emily Stoffel (@thepigandquill) - Emily Stoffel’s platform shares easy meals and snacks for families focusing on seasonal recipes. Partnered brands include Safeway, Sunbasket, Bob’s Red Mill, and OLLY Wellness.

If you'd like to know more about how Tagger can help you discover the perfect influencers for your campaigns, click here to set up a free demo.

Even with covid restrictions lifting, consumers in the US and around the globe will still be relying almost solely on the digital marketplace for their shopping needs this holiday season.

A recent Google study shows that over 75% of U.S. shoppers said they will shop online more this year than they did in previous holiday seasons, and a similar number said they would also be looking for gift ideas online and not in store.

It’s absolutely certain that your ideal customers are buying gifts via digital channels more than anywhere else.

With limited physical ‘Black Friday’ sales, supply chain delays, and an absence of impulse buying at brick-and-mortar stores, customers are left without the opportunity to physically discover or test products, making it more important than ever for marketers to intelligently advertise their products or services via high-value digital channels that encourage consumer trust.

Enter: influencer marketing.

The definition of ‘influencer marketing’ has fluctuated as the industry has matured over the past few years, but it has become particularly relevant in an economy bouncing back from a pandemic. More than ever, consumers are having to rely on digital channels for everything from news, to work, to relevant information about their communities, to lifestyle advice, and yes, to product recommendations.

Here are a few ways brands can invest in influencer marketing now to maximize their success during Black Friday week and the 2021 holiday season.

Buyers are actively searching for their favorite influencer’s discount codes

Influencer marketing is about much more than brand awareness; it's about getting the best deal.

In the current economy, buyers are going to be more intentional about their holiday purchases. By partnering with online creators, brands are able to leverage ‘influence’ to increase consumer awareness of the best prices and promotions during the noisy holiday season.

Consumers will be actively searching for deals throughout the season and are familiar with the fact that their favorite influencers often give their followers unique discount codes as part of their brand partnerships. If your brand has developed a relationship with an influencer, and therefore with that influencer’s audience, those followers will automatically look to your influencer partner for a unique discount code when they’re ready to purchase.

The positive correlation between personal reviews and purchasing behavior

Influencers aren’t just there to display products; their ‘influence’ is perhaps most highly felt in their personal product reviews.

The effect that online reviews have on whether or not someone ultimately makes a purchase is staggering. Influencer Marketing Hub reports that 91% of millennials trust online reviews as much as they trust recommendations from friends and family.

A survey by BrightLocal shows 86% of consumers read reviews before making a purchase (though the number increases to a whopping 95% of people aged 18-34). The same study showed that consumers read an average of 10 online reviews before they feel they’re able to trust a business enough to buy from them.

Online reviews have become paramount to the buyer’s decision-making process, especially if that buyer is as-yet unfamiliar with your brand. Partnering with influencers gives you access to the personal recommendation of someone that buyer already follows and trusts, giving you a shortcut into their good graces (and their wallet).

Making the most of consumers’ increased comfort shopping via social

Post-pandemic studies on consumer spending have shown that people aren’t just more comfortable with shopping online "in general", they’re also much more comfortable with making purchases via their mobile devices, and via social media. A survey from Salesforce shows that 37% of US adults say they are more interested in mobile app shopping than they were last year, with 22% saying the same about shopping via social media.

In particular, the popularity of ‘click-and-collect’ shopping has surged. In an updated post, eMarketer reported that US ecommerce sales saw a growth of +60.4%, with ‘click-and-collect’ sales reaching $58.52 billion in 2020. Those numbers are expected to increase this year in 2021.

With regards to increased comfort shopping via mobile and social, it’s not only the ‘last click’ point of sale that matters. By partnering with trusted influencers, brands are effectively staying ‘top of mind’ all along the consumer’s digital shopping journey by showing up in their feeds with consistency. Consistency cultivates trust, and trust begets sales.

How to partner with the right influencers to get the highest ROI

The right influencers give brands a direct line to their ideal audience, driving traffic and sales, and increasing overall ROI. With the advanced technology available to research and analyze an influencer’s affinities, marketers are able to specifically target those audiences most likely to have a positive response to a particular brand’s product or service.

Tagger’s affinity tool allows users to easily search and filter high-value influencers who are perfectly aligned with a brand’s strategy and values. Targeted research backed by data allows you to quickly and easily discover the perfect influencers so you can spend time focusing on campaign strategy and the signals that matter most.

