The technology that makes smart glasses possible has existed for several years now. Those of you with long memories will recall Google trying and failing to get “Google Glass” off the ground, eventually giving up on the idea because the glasses were too bulky, and it couldn’t find a practical use for the hardware. Just because it’s possible to project digital images onto “smart” glasses and have content appear directly in front of people’s eyes doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a good idea. Officially, Google hasn’t given up on the idea. In practice, it’s been a long time since they announced anything new about it. That apparently hasn’t put Facebook off giving it a try.

It’s been a week of revelations and announcements for Facebook, with news ranging from the expectation that financial results for the second half of the year will be weaker than they were in the first half to the bizarre declaration that Mark Zuckerberg wants the world of the future to exist inside a “Facebook metaverse.” Buried among all that news was a startling announcement about smart glasses. The company is ready to bring them to the market, and we’re not just talking about any old glasses. Facebook has partnered with Ray-Ban to turn the idea into a reality. 

It’s not a secret that Facebook has been working on smart glasses for several years, but few people outside the company suspected that they’re as close to being ready for release as they are. While Zuckerberg stopped short of announcing a release date, he didn’t rule out the possibility that they might be available to buy before the end of the year. He might be hoping to get them to the market ahead of Christmas 2021, for which they’d be likely to be a popular gift choice for tech enthusiasts. However, those tech enthusiasts would want to know more about the specifications and features of the product before placing orders. While Zuckerberg spoke with great pride about the invention, he was light on details.

Aside from knowing that they’re about ready to launch, all we know about what they’re capable of is that they’ll allow their owners to do “some neat things.” Those are Zuckerberg’s words, not ours. We know more about what they won’t do than what they will. When discussing the idea in the past, Facebook has said that the glasses will come without an integrated display and won’t be classed as “augmented reality” hardware. That sits at odds with the company’s bold vision of a future where we all go to work in an augmented reality universe, but it might be for the best for now. It’s been experiencing issues with its Oculus Quest 2 headsets recently and has had to recall a batch from stores because the materials used in their construction have given people skin rashes. The issue is thought to have affected only a handful of users but was considered serious enough to temporarily withdraw the whole range.

Without an integrated display, it’s hard to picture what it is about the smart glasses that will make them “smart.” One possibility is that they’ll have a microphone rather than a display and will allow you to perform voice-operated tasks by connecting to your mobile phone. Another is that they’ll interact with an app on your phone to let you perform tasks like tint the glasses, although that seems more of a gimmick than a desirable piece of next-generation technology. Zuckerberg sees the product as a “step toward” augmented reality glasses than the arrival of the AR era, but how big a step is something that we’ll apparently have to wait a little longer to find out.

Facebook has a mixed history when it steps outside its comfort zone. Its biggest successes (aside from the social media website) have come by acquiring apps and services that were already successful independently, like Instagram and WhatsApp. Other initiatives, like a Facebook-hosted online slots page designed to provide all the services and attractions of an online slots website within the confines of Facebook, fell flat. If Facebook hasn’t been able to tempt online slots players away from OnlineSlotsUK.com with its own brand of slots, it might struggle to tempt people into buying smart glasses that don’t have a clearly defined purpose. Far more information will have to be released ahead of schedule if the company doesn’t want the concept to become an expensive failure. If this was a bet placed on one of the company’s online slots, we wouldn’t fancy its chances of success.

Although we still tend to think of smart glasses as an idea for the future, Facebook won’t be the first big company to bring such a product to the market. Snapchat’s (extremely niche) Snapchat Spectacles already exist. So do Amazon’s Echo Frames. The reason you haven’t seen hundreds of people wearing them out on the street is that the idea hasn’t caught on yet. As was the case with Google Glass, the issue is one of practicality and purpose. People haven’t yet been given a compelling reason to wear a heavier-than-normal pair of glasses just because they come with an internet connection. Facebook better have something up its sleeve if it wants to change that trend.

Aside from lacking technical details and specifications, Facebook is yet to declare what the existence and release of the new glasses will mean for its previous augmented reality glasses. A prototype product called Project Aria AR was revealed to the world in September 2020 and came with an integrated display. It’s possible that they’re still in development and will eventually be released after the (presumably lighter) Ray-Ban glasses have hit the market. Zuckerberg might want to test the water with “slightly” smart glasses before pushing “fully” smart glasses on his audience. That remains to be seen.

The unanswered question in this story is whether the average person is happy with the idea of walking around wearing what is, in effect, a computer connected to Facebook attached to their face for a significant portion of each day. Our answer to that would be “no” based on how these things have gone in the past, but perhaps this time things will be different. We suspect that we’ll know by the beginning of 2022.

Today, it’s nearly impossible to scroll through social media without seeing influencers pitch their favourite products and services to their followers. From regular posts or stories to long videos, you’d see how influencer marketing has dominated social platforms.

