Trends in social media: The Motherhood, one of the top influencer marketing agencies, scours the headlines so you don’t have to. Check back throughout the month for more!
Influencer Marketing Industry Resources
AI influencer discovery tools are changing how agencies cast creators – March 30, 2026
Whether an influencer campaign succeeds or fails often comes down to creator selection – and increasingly that’s a job being handled by AI. Dentsu, for example, has been using an AI agent system dubbed “Creator & Trends Studio” (CATS), which aids influencer selection decisions. In use since January, the tool is built around an API deal with Meta, and suggests creators based on typical factors like subject matter and profile, as well as whether they’re participating in a given social media trend.
For some Gen Z consultants, the hottest new exit opportunity is TikTok – March 29, 2026
- There’s a surprising new exit opportunity for elite consultants: social media and content creation.
- Three former consultants said they successfully leveraged their consulting experience for content.
- Corporate influencers are on the rise, from LinkedIn to TikTok.
The Complete Guide to ROI for Influencer Marketing – March 27, 2026
Measuring the financial return of influencer partnerships used to be something brands approached loosely—more gut feeling than science. But times have changed. Marketing budgets are scrutinized, acquisition costs climb every quarter, and stakeholders no longer tolerate campaigns without clear business outcomes. That’s why understanding ROI for influencer marketing has shifted from “nice to know” to “non-negotiable.”
Has Ambassador Marketing Taken Over Influencer Marketing? – March 26, 2026
For years, influencer marketing was the shortcut brands loved.Big celebrities, viral campaigns, perfectly curated feeds, viral Tik Toks. Pay for access to someone else’s audience and hope it translates into sales.For a time, it worked. But as feeds became crowded, audiences more sceptical, rates increased, and results became unpredictable, brands began noticing a harsh truth: influencer marketing can be expensive, and there’s no guarantee it works.
Influencer Alix Earle turned her worst insecurity into her first brand. This is her plan to monetize her 14 million followers and make it last – March 26, 2026
Yesterday, Alix Earle plastered the internet with the launch of Reale Actives, her first brand of her own. It’s a skincare brand designed to be safe for acne-prone skin, which she spent the past two years developing with Imaginary Ventures. But while Earle is just getting started as a founder, she already has a wealth of insight into marketing and how brands can reach consumers today. With 14 million followers across TikTok and Instagram, she’s one of the world’s most successful influencers. Her resume includes four Super Bowl commercials, an equity stake in the soda brand Poppi as part of her endorsement fee (which meant she benefitted from its $1.95 billion sale to PepsiCo), and sharing her wisdom with students at Harvard Business School.
Why B2B influencers are becoming media channels in their own right – March 26, 2026
Chris Peters explores how B2B influencers have gone from eye-roll territory to credible media channels in their own right, and what that shift means for how brands build trust, reach buyers and stay competitive. Not long ago, saying “B2B influencer marketing” in a serious meeting was enough to get a few eye rolls. That has changed quickly. What once felt like borrowed language from consumer marketing is now becoming a serious part of the B2B mix. Not because influence is new in B2B, but because social platforms have given it new shape, visibility and commercial relevance.
Influencer Data APIs: How Influencer Marketing Platforms Can Scale Creator Analysis – March 24, 2026
The influencer marketing ecosystem has evolved far beyond simple creator collaborations. Today, influencer marketing platforms are expected to process massive volumes of creator data, deliver real-time insights, and enable highly targeted decision-making.
80% influencer deals under $300, brands shift to UGC: Report – March 21, 2026
Influencer marketing is undergoing a structural shift towards low-cost, performance-driven campaigns, with smaller brands reshaping the ecosystem, according to Collabstr’s 2026 Influencer Marketing Report based on over 21,000 collaborations and 200,000 creators.
Influencer Marketing Is Entering Its Accountability Phase – March 20, 2026
For years, influencer marketing focused on awareness. Campaign reports highlighted reach, impressions and engagement, which justified spending while social platforms offered broad organic distribution. Now, with tighter budgets and increased scrutiny, marketing leaders face a direct question: What tangible results did this achieve? Statista reports that influencer marketing is now a multibillion-dollar global industry. HubSpot’s 2024 State of Marketing Report ranks it among the top channels for ROI; yet, as many of us have found, it can also be one of the hardest to measure clearly. That tension is exactly where the industry sits today.