With tighter budgets and a need to reach digital audiences, online creators are marketers’ best bet for success this holiday season.

Meet the moment with influencer marketing this holiday season

With consumers doing a majority of their shopping online, a robust digital presence and marketing strategy are more important than ever. The way we spend money is changing; Marketers can anticipate new widespread spending habits by responding to current customer behavior patterns, and right now that means fully investing in digital advertising and the creator economy.

The best ROI, especially for holiday shopping, is found via influencer marketing. By partnering with trusted online creators you are taking a shortcut to earning followers’ trust, thereby making it much more likely they will give you their business, this holiday season and beyond.

If you'd like to know more about how Tagger can help you find the perfect influencers, increase ROI, and generate growth, click here to set up a free demo.

Shopping for the holiday season has always been notorious for its’ big sales and frenzy but in 2021 more than ever before, we are seeing the effect that social media and influencers alike have on consumer habits.

In fact, the Thanksgiving weekend and its’ subsequent shopping ‘holidays’ are expected to bring in record numbers, with Thanksgiving expecting $5.4B, Black Friday expected at $9.5B, and Cyber Monday expecting a whopping $11.3B, according to Adobe’s 2021 Holiday Shopping Report.

To no one’s surprise, these numbers reflect consumers’ more recent favoring of online shopping. Among many other reasons for this shift, shoppers have much more opportunity to find deals online.

One outlet for exclusive online coupons seeing popularity recently is influencer coupons.

While many influencers offer discounts for particular products, there are also influencers who are specifically focused on finding deals no matter the product. Whether they’re focused on extreme couponing, finding freebies, or partnering with retailers to promote daily deals, coupon and budget influencers are helping people save throughout Black Friday and all year long.

1. Toni Parrish (@couponingwithtoni) - Couponer Toni Parrish has partnered with big brands in recent months including Olay, Fabfitfun, and YouTube. Parrish has a potential reach of nearly 100k on her Instagram sponsored posts and a view count as high as 11k on her Youtube videos.
2. Liz | Target Mom (@targetfanatic) - Liz is a creator dedicated to keeping followers in the loop of Target’s events, sales, fashion, and home decor. With her dedication to the store, it makes sense that most brands Liz partners with are Target exclusives. Her partnerships include a wide variety of brands including Raw Sugar Living, Skinnydipped Almonds, and Target Style.
3. GregThatDude (@couponingwithgregthatdude) - Blogger and Youtuber Greg “That Dude” updates followers daily on ways to save on everything. Greg’s partnerships include Oral-B, Charmin, Amazon and Pantene. These posts have counted reaches as high as 390k, with engagement rates as high as 12%.
4. Save with Sydney (@savewithsydney) - Save with Sydney is a budget blogger and influencer helping followers save money daily. Sydney’s partnerships include QVC, Olay, and HSN- all with a potential reach of over 360k.
5. Julia Belkin (@freebies_and_more) - With almost 550k followers on her TikTok, Julia Belkin’s Blog “Freebies and More” has taken on a whole new life with different social media platforms. Not only has Belkin partnered with shopping destinations such as Walmart, Walgreens, and P&G, but other partnerships also include Amazon Musi and iHeartRadio.
6. Amiyrah Martin (@theamiyrahmartin) - Amiyrah Martin is the owner of 4 Hats and Frugal, where she teaches followers how to live a full life on less money, and have fun on a dime. Martin has been featured on Good Morning America, The Dr. Oz Show, and CNN among other publications. With almost 350 brand partnerships across her platforms, featured brands include Meijer, Verizon Wireless, Disney, Walmart, and Applebee’s.
7. Freebie Shark (@freebieshark) - Freebie Shark is a creator whose efforts in helping others save money are focused on finding freebies for them to capitalize on, and share his findings! His blog is now an award-winning freebie blog and on all platforms has seen partnerships from Costco, Tide, Gain, and Tampax among 50 others.
8. Kumiko Love (@thebudgetmom) - Mom blogger and budgeter Kumiko Love has grown her platform “The Budget Mom” to over 650k on Instagram and almost 200k on Youtube. With her lowest view count on Youtube at 8.7k, Love’s viewership carries substantial engagement! From Fetch to Amazon, to Starbucks, Love has partnered with over 20 brands to a reach of 3.2M.
9. Jenny Martin (@southernsavers) - Jenny Martin is the creator behind Southern Savers, Martin’s blog that focuses explicitly on helping moms save money. Martin’s coupons and deals include groceries and anything family-related. Brand partnerships from Martin’s account feature Walmart, Oral-B, Publix, Tide, and Pampers.
10. Kealana’s Bargain Finds (@walmartbargains) & (target_bargains) - Kealana’s budgeting and couponing focus on Walmart and Target, with each store having an Instagram account based on current sales! It’s no surprise that Kealana has partnered with both of these stores in different ways, promoting many items in their aisles, including Mr. Coffee, Tresemmé, and Isopure. Kealana’s partnerships are unique in that many highlight brands as well as the retailers where they are stocked.
11. Saving With Dan (@savingwithdan) - At over 203k, Dan has built his platform “Saving with Dan” to inform followers about daily deals that could sell out any minute. His frequent discounts are featured on his Instagram but also in affiliate links in his Instagram Bio. Brands included in this list are Keurig, Fabletics, Pokemon, and almost 50 more daily deals.
12. Binh Nguyen (@fun2qpon_newyin) - Binh Nguyen is a couponer with over 5k affiliated links on his site, mentioning various brands as well. Nguyen is an Amazon Associate, so his affiliate links help him to earn money as well. With amazing deals almost hourly, Nguyen’s rapid growth is likely to continue positively.
13. Heather Schisler (@passion4savings) - Creator behind the popular blog “Passion 4 Savings,” Heather Schisler’s platform shares Target and Walmart finds as well as clearance hauls and other money-saving tips. Schisler has over 600 sponsored posts between her Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Her most frequent collaborators include Walmart, Walgreens, Sam’s Club, and CVS. Posts related to last year’s Black Friday reached over 4.5M from Schisler’s audiences.
14. Sara Jane (@thechiconthecheap) - Sara Jane is a predominantly Youtube-focused creator with over 30k on Instagram against her 466k+ subscribers on Youtube. Sara has partnered with Walmart and Walmart Fashion, among numerous other retailers. Her Instagram has engagement rates of 7.5%, and her lowest Youtube views are at 81k, where the majority of her influencer marketing happens through affiliate links. Though Sara has featured sponsored Youtube videos before, affiliate links found on her Youtube and Instagram likely perform better than a sponsored video because they feel more organic to viewers.
15. Coupon Caroline (@couponcaroline) - At 140k followers, Coupon Caroline has partnered with major brands Crest, Walmart, Costco, and Schwinn Bicycles, among others. Caroline’s posts have a potential reach of over 150k and have reached engagement rates as high as 15%. If you’d like to see how Tagger’s platform quickly and efficiently finds the perfect influencers for every need and category, we’re happy to show you how we do it! schedule a live demo

