2016 SOCIAL MEDIA SURVIVAL GUIDE
YOUR WHAT, WHY & HOW TO SUCCEED THIS YEAR
Our prediction that social media will become more and more critical in 2016 shouldn’t come as a big surprise. Our company is called Socialtyze, so…obviously. But marketing is changing faster than Taylor Swift changed her outfits between songs on the #1989WorldTour. New technology is popping up around every corner. New platforms are exploding. Audiences are becoming more and more fragmented, and their attention spans are simultaneously becoming shorter and more demanding. People are accessing media on multiple devices. They’re choosing with their wallets and their hearts. Data is more robust than ever, but it’s all for naught if you can’t find the insightful needle in the haystack that moves… the other, more important needle that your boss always talks about. So many things. So many questions. Here is our what, why and how for 2016. You’re welcome. Call us, maybe.
INTRO
Data is the underpinning of virtually everything we do as social marketers. From audience insights to content optimization to understanding the competitive landscape to targeting and retargeting the right people at the right time‌data is everything.
DATA, DATA, & MORE DATA
BIG DATA VS SMALL DATA
While the big data potential on social is limitless, brands are becoming more and more frustrated with the mountains of meaningless spreadsheets being thrust upon them.
Congratulations, 400,000 people are talking about you.
Business decisions don’t make themselves, and marketers need to extract very specific nuggets of data insights that shed light on cause and effect, and more importantly, recommended action(s).
Or that 28% love R Rated Comedies?
Did you know 15% mention your drive thru? Or that 48% love hockey?
BIG data is only as useful as the numerical learnings it can provide. Make this the year you look for “AHA” moments in your data.
E-Mail Fans
How are you using your first party data? Your e-mail lists, fans/ followers and website visitors are a goldmine and consistently outperform all other targeting groups. For example, we have found:
Credit Card Data
• First party data to be 31% more effective than all other targeting groups in building awareness.
Registered Customers
• Fan lookalikes are 28% more effective. • Fans convert 3.5x better than interest targeting for direct response campaigns. Website Visitors Followers
POWER OF 1 PARTY DATA
st
FIRST PARTY DATA + THIRD PARTY DATA = PSYCHOGRAPHIC, DEMOGRAPHIC, BEHAVIORAL INSIGHTS (In other words...lightning in a bottle)
Source: Socialtyze and Agora Social
ARCHE TY P ES 2 .0
Your voice in social begins and ends with your archetypes. Access to first party data and social listening now make it possible to truly get inside a person’s psyche and the various “headsets” they experience along the customer journey. Understanding who your customers are allows you to set a very specific tone and content strategy that will truly resonate.
day, do they benefit from being your customer. For example, say you sell arthritis medication. You don’t tell your story by saying “it will make your pain go away.” WHY do they want their pain to go away? So they can pick up their grandbaby and play in the snow. Why does someone want to save money? Why do they want to eat better? Why do they want to wear certain clothing?
The most important thing to ask is always WHY, at the end of the
Make a list of all the reasons and then tell those stories.
The creative side of what we do is arguably the most fun (at least that’s what our creative team says). But it’s also meaningless without a datadriven strategy, supported by white glove community management and amplification (that’s also data-driven). By now, you’re probably starting to sense a theme here…
CREATIVE + ST RATEGY
The average person sees a staggering number of brand posts per scroll in their newsfeed. 2016 will be the year you need to come to the party with some thumbstopping tricks.
LO OK, MOM! SHINY NEW THINGS
Pretty photos are great (and super important), but this year, you will be competing with the likes of Facebook 360, an immersive virtual reality video experience that will take your lunch money at recess if you don’t come with your game face on. Facebook 360 racks up a ton of views because Facebook prioritizes it in the newsfeed (because Facebook does what it wants, basically). It also requires repeat viewings so that fans can catch all of the hidden Easter eggs in the video.
Also watch for more (and better): • Live Streaming (Facebook Live, Periscope, Meerkat) • Video • Cinemagraphs • GIFs Use social listening to determine what your audience cares and talks about. And, please, for the love of Amy Schumer and all that is holy, optimize your content for the platform on which it will live. And be seen. By all. Forever. For a crash course you can view our social media-sizing guide.
While we will continue to see all kinds of hot new content, Community Management is, and always will be, the most important thing you do as a social media marketer. We did a little experiment recently asking 10 different brands very simple product related questions and we waited to see which got back to us…and how quickly.
CO MMUNITY MANAGEMENT IS KING
• Brand 1: 15 minutes • Brands 2 and 3: Two hours • The Rest: On vacation in Hawaii (still)
According to a survey by The Social Habit, 32% of respondents who have ever attempted to contact a brand through social media for customer support expect a response within 30 minutes. And 42% expect a response within 60 minutes. Bottom line is you have to be more of a person and friend – tone and voice are critical but that also means being reliable, genuine and relatable, especially when someone needs you most. You can do all the fancy sh!t you want when it comes to content, but if you’re not a friend to your fans, you’re missing the point completely.
