Our time at Social Media Week Austin may be over, but our growth from this event is just beginning! Check out some of the key take-aways from #SMWATX!
New Demographics
Catering to new demographics is what marketers are trained to do. However, Gen Z is giving the industry obstacles unlike anything they’ve ever seen or studied before. Bridging the gap between analog marketers and a demographic raised in the digital world is proving to be difficult. Gen Z values social media over sales and advertising, so it is important for marketers to consider the platforms of consumption when planning a campaign. Gen Z easily sees through an inauthentic brand message and is picky about who can be trusted with their time. Marketers are now encouraging companies to create a brand and portray that story in the most authentic way possible, on the channels that make the most sense for their message.
Authenticity
Being authentic and not hiding from the truth is starting to give a huge advantage to brands. Utilizing the transparency of social platforms provides an outlet for users to experience and see the genuine relationship that could be built with a brand. “Social is THE place to connect with the modern consumer,” says CMO of Spredfast, Jim Rudden. While accessibility to a brand on social platforms can lead to slip-ups, it also gives brands a chance to acknowledging the situation, receive feedback and interact with the audience on a 1:1 level. Listening to your audience is key! Their direct feedback is easily accessible through social and extremely valuable in curating your content.
Fashion and lifestyle blogger, Camille Styles, provided a prime example of how authenticity drives business as she explained the ins and outs of becoming a social influencer. Styles explained that her audience is quick to catch anything off-brand or not in her true voice. Authenticity boosts your brand engagement. Brands that stay true to their core values garner more attention and respect from their followers. In a world where engagement can produce real dollar revenue, winning content can truly support your growth trajectory. A great way to do so is by producing episodic content. Creating this content will expand its lifespan and reach since it is sporadically crafted based off of your strategy.
We’re in a customer experience renaissance. Customers evaluate a product largely in part by their brand experiences. It pays to show your customers some “love” and connect with them as often as possible by responding to their inquiries and/or acknowledging their commentary on social media channels.
Data Leads to Conversions
The great thing about social is that all of these connections with your customers can be measured and quantified. Evaluating this data is key to understanding the consumer. Let your data tell the story instead of forcing your content into a particular narrative. Data helps you understand your customer’s motivations and behaviors, providing tools to develop a customer road map for better marketing strategies.
Does your consumer prefer ___ content or —? Social engagement metrics will tell you.
Listening to these insights helps to form stronger connections between brands and consumers as you provide the consumer with value and entertainment. What questions do your customers typically have? Listening to those questions and providing timely responses through tools like messenger bots will only reinforce a relationship.
Fostering those relationships by tailoring your content to your consumer – or by even being responsive to their questions. For example, messenger bots are a responsive trend to the relationship between brand and consumer. Since the shift to social messaging rose in popularity, Facebook messenger bots add a personalized touch to automated messages that monetizes the space for marketers. This AI feature is the start to bringing consumers an effective user experience and bringing in more sales to digital marketers. Stronger relationships ultimately lead to higher conversions – and revenue for brands.
Implementing trendy strategies and maintaining the willingness to learn keeps our team strong and efficient!