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Social media has drastically changed in the last 2 years, let alone the past 10. For example, the content format ‘stories’ was introduced to major players such as Snapchat just over a year ago.
And it’s now one of the most popular forms of content individuals are sharing.
When it comes to social media, you need to constantly keep in touch with the latest trends if you want to stay ahead of the curve and engage with your audience.
On May 24th, CEO of The Work Crowd and Chairman of the PRCA’s Independent Consultant’s Group, chaired a panel; experts in social media best practice and what makes award-winning campaigns, featuring:
Micaela Maciel on 2018 trends:
“Holding your phone upright with one hand gives you the opportunity to interact with the other. Consumers have become inherently lazy, as they zip through mobile sites and social feeds, they expect the experience to be seamless.They usually do not make the effort to turn their phone to expand the whole screen. Businesses need to adapt their contents so that it is ‘vertically friendly.”
“New video features from interactive polls to geofilters, stickers and augmented reality continue to reshape both the storytelling and the consumption experience -- opening up more ways than ever for brands to engage fans.”
“Horizontal video will continue as a format, of course. TV, movies and longer live streams are all widescreen, but we’ll continue to see more investment than ever in vertical video, simply because of the ergonomics of how we all hold our phones.”
“Video is projected to make up as much as 82% of all Internet traffic by 2020, a growing share of which will be live video content. 80% of consumers would prefer to watch live videos than other social content types.”
“Live streaming creates active engagement with audiences because it’s a real-time experience and is preferable for modern consumers who are on-the-go and multi-tasking. It also provides a connection to the audience that is immediate and effective, unlike traditional T.V.”
“Influencer marketing isn’t a new concept either. But the way that it’s being used on social media channels is definitely changing in 2018. Businesses are starting to turn to micro influencers for higher engagement, predominately on Instagram, especially as it’s algorithm favours engagement.”
“A micro influencer could be anyone from 1,000- 90,000 followers and there seems to be a particular sweet spot around 5-15,000. Micro-influencers have also proven to be an effective means for B2B employee engagement pieces.”
“The use of Augmented Reality on mobile devices provides a niche and engaging way for marketers to reach their target audience - it's quick, easy and very interactive.”
“We have already seen Snapchat roll out a new AR feature allowing users to their Bitmoji and project themselves or images into the real world through the app’s camera. And This year Apple announced the launch of iPhone 8 and iPhone X which provides users with new augmented reality experiences. Therefore its likely more social channels will plan on introducing new ways of integrating AR into their platforms.”
Veronica on remote working managing clients effectively and social media
“Quite often you will be working remotely and working with the CEO or Directors that may not know who you are or ever meet you. Due to this two issues may present. Your creative ideas may be shut down because they have never been done before or you could just be seen as an extra set of hands. It’s important to remember that you aren’t just extra support, your’re a consultant that can bring fresh and innovative ideas to their business. So be confident in your skill set and expertise!”
“Negotiation is important, not just for when you are negotiating your budget but when considering your role. Clarify your expectations. You need to understand where you fit in with the permanent team and your function as a social media consultant. Be assertive, especially when it comes to your ideas.”
Firoenza on creating award winning campaigns
Cannes Lions is the world’s biggest awards for creative and marketing communications, entertainment and design tech industries.
Firoenza provided two case studies of award winning campaigns, one a fictional instagram personality used to convey the issues surrounding alcoholism and the other, the most retweeted tweet since Ellen DeGeneres & Bradley Cooper Oscars selfie.
The first followed the exciting life of Louise Delange, who quickly developed a mass following of idolisers. It was eventually revealed that this persona was indeed a fake. As social media has become a platform to show one’s ‘highlights reel’, this campaign showed how hard it is to recognise addiction in those we love, especially through social media. This campaign shows the potential we have to use social media in creative and inspiring ways to provoke social change.
The second followed the story of a boy who tweeted an American fast-food chain, Wendy’s, who simply asked ‘how many retweets for a lifetime supply of nuggets?’ Wendy’s replied, ‘18 million’ and from there it became the most retweeted tweet at 3.4 million, showing how important it is to engage with your consumers on a personal and relatable level and to jump on opportunities the moment they arise.
“At the heart of building an award-winning campaign is consumer engagement but more importantly, that you are capturing the content of engagement to have something to share and show off. It’s also about being brave with your creativity and campaign’”
Join us for our next masterclass with the PRCA’s Independent Consultant’s Group on the 10th of July where we will be discussing ‘Crisis Comms in the Digital Age’. Register your free place here.