If you or your brand participates in any form of online advertising, chances are you’ve been hearing a lot about cookies lately (and no, I’m not talking about the chocolate chip variety). As Google and Apple change their privacy settings, marketers are learning how to respond to the updated digital advertising landscape.

These changes have big implications for the future of online marketing and we’re here to help break down the basics and shed some light on how marketers can best respond.

What's a Cookie?

In real life, cookies are one of my favorite snacks. In the internet world, they’re not as tasty - digital cookies are a small packet of alphanumeric data that are left behind on a user's device as they navigate various pages of a website. Some cookies are functional; like eCommerce cookies remembering what products you've added to your cart as you continue to shop on a website. Other cookies are placed on websites by developers to give usage data to third parties - giving advertisers valuable (and anonymous) data to use in audience targeting.

Who uses Cookies?

There are just a handful of tech giants that have a monopoly on consumers' digital data - namely Facebook, Google, Amazon and Apple.

We all know that currently the internet is largely "free", but powered by advertising. The cost is data that consumers have willingly given platforms to be used by advertisers by accepting the terms and conditions to use these platforms. The upside for consumers historically has seemed great - free platforms (Gmail, Facebook/Instagram etc) with the "minor" cost of giving up personal data.

Several advertising platforms - especially Facebook and Google - have touted robust solutions using native data (aka platform usage data) and third-party cookie data to identify audiences on their platforms. Not only could you target advertisements to individuals who have shown interest in your brand or things that might be related to your brand, you could create lookalike audiences, which find people most similar to the audiences that are most important to an advertiser (i.e. a similar audience to current customers, or past purchasers).

What’s changing with Cookies?