Creator marketing needs measurement to truly thrive – March 19, 2026
The creator economy has earned a permanent spot in the marketing mix. What’s driving this success is simple: it works.
How Sam’s Club is Rethinking Customer Loyalty Through the Creator Economy – March 19, 2026
Consumers are reshaping the expectations and behaviors that will define grocery shopping for years to come. While cost remains king for most shoppers, things become more complex once the basics of competitive prices and freshness are covered. Trust, transparency, and shared identity are becoming real advantages for food retailers, and Walmart’s family of banners is taking note.
Is creator TV the next era of television? – March 17, 2026
TV has transformed before our eyes: A medium that was first dominated by networks and then cable companies has fast become streaming-centric. Could it now be time for the age of creator TV? According to the creator platform Spotter, that new age is already here. At its second annual Showcase event in New York, the company invited brands to listen to an upfronts-style presentation aiming to position longform YouTube creators as the next era of television. Creators like Dude Perfect, Jordan Matter, and Michelle Khare, which combined have more than 100 million followers, highlighted their content offerings and showed off previous successful collaborations.
Creators were all over SXSW. What does that mean for the industry? – March 17, 2026
The line between creators and traditional Hollywood is so blurry these days that even those with perfect vision are squinting. At SXSW this year, creator chat wasn’t hard to come by. Whether it was at the Creator Academy activation hosted by Sam’s Club (a major sponsor of the festival), on a panel about creators in Hollywood with Recess Therapy host Julian Shapiro-Barnum, or at any of the many brand events catered toward creators complete with Instagram-ready photo ops, internet stars are mingling with A-listers.
The ‘Staples Baddie’ shares the secrets behind her viral success – March 16, 2026
“It’s come to my attention that y’all don’t really know the full scope of what Staples does,” begins a recent TikTok video from Staples print specialist Kaeden Rowland that now has nearly 7 million views and more than 776,000 likes. “We can make ornaments, we can make mugs, shirts, backpacks, signs, posters…whatever you could need.”
Gen Z and Gen Alpha marketing playbook—what marketers need to know now – March 16, 2026
The marketing rules that many professionals built their careers on are breaking. Platforms now double as storefronts, chief marketing officers are becoming creators and Gen Z talent is reshaping how agencies operate from the inside. Ad Age’s NextGen Marketing Playbook, available to All Access subscribers, explores how marketing is being rebuilt from the inside out. As the eldest members of Gen Z prepare to turn 30 next year and the youngest are in their early teens, brand leaders must figure out the best ways to connect with them— on their terms. Below are takeaways from across the package, offering tips on how marketers can optimize their strategies, policies and practices.
Influencers Are Leaving The Feed And Entering The Real World – March 13, 2026
For years, influencer marketing lived almost entirely inside the scroll. Brands paid creators to post, audiences double-tapped, and the transaction ended there. That model is rapidly evolving. Today, corporations are treating creators less like social media talent and more like media infrastructure—trusted voices capable of distributing brand narratives across platforms, communities, and increasingly, the physical world.
‘Serious craft training’: How education is fuelling ethical influencer marketing – March 13, 2026
As influencer marketing budgets grow, education for both brands and creators could pay off – especially with verification potentially on the horizon. Influencer marketing is being used by brands in pretty much every sector. But before diving in, knowledge of the ins and outs could be essential for both marketers and creators.
Creator Economy 2026 – March 12, 2026
Smaller Influencers Rise While Amplification Spending Grows. Creators’ opportunities for monetization are growing. But several factors—including increased competition and social networks’ plateauing user growth and engagement—have begun to reshape how brands and advertisers approach partnerships with them.