The great thing about influencer marketing is that it can quickly raise awareness and build your brand online, target your audience, establish win-win partnerships, and most importantly, generate leads and sales.

However, other marketers are hesitant in employing influencer marketing. This is why plenty of businesses and marketers still have questions about what influencer marketing is, how it is done, and its specific benefits to service businesses. After all, problems like fraud and influencer scandals can cause not only reputational damage to influencers but also to the products and services they pitch.

Considering these problems, you might want to ask: Is it worth it for my service business to employ influencer marketing? How can my service business benefit from influencer marketing?

I would definitely argue yes, and the 7 benefits of influencer marketing will prove it. Before that, let me define influencer marketing first.

What is Influencer Marketing?

Influencer marketing is a form of marketing where brands promote their products and services through recommendations or endorsements from content creators or influencers across the internet. These influencers are often found in social media, blogs, and even podcasts. Not only does influencer marketing raise brand awareness but also results in increased conversion and sales.

Why Is Influencer Marketing Best for Your Service Business?

Because it’s not just a trend that would go away. Influencer marketing is getting more popular and will continue to grow over the coming years, which is why now is the best time to use it in your digital marketing tactics.

• More people are becoming influencers – as social media platforms grow faster, there are more opportunities for people to become influencers. This means you have better chances of finding an influencer that already has your ideal audience as followers.

• More content options – influencers are creating better ways of promoting products and services (using videos to the next level) with the aid of new powerful social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook Live, IGTV, Tiktok, and YouTube.

• Influencers show people reality – people love influencers who show their mistakes and bad days. This kind of transparency drives people to trust and follow them. So, when they endorse your service business, followers are more likely to trust their choices. 

7 Benefits of Influencer Marketing

1. Increased Brand Awareness

The immediate benefit of influencer marketing is brand awareness. Most influencers have thousands, even millions of viewers. Based on that, when you partner with influencers (whose niche fits your service business), it will bring you excellent opportunities to reach these potential customers.

When social media users follow an influencer, they are highly exposed to all the products and services the influencer promotes, which means they will get to know more about your service business, your story, your offered solutions, and your overall agenda.

2. Gains Trust and Credibility

At its most basic, influencers are experts on what they do, which is why they have thousands or millions of followers who trust their opinions and recommendations. Influencer marketing is like having someone who brags about your accomplishments. And, partnering with someone external to your service business (that is highly trusted by your target audience), increases your company’s confidence and credibility.

For instance, when an influencer talks about how weak glutes cause lower back pain and recommends some products or services to alleviate this injury, it instantly establishes trust and credibility for the brand being promoted.

3. Reaches Your Target Audience

This is a big one. In every business, you need to make sure your service business is placed in front of people who are already interested in your services. With influencer marketing, you don’t have to spend more time to attract your audience – the influencer has already done this for you.

It is also shown that social media users spend plenty of time on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. So, when influencers feature or mention your services, you can connect to these people on the sites where they spend most of their time.

Additionally, influencer marketing expands your reach. You get a chance to market your services to everyone who follows them.

4. Better Content Strategy

Let’s be real, producing entertaining and fresh content regularly is not simple and easy. Sometimes you get stuck and will run out of ideas. Influencer marketing can help you fill these gaps in your content.

Influencers themselves can provide high-quality and engaging content that will bring significant benefits to your service business. They can create content with their own unique style that allows the audience to see your service business in a fresh light.

5. Drives Sales and Higher ROI

Research has shown how influencer marketing can provide businesses extremely high ROI. In fact, on average, it generates $6.10 in sales for every $1. This alone can guarantee that your marketing efforts are paid off. One of the reasons why this is possible is because influencer marketing helps drive high demand for the service.

6. Improves Your SEO

In Toronto, the best SEO agencies use influencer marketing to improve their search engine optimization (SEO) efforts. This is because influencer marketing produces greater prospects to increase visibility across the internet.

It helps your service website build diverse and strong link profiles (through influencers) that will boost your search rankings. Additionally, they can help you create unique and engaging content that is sharable, increasing your online authority.

However, before doing this, ensure your website is optimized to different devices to provide social users with a great experience. If you need some help, there are top-notch web development agencies in Toronto, and other major cities, that can improve your website.

7. Provides Value

The heart of digital marketing is to produce content that inspires, educates, and solves the problems of your audience. With influencer marketing, this has already been done. Influencers themselves are already in tune to provide for the needs of their followers. With this, you can leverage their content and at the same time give value to your target market.

Influencer Marketing For Your Service Business

Influencer marketing can be extremely beneficial, and service businesses should consider IT consulting in Toronto. Its advantages will always outweigh its costs as long as you get to choose the right influencers, the right audience, and the right content.

When done right, it can boost your visibility, improve lead generation, increase conversion rates, and promote trust and credibility among the target audience.