Key Takeaways from Social Media Marketing World

 

Are you lost at sea when it comes to social media? Leading voices in the field shared their insights at the recent Social Media Marketing World conference in San Diego. Here are some key points, straight from our notebooks. 

  • We are seeing an era of ‘reverse media fame'. Traditional media is now sourcing celebrities from social media, looking for talent on YouTube, Vine and Instagram.
     
  • Facebook referral traffic is down for everyone in the social media space, but Facebook Live continues to grow.
     
  • “Think Like a Fan” - give your customers unique access, conversations and insights.
     
  • Engagement is still very important across all channels.
     
  • Don't forget about email. Communicating with your customers via email is FREE. Don’t build your house on rented land - social networks can change the rules at any time. 
     
  • What’s the difference in value between your email subscribers and regular customers? Compare the two and react accordingly. 
     
  • It’s rare for customers to convert directly via social media. Most often the path looks more like:
    SOCIAL > CONTENT > RETARGETING > PPC > CONVERSION
     
  • If visitors from social are 3x more likely to convert, then IT HAS VALUE. Especially when you think of print advertising, which you cannot measure effectively. Use Customer Value to prove the value of social. Remember, however, that this depends on accurate tracking. 
     
  • Correlation vs. Causation. You cannot have perfect math in social marketing. Instead of looking for perfect numbers look at the impact. 
     
  • If someone says they don’t have time to hear about social/content then they don’t understand get the value of it. 
     
  • Think like the customer, empathize.
     
  • Social media as the campfire – how do we get people to warm up to our brand? This is a long process and takes some patience, but it’s not rocket science. Show your readers that you know them. Show them that you can be trusted. 
     
  • Warm readers come back to your site. Warm readers engage to build social proof. Warm readers share content. Warm readers trust your brand and follow CTAs. Warm readers will buy your products. “If you give, you’ll grow.”
     
  • For great video, think of the three 'C's:
    • Curiosity - Does it inspire wonder?
    • Clean - Can everyone watch?
    • Contagious - Would I share it?
       
  • For effective social marketing, think of the three 'G's:
    • Give - What value are you adding to the internet? No strings attached!
    • Gather - Find the right platform. Learn the heartbeat of the audience
    • Grow - Nurture your audience. Comment back. Going deeper vs. going viral
Jenny Cahill-Jonessocial media, conference notes, marketing