• Apple has very publicly taken a "consumer first" approach to how they handle user data, and in April 2021 made changes to their iOS software that gives the end user easy access to changing the way data is passed from their devices (mostly iPhones) to various platforms.
• By making it easy for consumers to turn cookies "off" at the individual app level OR universally across all apps downloaded on a user's device, it has made marketers' jobs exceedingly more difficult in various ways. Most marketers have had to make drastic changes to measurement/attribution and importantly - finding new & incremental audiences.
• Just 4% of people are currently allowing their data to be shared with new apps they download, and an estimated 25% have opted into sharing their data with Facebook.

What do these changes mean for marketers?

Marketing teams across agencies & brands, both big & small, are having to make adjustments to how they allocate their budgets between various platforms. In a recent New York Times article, one small business that has heavily relied on Facebook advertising revealed that since the iOS changes their revenue dropped 60%.

Loss of cookie data gives machine learning-based platforms like Facebook and Google less signals for optimization, meaning advertisers could be investing the same amount into media year over year and seeing a significant decrease in results, revenue etc. due to advertisements being shown to less relevant or qualified audiences than before the iOS changes.

What can be done to minimize fallout from these changes?

In two words: Influencer marketing.

Marketers are craving replacements to their "traditional" digital advertisements, and working with influencers is one of the best ways for brands to reach a specific audience without giving any additional media money to the monopolistic tech giants.

Tagger has a unique opportunity with the current data, privacy and cookie landscape. Not only is Tagger the most data-driven platform for influencer discovery, the data we have is completely public and available via API vs stored in cookies.

Want to learn more? Request a demo and we’ll show you how our all-in-one platform helps marketers with every step of the influencer marketing process.

Gratitude, balance, mental health, meditation, therapy… it may surprise you to learn that one of the most engaged-with categories on social media is 'Mindfulness.’

At its best, social media shines a light on issues and resources that help viewers live a better off-line life. In this fast-paced digital era, accounts that address the mental and emotional journies of their followers are seeing a hugely positive response, not just online but in real life as well. Many mindfulness and meditation experts are turning towards social media to reach bigger audiences, ultimately partnering with health brands and ‘becoming’ influencers.

In a world where many seek solace from "mindless scrolling,” mindfulness influencers are garnering incredibly loyal audiences of highly-engaged followers. These mindfulness-based creators have achieved lucrative book deals, sold-out events, popular membership programs, and of course, successful brand partnerships.

Using Tagger's unique affinity tool coupled with our powerful mentions tracker, we discovered these mindfulness creators seeing incredibly high engagement and explosive growth.

