CSUN On Point

In today’s world, influencers and bloggers are finding ways to make a living from their blogs and social media.

Many manufacturers and companies compensate influencers to promote their products on their websites through collaborations and with endorsements. These influencers can make a living using their blogs and social media accounts. They use websites and Instagram accounts to express their interests in new products and trends, in fashion, beauty, child care, sports, health, home design, etc. Some bloggers and influencers have access to a large audience and can generate a strong reach, and profits for their sponsors. Some famous influencers like Andrew Defrancesco have even made great name in the field of fashion. If you need tips, you can get in touch with him on his website.

But influencers and bloggers have to be creative and fast in producing content that will keep their audience hooked.

“With content moving that quickly, you have to be able to get people to stick around,” CSUN Journalism Professor Benjamin Davis said. “It will be so easy for them to leave. So you want good compelling information, good content, and you want to be able to take advantage of the new technology that is coming along.”

Many successful influencers started blogging as a side job or a hobby. When they start making money, they may decide to dedicate themselves to blogging full time.

“The first thing [if you decide to be a full time influencer] would definitely be to figure out who you want to talk to, and who you want to write for,” blogger Gwen Lane said. “Really getting clear on that audience was something that really helped me in the beginning, and really sticking to that audience, and … figuring out what their challenges are, and how you can help them, [is the key].”

Lane said bloggers have to be consistent with their content, and keep a look out for what their audience wants to see from them.

“I am always talking audience first,” Lane said, ” because when you know who your audience is, then you know what they want to hear from you, and what kind of content would resonate, and also what you want to be talking about in your content.”

Lane said influencers and bloggers take their work seriously because it is their job, not a hobby, and they have to articulate and think about every detail they put out to their audience.

“It’s audience first,” influencer Ali Levine said.

Moderator: Alexis Carfago

Anchor: Sofia Gutierrez

Social Media Editor: Scott Geirman

Reporters: Alexis Carfagno, Joy Edonwonyi, Claudia Flores, Scott Geirman, Sofia Gutierrez, Melissa Rodriguez and Melina Rudigkeit

In today’s digital age, businesses are using social media more and more to advertise their products.

A recent eMarketer study shows that $180 billion was spent on advertising last year, a five percent growth from 2004. Statistics show that digital advertising is leading the increase in ad spending, with spending for mobile networks in the lead.

Marketing analysts say the shift in ad spending has to do with what consumers are focused on, and the current focus for many consumers is social media. “Social media as a platform has been successful in reaching consumers and making connections,” said Dr. Kristen Walker, an associate professor in the CSUN Department of Marketing.

Marketing experts say the increase in digital advertising spending has to do with the increased amount of time consumers are spending on their mobile devices. eMarketer reports that adults in the US spend about two hours and 51 minutes on mobile devices each day.

“Google is already veering towards sites that are built for a mobile user,” said Apex Digital Media founder Dustin Peterson. “You’ll get a higher search ranking if you’re optimized for a user on their iPhone.”

Statistics show that Google accounts for about 45 percent of all digital advertising spending, but social media sites like Facebook and Twitter are growing.

Advertising experts say those social media platforms give advertising firms a way to connect with consumers. “If someone clicks on a link you can tell where that person came from,” Peterson said. “A lot of times you can cookie their browser and serve them follow-up messaging.”

A recent Gallup poll shows that 62 percent of people say viewing ads on social media does not influence their spending activities, but some marketing experts disagree.

“Consumers aren’t necessarily aware of how effective marketing can be,” Walker said. “Marketers can learn a lot about your interactions with people in your social media platform.”

Walker said digital marketing is going to get even more personal in the future.

“Consumers haven’t really figured out how many companies are gathering information about them and when they are gathering it,” Walker said.

“Because of the way that technology’s evolving,” Peterson said, ” I think everything’s going to be personalized based on your likes, and things that you said you had interest in; you can already kind of see it happening”.

The trick is going to be finding the balance between personalization and privacy.

“The White House just released a draft of the consumer privacy bill of rights,” Walker said, “and there’s some discussion as to where that’s going in the future.”

Moderator: Kelsey Ducklow

Producer: Brenda Garcia

Anchor: Teresa Arevalo

Reporters: Wahid Lodin, Gloria Star and Alexis Wadley

The Pew Research Center reported recently that 72 percent of online adults use social networking sites. More than four billion videos are watched daily and more than three billion hours of video are watched a month. The widespread success of online media is providing entrepreneurs with many new ways to make their brand or business flourish.

“That’s how I make the majority of my cash, through promotions, reels or marketing videos, because everyone’s going to need to go digital at some point,” blogger Reina Royale said.

Statistics show over 50 percent of American consumers rely on blog posts when buying goods, and smaller businesses saw a 26 percent increase in leads due to blogging.

YouTube blogger Vanessa Watson provides segments like “Wellness Wednesday” on her site, offering her followers videos with tips for losing weight or preparing healthy meals.

Royale provides her online audience with “Royale Reports”, which include her take on pop culture, and the music and entertainment world.

“The reason why you’re probably gaining a following, is because the story remains authentic,” said Dr. Kristen Walker, an associate professor in CSUN’s Marketing Department. “When you come back to branding, it has to be something that’s consistent, and as long as you can stay consistent within that persona, you’re keeping and maintaining your community.”

Social avenues such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram are great barometers for gauging the reception of the content displayed by the bloggers or online businesses. Entrepreneurs who use social media and digital marketing techniques can get immediate feedback from their followers.

“Everyone loves my weight loss videos [on YouTube],” Watson said, “but it’s mainly to find a balance within myself. I don’t want to venture out what I don’t believe in.”

Experts and practitioners agree that successful digital branding is a process, which starts with making a list of what and whom to target.

Royale said the next step is to cultivate an audience, by finding people who are just as passionate as you are to support your brand, and then consistently following your plan in order to keep them.

“It’s sort of hashtag passion,” Walker said. “You guys are talking about what your passions are, and if you are passionate about things the consumer can connect to, then that’s when it works.”

Moderator: Jonny Green

Anchor: Jacquelyn Koenig

Digital Editors: Trene Todd and Jacquelyn Koenig

Reporters: Ben Ladiana, Brionna Lewis, Mihkel Teemant and Jacquelyn Koenig