Believe it or not, the end of Charlize Theron and Sean Penn’s relationship wasn’t the most prominent ghosting of 2015. Snapchat ghosts, or “Snapcodes,” have begun permeating every corner of the internet and the real world, as more brands, publishers and celebrities flock to the platform in hopes of reaching its more than 100 million active users, who are racking up more than 6 billion video views per day.
KEEP ON SNAPPIN’ ON
History tells us that brands who are early adapters to emerging platforms end up head and shoulders above latecomers who sit a little too long on the sidelines. As Snapchat becomes
more brand friendly and its most influential users make it even more mainstream, 2016 will be the year that brands looking to reach a 13-24 year old audience will flock to it. The best uses for Snapchat for brands are product announcements, contests, behind the scenes access and special offers, to name a few, though tracking and measurement are still a major challenge for marketers. Snapchat still has a ways to go for advertisers, but as inventory grows, the platform will become more sophisticated, and you will want to be sitting at that table.
Source: Wall Street Journal
We fell in # with the concept of Story Starting this year. You always hear people talk about storytelling. But let’s face it, on social, no one likes to be talked at.
GATHER ‘ROUND FOR STORY TIME
The genius behind story starting is that rather than shouting one way messages to people who are probably more interested in watching videos of all the people who almost died riding their Hoverboards at Christmas, you focus on starting a story and let your people do the rest.
It’s no secret that people love to talk about and take photos of themselves. According to data from Samsung, selfies make up almost one-third of all photos taken by people aged 18-24. Give people an incentive to become brand advocates and you can increase your reach exponentially – in fact, an average of 1,000 more impressions per UGC social post. Amplify your message even further by seeding Influencer Generated Content.
Source: Samsung, Crimson Hexagon. Socialtyze Analytics & J. Walter Thompson
A recent survey from Aflac found that two-thirds of millennial respondents are likely to invest in a company well known for its corporate social responsibility program, compared with less than half of adults over 34. And according to a study by Horizon Media’s Finger on the Pulse, 81% of millennials expect companies to make a public commitment to corporate citizenship.
FIND YOUR ETHOS
What do you, as a brand, care about? What do your fans care about? Figure that out and then weave that into your story, consistently and authentically. Are you about people development? Sustainability? Education? 2016 is the year we go beyond just “targeting millennials.� Tell a story beyond your product or service. Make me care, make me believe, and then I will be your friend forever.
So now you’ve got all this amazing, data-driven content. Now what? Now…people need to see it. Doing media the right way on social may seem like a daunting task, no matter how big or small your budget is. There are so many platforms, so many calls to action and so many, ahem, ways to use data, you don’t even know where to start.
M E DI A + A MPL I F I CAT I O N NOT TO WORRY. TURN THE PAGE
Not all platforms are created equal. Choose the ones that align with your brand and the specific goal(s) of your campaign. The first, most important step is to zero in on one specific goal, whether it’s engagement, views, email sign-ups, app downloads, trackable sales, or whatever else. Then you back into your campaign strategy from there.
FAC E B O O K ≠T W I T T E R ≠I N STAG RAM ≠ S N AP C HAT ≠P I N T E R E ST
Select the social networks to run on for good reason and build creative that is customized for the context of each platform. If budgets are limited, stick with one or two networks. Spreading limited dollars across several platforms may feel like you’re casting a wider net, but it is sure to produce lackluster results.
CONTINUE TO SEE OUR BREAKDOWN
FACEBOOK:
TWITTER:
INSTAGRAM:
PINTEREST:
VINE:
SNAPCHAT:
With 73% of the U.S. on Facebook, it’s clearly the juggernaut and makes sense for all non-teen brands. It’s excellent for longer-term storytelling, direct marketing and awareness building.
Twitter, on the other hand, has NOT proven itself as a great direct response vehicle but
We are currently having a love affair with Instagram for many reasons. As the younger sibling
Pinterest is 84% Women and is one of the best spots on the web to find people who are in
Vine is perfect for the teen and twenty something audience with a short attention span
Like Vine, Snapchat is ideal for a younger audience with 71% of the users under the age of 34.
it is excellent at generating buzz and keeping your brand relevant and top of mind during real-time events.
to Facebook, it will inherit many of the ad tools that have been vetted and perfected over the past seven years. We are particularly excited about Instagram as a direct response vehicle and have already seen great success with its Reach & Frequency offering. It’s also ideal for the under 35 crowd, which makes up 90% of its audience.
the decision making process of the customer journey. Seventy percent of Pinterest users are on the platform to get inspiration on what to buy, make or do. Brands that perform the best here are ones that can sell their products in an aspirational and visual way, such as fashion, home goods and publishers.
and a love for humor and/or creatively crafted videos.
In addition, it’s ideal to reach college students. Seventy seven percent of all female college students and 50% of all male college students share selfies on Snapchat.