1. Lalah Delia (@lalahdelia) - Featuring a growth spurt of over 70% since July 2021, Delia’s platform has more than doubled the engagement of Instagram’s benchmark. Delia’s mental health and spirituality resources are substantial as a spiritual writer, wellness educator, certified spiritual practitioner, and author. Delia’s features sponsored mentions from Girlboss, Athleta, and Cadillac.
2. Devi Brown (@devibrown) - Devi Brown is a master well-being educator, host of podcast Dropping Gems, and the founder of Karma Bliss. Among all of this, Brown has also partnered with Old Navy, Clorox, and BMW on her Instagram.
3. Sharon Salzberg (@sharonsalzberg) - With 11 books, a podcast, and a multitude of guest appearances on other podcasts, it’s a wonder Salzberg also has time to devote to teaching others meditation through free webinars. Salzburg has had an 8% increase in her following over the last 90 days, and her work is featured on social media by mega-influencers and celebrities.
4. Latham Thomas (@glowmaven) - Featured on Oprah’s Super Soul 100 list, Thomas encourages embracing optimal wellness and spiritual growth as a pathway to empowerment. Also the owner of Mama Glow and author of “Own Your Glow,” Thomas’ has nearly 90 sponsored posts on her platform, which has also had a high influx of followers since June 2021.
5. Katie Abey (@katieabey) - Katie Abey is an artist who encourages open mental health discourse through her drawings. Abey’s art has grown her platform to nearly 60k with a steady positive growth rate. Through her artwork, Abey has partnered with Happy Socks, Etsy, and The Happy Project.
6. Davidji (@davidjimeditation) - Stress-management expert, author, and meditation teacher, Davidji has a steadily increasing Instagram and Youtube following. His Youtube featuring lengthy guided meditations alongside emotional intelligence and happiness tips, Davidji has grown to a following of over 25k on the platform.
7. Susan Piver (@susan.piver) - Susan Piver is a Buddhist meditation teacher and founder of the Open Heart Project, a fully online mindfulness meditation center. Piver is also a 9-time NYT bestseller and regularly offers meditation workshops on her platform. With regular features on mindfulness podcasts and collaborations with other creators in her space, Piver has steadily built her community of over 11k.
8. Lauren Ash (@hellolaurenash) - Wellness visionary, Ash is the founder of @blackgirlinom, the host of Black Girl in Om podcast, and a teacher of yoga, meditation, and Spirit-led living. Ash has over 50 sponsored mentions on her Instagram from American Express, COS fashion, and a variety of other brands.
9. Gabrielle Bernstein (@gabbybernstein) - #1New York Times bestselling author of eight books, Bernstein’s expertise in spirituality and meditation has led to other outlets, including online classes and even an app. Bernstein has sponsored partnerships with LuluLemon, Healthline, and multiple other brands on her Instagram, her profile recently growing to an audience of over 1M.
10. Amanda Gilbert Meditation (@amandagilbertmeditation) - Meditation teacher and an actual Professor of Mindfulness, Amanda Gilbert’s offerings of home meditation and book resources for her followers have helped her account grow to 8k. Gilbert’s micro-influencer presence has increased by over 5% in the last 90 days, and she has collaborated with Evenflow meditation app, FitOn, and other health companies.
11. Ambi Kavanagh (@alchemyambi) - Author and podcast host Kavanagh is the founder of two companies specializing in sound baths and sound bath candles. Kavanagh’s knowledge of alchemy has been featured in Vogue, Well + Good, and The Hollywood Reporter. Between these features and sponsored partnerships with Feeding America, Spiritual Gangster, and Equinox, Kavanagh’s platform has a steady engagement at and above the Instagram benchmark, depending on the content type.
12. Vishen Lakhiani (@vishen) - Founder of @mindvalley, Lakhiani is an entrepreneur, activist, and author devoted to raising human consciousness. He’s partnered with a variety of brands, including Mind Valley, for social media collaboration.
13. Erika Polsinelli (@inkale.exkale) - Erika Polsinelli’s brand and community Evolve has helped her followers explore mindfulness and meditation through Kundalini breathwork. Partnerships with Lululemon, the GFB, and Cure Hydration have all been featured on her Instagram. With a steady engagement rate of 2.4%, Polsinelli’s collaborations drive high ROI.
14. Gala Darling (@galadarling) - Focused on EFT Tapping and Manifestation, Gala Darling’s work has been featured in Vogue, Forbes, Oprah, and NYT, among other publications. Darling’s platform has a steady growth rate thanks to her podcast, books, and various classes on manifestation and meditation. Found on almost all platforms, Gala’s Youtube specifically sees anywhere from 1.3k-3k on her videos.
15. Alexandra Elle (@alex_elle) - Author of “After The Rain,” among other books, Elle is a wellness consultant focused on building self-care practices through literature and language. Elle offers self-care writing and meditation courses focused on mindfulness through writing. Her Instagram features over 30 sponsored posts from various brands, including Bank of America, Larabar, and Google.
16. Marzi Wilson (@introvertdoodles) - Marzi Wilson is the artist and author behind the Instagram account “Introvert Doodles,” where her visual representations of mental health and mindfulness have made their way in published books. Wilson has an engagement rate of 3% and has partnered with BetterHelp, Mental Health America, Healthline, and FabFitFun.

If you’d like to see how Tagger’s platform quickly and efficiently finds the perfect influencers for every need and category, we’re happy to show you how we do it! schedule a live demo.

Last week, social media giant Facebook confirmed the rumors that had been floating around the interwebs for weeks; they have officially announced that the overarching company name for all of Facebook’s brands will now be “Meta”.

Much like Google’s launch of their parent company ‘Alphabet’, Facebook will now fall under the umbrella of the newly minted ‘Metaverse’. The Facebook social media app itself will still retain its infamous name, but all their various products and projects will now be owned by ‘Meta’, not ‘Facebook’.

In a publicly posted “Founder’s Letter”, Mark Zuckerberg made it clear that the social media company will be operating from a Meta-centric model;

“From now on, we will be metaverse-first, not Facebook-first. That means that over time you won’t need a Facebook account to use our other services. As our new brand starts showing up in our products, I hope people around the world come to know the Meta brand and the future we stand for.”