In Defense of Influencers – March 9, 2026
The global creator economy is a multi-billion-dollar business—and it is only growing. According to Goldman Sachs, the sector should be worth $480 billion by 2027. With millions of creators worldwide, many of whom are generating income through brand partnerships, affiliate deals, and platform monetization, influencers are likely popping up any time you pick up a phone to scroll. And despite how you feel about influencers—love them, or hate them—they are undeniably impacting our culture, our economy, and our politics.
How Billion Dollar Boy became an industry-leading creator marketing power player – March 9, 2026
Brands have no shortage of options for where to spend their creator marketing dollars, from holding companies with newly acquired influencer agencies to creative shops or talent management firms that have rolled out their own creator offerings. Yet companies including Unilever, Johnson & Johnson, Kenvue and Ulta Beauty are putting their creator strategies in the hands of Billion Dollar Boy—and consistently ramping up their spending.
What Are Creator Recruitment Platforms and How Do They Work – March 9, 2026
Recruiting the right creators has become one of the most operationally demanding parts of influencer marketing. As brands increase their investment in creator partnerships, the process of identifying, evaluating, and onboarding creators is no longer a small task handled through manual outreach or direct messages.
Influencer pay lacks transparency: Here’s what the numbers say – March 6, 2026
As Americans spend more time on social media, influencers have become a go-to strategy for many advertisers hoping to reach scrolling consumers. U.S. annual creator economy ad spend is expected to reach $43.9 billion in 2026, an 18% increase from the year prior, according to data from the Association of National Advertisers. The group’s research shows that as more resources are directed to influencer marketing, industry professionals are beginning to reevaluate how they connect with and maintain relationships with both creators and agencies alike.
5 Influencer Marketing Tips For Success In Social Commerce – March 5, 2026
Social commerce is big today, and it’s set to get even bigger. According to EMarketer, U.S. social commerce sales will surpass $100 billion this year. What’s the key to brands building a social commerce strategy that works? Influencer marketing.
Influencer Marketing Benchmark Report 2026 – March 3, 2026
Influencer marketing has crossed a line. At this year’s Super Bowl, Salesforce set its eyes on one of the world’s biggest creators, MrBeast. In the teaser released ahead of the game, MrBeast walks into Salesforce’s offices, pitches the marketing team on an idea we don’t hear, and gets approval to “do anything” in the ad as long as it’s legal and features Salesforce products. He then hints that viewers “might become a millionaire.”
How the Creator Economy Has Changed Marketing and ‘Democratized the Launch of Consumer Products’ – March 2, 2026
Urban Outfitters last week rolled out ME@UO, its latest bet on micro-creators, joining brands like American Eagle, Express, Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Sephora that are reworking affiliate marketing into always-on, gamified creator programs. These creator programs reward smaller creators for consistent content, signalling a shift in how brands engage and scale influencer marketing. “It reflects a broader shift from broadcasting to building. The industry is moving past transactional influencer moments toward programs that create real participation and credibility over time,” explained Joe Berean, svp of marketing at Express, which launched its own creator program, The Expressionists.
Nonprofit
Marketing ‘Best Practices’ That May Be Holding Your Nonprofit Back – March 13, 2026
In a world where small entities are competing for the same audiences as conglomerates, the marketing approach a nonprofit takes can unlock significant opportunities and growth. When an organization is trying to break through in a crowded landscape, well-known marketing best practices can offer a useful starting point.
SOCIAL NEWS
Meta updates Edits with new fonts, templates and better search tools – March 29, 2026
Meta announced the latest round of updates for its separate video editing app Edits, including new font options, updated templates with motion and improved search tools to link to Instagram accounts.
Meta’s next subscription package could boost Instagram performance – March 29, 2026
Meta is seemingly close to launching its next subscription package, with various new explainer pages on Instagram Plus now added to the Instagram Help Center listings. The option has been in development for some time, with app researcher Alessandro Paluzzi highlighting several elements over the past few months that have been added to the back-end of the app, and could be included in the coming Instagram Plus package.
TikTok for Business introduces campaign to drive in-app shopping – March 26, 2026
TikTok for Business launched a campaign to highlight its evolving in-app shopping push. The new “Watch it. Love it. Want it.” promotion is aimed at showcasing how people increasingly use the app for product discovery and purchase.