The decision comes after a difficult few months for the company; after facing intense scrutiny in recent press, as well as a steadily declining user base in the youth market, Facebook is hopeful this announcement will infuse some new energy and enthusiasm into their brand.

As to the reasoning behind the name, ‘Meta’, Facebook explained that the new name aims to capture their commitment to the full spectrum of the social-digital experience. The family of apps will be one side of Metaverse’s business (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp) and their Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) technologies will comprise the other.

In the same founder’s letter, Zuckerberg goes on to explain how the launch of ‘Meta’ will impact the way we use and interact with technology on a daily basis, further incorporating social media into our real life experiences.

“The defining quality of the metaverse will be a feeling of presence — like you are right there with another person or in another place. Feeling truly present with another person is the ultimate dream of social technology. That is why we are focused on building this.”

Time will tell how social media users embrace this new way of experiencing social technology. For now, audiences seem eager to see what’s next.

Planning for the 2021 holiday shopping season has many marketers looking to social media data for insights. After the pandemic, one thing is certain: the way people shop has changed forever with more and more business being done exclusively online.

There are many things to consider about these new consumer habits including seeking vs. browsing, generational differences, and allowing time for exchanges and delivery challenges.

Truly smart marketers will take into account both changes in customer behavior as well as overall industry trends. Here are some data-based insights for how brands can optimize their marketing strategy for the 2021 Holiday Season.

Changes in consumer behavior; past data informs future projections

Perhaps the biggest overall change in how we shop in a post-pandemic world isn’t just the increased share of online purchases versus in-person shopping, but also the thought process of how we make a purchase decision in the first place.

Whenever people want to make a decision about anything these days, they go to the web to do research first, and holiday gift giving is no exception. Because of the emphasis on research, consumers have largely adopted a “seeking” versus “browsing” shopping strategy.

Before the pandemic, it was about a 50-50 split of people making holiday purchases online and going into brick and mortar stores to browse for gifts. Now, most, if not all, consumers are actively doing research online to look for a specific item or product that meets their needs instead of browsing at a store and making an impulse purchase.

So how does this affect marketers in 2021? Adjust your strategy to reach your ideal customers through influencers whose opinions they already trust.

Influencer partnerships are one of the best ways to make reaching your target audience feel personal. The consumer has already actively chosen to follow that account, and therefore trusts what that creator has to say. If an influencer gives your product a good review or does a demonstration that appeals to the customer, it feels like organic research rather than targeted advertising.

Generational differences that affect the likelihood of purchase

An often overlooked aspect of influencer marketing is the fact that you’re not just trying to reach the person your product appeals to, but rather, you need to consider who’s actually doing the purchasing. For example, you might want to sell a t-shirt to an 18-year-old Gen Z’er who cares about eco friendly fashion, but if their mom is the one buying the shirt as a holiday gift, different types of content and different purchasing experiences will appeal to her versus to her child.

To make this insight work for you, make sure you work with influencers to talk about both the product and the purchasing experience. Offer a unique discount or free shipping code (this helps with tracking ROI as well!), and explain the return policy. When it comes to holiday shopping, ease of returns and exchanges is a major factor in whether or not a consumer will actually hit “buy now” or just abandon their cart.

It’s all in the timing

Over the past decade, holiday marketing campaigns have started easier and earlier with each passing year. This is because with each year that goes by, more people are shopping online versus in store, and when you shop online you need to account for estimated delivery dates delays.

Because consumers want that buffer time to receive, evaluate, and potentially return or exchange items, it’s always a good idea to start your holiday marketing as soon as October with the hardest push coming in November. Those weeks are the perfect window of time to maximize your share of voice in the marketplace and secure early bird purchases.

To capitalize on this insight, use a technology tool like Tagger to hone in on influencers who are currently reaching your target audiences and partner with them now. If you want even more bang for your buck, consider offering them a long term partnership! Brands that work with influencers on a long-term basis show higher ROI than one-off creator campaigns. This is due in large part to an increased feeling of “know, like, trust”; repetition is recognition, and recognition leads to familiarity and trust!

People are looking for deals and discounts on social media, now more than ever

Another reason people like to shop online versus IRL is because of coupons and deals. People are more likely to spend more than they originally intended in order to get free shipping or choose your product over another because of a discount code. One of the first places consumers look for discount codes? Their favorite influencers.

Someone interested in cookware will know they can get discount codes from their favorite food blogger because they’ve followed her for a long time and have seen her talking about cookware brands in the past. Someone looking for a specific fashion item will go to their trusted fashion influencers to watch their try-ons and reviews. Whatever the vertical, people know influencers are offering deals and are likely to seek them out.

Influencers are the key to holiday 2021 success

If you'd like to learn more about how Tagger helps global brands and agencies identify which influencers will drive the highest ROI for their campaigns, be sure to check out our product page and schedule a demo!

Thanks to series like Project Runway and Netflix’s Next in Fashion, there are more avenues than ever for new fashion designers to get their start and launch a fashion line. But with social media, this jump-start has become more of a rocket launch with massive growth seen thanks to the promotion and partnerships of influencers!

While our regular lists are typically on specific influencers, we wanted to give you a peek into some brands that are actually benefiting from influencer marketing. Using the Tagger platform’s affinity tool, discovery filters, and mentions, we found these rising stars in fashion design whose social media are blossoming with the help of influencers.

1. Robert Wun (@robertwun) - London-based fashion designer Robert Wun’s platforms are all growing at a steady rate, with his Instagram at the highest growth rate of 11%. Wun has an incredible engagement rate compared to his benchmarks (seen in screenshot) and has over 1K individual mentions on Instagram and Facebook.
2. Dion Lee (@dionlee) - Established in 2009, Dion Lee’s eponymous fashion label has been pushing boundaries and growing its brand presence ever since. The fashion designer has dressed Zendaya and worked with 14 influencers since October 2020, likely contributing to their almost 6% growth rate.
3. Rachel Comey (@rachelcomey) - Fashion designer and label with stores in NY and LA, Rachel Comey has made a name for herself in the past couple of years- first with a product line at Target, and currently with the help of influencer marketing! With over 30 sponsored influencer mentions found about Comey on our platform, these posts have helped her reach as high as 750K impressions.
4. Apiece Apart (@apieceapart) - Founded by Starr Hout & Laura Cramer, Apiece Apart’s sustainable and ethically sourced clothing has made its way into Madewell and on over 2.5k social media posts. With only 6 of these mentions being sponsored, the brand has only begun to dip its toes into influencer marketing. With a reach of over 280k on their most recent sponsored mentions, their strategy so far is working!
5. Peter Do (@the.peterdo) - With his first New York Fashion Week this year, Peter Do has already amassed an impressive social media following on Instagram. A growth rate of almost 10% has likely been contributed to by the brand’s influencer partnerships which have reached over 800k users.
6. Ahluwalia (@ahluwalia) - Designed by Priya Ahluwalia, Ahluwalia has a 5% growth rate and steady engagement rate of 1.7%. With 3.6k individual mentions, the brand has 33 sponsored mentions with some reaching engagement rates as high as 7% and reach as high as 436k.
7. Chopova Lowena (@chopovalowena) - London-based designer and fashion line, Chopova Lowena specializes in crafting clothing from recycled fabric and deadstock materials while utilizing traditional crafting techniques. 570 mentions feature only 4 sponsored posts, but with non-sponsored posts reaching as high as 1.3M users, the brand has many influencers contributing to their earned media.
8. Kyle Luu (@kyleluu) - Well-known for their designs dressing Solange Knowles, Kyle Luu’s funky designs have been featured in the musician’s work on multiple occasions and were worn at the Met Gala. Luu has two sponsored mentions on Instagram and 1.7k unsponsored mentions with a reach as high as 3.5M.
9. Daniel W. Fletcher (@danielwfletcher) - At 379k followers on Instagram, Daniel W. Fletcher’s eponymous brand has experienced steady growth over the past two years, and 1K brand mentions from individuals. These mentions have reached as many as 5M users.
10. Minju Kim (@minjukim) - Winner of Netflix’s Next in Fashion 2020, Minju Kim is a South Korean fashion designer who has dressed celebrities Alexa Chung and Tan France among others. Kim has had a stark jump in growth since January 2020, and kept that growth steady ever since.
11. Thebe Magugu (@thebemagugu) - Based in South Africa, Thebe Magugu has partnered with 15 influencers over the last two years including CGI/digital influencer Noonoouri. Magugu has a growth rate of 11.89% over the past 90 days and has an impressive engagement rate as high as 11% on Instagram videos.
12. Brandon Blackwood (@brandonblackwoodnyc) - New-York based designer Brandon Blackwell’s fashion line has experienced major growth since launching in 2015. Featuring luxury handbags, Blackwood has partnered with musician Kali Uchis on influencer partnerships but most notably was featured in partnership with McDonald’s on their recent Saweetie meal. His steady growth rates on all platforms show no signs of slowing especially with celebrity and mega-influencer partnerships.
13. Kika Vargas (@kikavargas_) - At nearly 70k followers, Kika Vargas’s fashion line after her namesake has been growing at a rate of 10% in the last 90 days. Vargas’ line, based in Colombia, was named a LVMH Prize 2021 finalist. With 914 individual mentions, the brand has reached over 3M viewers in some of these posts.
14. Petar Petrov (@petarpetrovofficial) - Ready-to-wear designs from Vienna, Petar Petrov’s fashion line has over 800 individual mentions from various social media users. These mentions have likely contributed to Petrov’s steady 5% growth rate.
15. Mowalola Ogunlesi (@mowalola) - Mowalola Ogunlesi is the designer behind Mowalola, a London-based fashion line featuring unique clothing with experimental touches. Ogunlesi has been worn and mentioned by Naomi Campbell, Dua Lipa, and other high-profile celebrities. The brand also has a carousel engagement rate of 10%.
16. Jonathan Simkhai (@jonathansimkhai) - Founded in 2010, over 10 years of brand growth shows on Jonathan Simkhai’s social media. Simkhai’s eponymous fashion line has 73 sponsored mentions from influencers and celebrities including Kate Upton, Victoria Justice, and Lori Harvey.
17. Angel Chen (@angelchenstudio) - Angel Chen’s namesake line has been donned by fashion influencers and celebrities as well as participated in collaborations with Addidas. Chen’s London-based brand is seeing steady growth towards 200k.
18. Rosie Assoulin (@rosie_assoulin) - New York designer Rosie Assoulin has grown by 5% in the last 90 days, reaching almost 350k followers. Assoulin’s brand has partnered with nearly 24 fashion influencers with engagement rates averaging at the 4.5%.