YouTube brings updated tools to its creator partnership program – March 23, 2026
YouTube is updating its creator partnerships program to help facilitate brand deals. The company is rolling out a new, integrated system that will merge creator and advertiser tools into a single platform in order to make it easier to discover potential connections.
Human speech and presence help drive Reels engagement – March 22, 2026
With Reels videos driving the most engagement across Facebook and Instagram, many creators and marketers are looking for ways to optimize their Reels content approach and ensure maximum response to their short-form video uploads.
How Gen Z uses social media and what that means for brands – March 19, 2026
Before the 1960s, young people were seen as an undesirable marketing audience and mostly ignored. Everything changed with Baby Boomers. They were the largest and most influential generation in the history of modern consumerism, yet their social movements and corporate distrust confounded advertisers who had to completely rethink their playbooks. Sound familiar?
Edits adds more effects and enhanced editing controls – March 19, 2026
Meta’s Edits video creation app has announced yet another set of feature additions, which will provide more ways to customize and improve your video creations. Originally launched in April last year, Edits has quickly become a key element in social media creator toolkits, with a rapidly expanding array of video creation and customization options that can elevate projects for use on Instagram, Facebook or any other platform.
Facebook looks to lure high-profile creators with new program – March 18, 2026
Meta has launched another element in its evolving creator push, with its new “Creator Fast Track” program offering guaranteed monthly payments for popular creators on other apps to post their content to Facebook as well.
How to display a YouTube video, playlist, or channel on your Linktree – March 2026
With Video links, you can display videos or playlists from YouTube directly on your Linktree. This makes it easier for your audience to engage with your content without leaving your Linktree.
Instagram tests links in post captions for paying users – March 15, 2026
This could help Meta boost its Meta Verified subscriber count. Instagram is now allowing some Meta Verified subscribers to add links to their post captions, which has long been one of the most requested feature updates in the app.
Reddit publishes report on its B2B marketing opportunities – March 11, 2026
Reddit published a new report exploring B2B marketing opportunities in the app, which covers the capacity for Reddit discussions to drive B2B buying behavior despite the platform not traditionally being a major consideration in this respect.
TikTok showcases 8 women creators for Women’s History Month – March 9, 2026
TikTok showcased eight women creators on International Women’s Day (March 8) as part of the app’s celebration of Women’s History Month. The company is looking to highlight how women are driving key trends in the app and how TikTok is providing a platform for their voices.
Instagram, LinkedIn and Threads engagement declined in 2025 – March 8, 2026
Users who have noticed a dip in their social media performance metrics over the past year are not imagining things. Social media management platform Buffer published a report last week that examined social media engagement rates across Buffer’s 191,000+ monthly users, incorporating tens of millions of posts sent via Buffer’s social media posting tool throughout 2025.
TikTok ad campaigns drive movie ticket purchases – March 5, 2026
TikTok published new data on the effectiveness of TikTok ads in promoting film releases and how TikTok’s cultural influence drives box office sales. The report, created in collaboration with TikTok partner Samba, used Samba’s Box Office Lift measurement methodology to connect TikTok promotions to purchase activity, and examined how TikTok promotions directly impact ticket sales.
TikTok US users impacted by another problem at Oracle – March 4, 2026
The transition of TikTok from China-based management to U.S.-based ownership hasn’t exactly gone smoothly so far. The U.S. version of the app has suffered several major outages that have led to significant user frustration and sparked speculation of interference by U.S. authorities. And now, TikTok U.S. is once again dealing with the fallout from a local data center issue, with TikTok USDS JV (the official name of the new U.S.-based TikTok entity) informing users of another problem.
Almost half of US consumers use TikTok as a search engine – March 2, 2026
TikTok’s value as a discovery tool is rising, according to a recent study published by Adobe, which incorporated survey data from 807 consumers and 200 small business owners from across the U.S. The report looked at the use of TikTok search, and examined how TikTok users were using the app to find relevant and valuable info.
Instagram opens up content scheduling to all users – March 1, 2026
Instagram has made its creator tools available to all public accounts in the app, giving more users more ways to create and manage their Instagram presence.
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