If you’d like to see how Tagger’s platform quickly and efficiently finds the perfect influencers for every need and category, we’re happy to show you how we do it! schedule a live demo

Finding the perfect creators for a new influencer marketing campaign can be a daunting task, even with the help of a technology platform. Starting from scratch every single time you get a new brief means you have to narrow down the pool from millions of social profiles using multiple search filters, often using the same set of filters over and over.

If you know you’re going to be running social media campaigns for a particular brand or vertical more than once, it’s incredibly helpful to create your own talent pool from which to draw influencers you already know have been vetted and approved. Curating a list of influencers for your organization can cut your sourcing time in half, making your pre-campaign planning and outreach more efficient and effective.

Of course, you should always continue to add and curate your lists of influencers based on new use cases and experiences. You can make note of people you’ve worked with on past campaigns and would enjoy partnering with again. Essentially, having the means to create your own curated list of online creators can be an incredibly valuable step in saving your agency or brand time and money in the influencer hiring process.

Once you’ve curated a list of creators who would be a good fit for your brand or client, you can use data points like audience demographics, audience location, creator location, language and more to narrow down the pool for each use case rather than having to start from scratch each time.

Here are a few real-life examples of campaigns where marketers have employed the use of curated labels for lists of pre-approved influencers to save time and resources as they execute campaigns (brand names have been removed for privacy reasons)...

• A global makeup brand is planning a new mascara release. Instead of filtering through millions of profiles, they can instead go to their pre-curated list of 200 makeup creators, then apply the necessary filters to just that list of people to hire their top 25 choices for their budget and needs.
• A sneaker label is releasing a limited edition shoe at New York Fashion Week. They need the influencers they partner with to have a majority of their following based in New York City in order for the campaign to be effective and drive ROI. Instead of running an entirely new influencer search across all platforms, they can apply audience demographic filters to the list of known influencers who have an affinity for their brand.
• A food brand is only sold in one country and needs to spread the word online among the foodie influencer crowd. They can create a pre-approved list of creators all of whose followings are based in the country where their product is sold/can be shipped.

At Tagger, we’ve made it easy for our users to save lists of pre-approved and vetted influencers with our Labels feature. Users can curate, save, update, and share lists of creators all on platform, thereby eliminating the need for outdated spreadsheets or multiple platforms.

To see how we allow marketers to make their influencer discovery and hiring processes more efficient while helping them drive and report ROI, request a live demo. Already a Tagger user and want to learn how to take advantage of the Labels feature? Contact your dedicated CS rep!