Source: DMR, Statistica and Pew | 2015
If a company posts on Facebook without paid media, does anyone ever see it? Good question, we’re so glad you asked.
PAI D VS. O R GAN I C R E AC H O N FAC E B O O K
While brands need to buy media to be relevant on Facebook, we seem to have discovered a silver lining. With paid media, Facebook will amplify both your “sponsored” and organic reach, making your posts even more valuable and allowing your message to be more visible – between 57% and 710% more to be exact.
In order to draw definitive conclusions, more analysis needs to be done, but the trending correlation is pretty clear and the benefits are tough to ignore. Brands that are relying solely on organic reach for their posts are becoming less and less relevant as the Facebook algorithm favors paid customers. While this is tough news for some, we see an upside. The pairing of organic and paid allows media buyers and community managers to work together to maximize results.
Digital advertising has gone a bit
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of the people who see them.
saw a 55% increase in budget over
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among marketing executives.
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T HE AD (ST U M B L I N G ) B LO C K
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Influencer Marketing will be the
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biggest winners from the shift away
this year.
from traditional digital display.
With ad blocking eating away at digital display ads, publishers and media companies will be aggressively seeking new revenue opportunities to replace lost ad inventory in 2016. Consider that MTV and Nat Geo have 48 MM and 38 MM fans on Facebook, respectively, but make little to no ad revenue from this or any other social platform.
TH E R I S E O F SPONSORED S O C I AL CO N T E N T
The announcement of Facebook’s Instant Articles has begun to change this dichotomy by creating a new social digital publishing model that allows content producers to publish on Facebook with rich instantly
loading articles that can also carry advertising. We predict that other social platforms will follow suit to allow their newsfeeds to become more interesting and sticky - and of course, keep anyone from leaving. Ever. We also see brands partnering with publishers to create more integrated content marketing programs in the form of socially enabled microsites and apps. In 2016, look to partner with relevant media companies on social to leverage their talent, marketing genius and vast reach. And then hang on for the ride.
Rumors of the death of e-mail have been greatly exaggerated. As brands continue to localize, segment and otherwise make email marketing personal again, this channel is your long lost friend when it comes to connecting with customers. This year, think less about demanding immediate conversion with your ads (after all, nobody proposes after the first date) and more about committing to a longer term, more effective approach that allows customers to get to know you via email and ad retargeting campaigns. “How do I collect more emails?� (You ask such great questions.)
E M AI L I S YOU R F R I E N D
Run paid media acquisition campaigns in social and measure success by comparing your new lists vs. your existing list based on cost per acquisition, engagement, sales or other KPIs.
Another more powerful method is focused on Giving to Get. Build engaging social experiences efficiently via microsites and use Facebook Authentication or email submission forms as a requirement to participate. Users can enjoy a branded experience, become eligible to win something and join your email list. And, through email capture and retargeting, you will develop an ongoing connection that nurtures loyalty.
Case Study: Warner Bros. partnered with a sponsor to create a Halloween Quiz called “Trick or Trivia,” which collected 44,000 new e-mails. After 4 e-mail drops, the new list performed as follows: • 35% open rate (nearly 2x their average) • Converted 1,000 new e-commerce customers • Unsubscribe rate well below 1%
Allow influencers to become your creative directors Image by Julie Lee for Veggie Grill
Influencer marketing is word of mouth at scale, and is poised for fantastic (continued) growth in 2016 A few reasons why: • In the first half of 2015, marketers have achieved $9.60 in Earned Media Value for every $1 spent
IN FLUE N C E R S A R E YO U R B E ST- ER F R I EN DS # S Q UAD G OA L S
• 81% of Marketers said their influencer marketing efforts have been effective • 84% of brands expect to launch at least one campaign in the next 12 months The single most important tip we can offer in 2016 is Choose. Influencers. Wisely.
Make sure you use social listening technology to query the fan base of your influencers before selecting them. You may be surprised at what you find. One influencer that we queried for a health and fitness brand seemed like a perfect match, but the data showed that her followers were largely 13-24 year old male gamers. Probably not the best audience for a fruit and nut bar. For more insight, see our 6Ws of Influencer Marketing – the Why, Who, Where, When, What & Want.
Source: eMarketer and Schlesinger Associates
So you fought alllll year to get a media budget. And you got one (high fives all around)! If you want to continue with said budget – or even get an increase down the road – do yourself a favor and make sure you’re doing media the right way. Following is just a taste of all the things you’ll want to check off your list. PLAN YOUR LANDSCAPE EVENTS
BU YI N G PAI D ME D I A? D O I T W I S E LY.
Build a calendar of events that you know will cater directly to your demo such as movies, TV shows, concerts, sports and/or other pop culture events. This will help you to stay relevant and connect with your audience in areas that they care about.
KNOW WHAT’S BEING TALKED ABOUT BEFORE YOU GET TO THE PARTY Use Social Listening tools like Crimson Hexagon to see what your target demo is talking about and what other affinities define them. Recently, we launched a horror movie and saw that American Horror Story was their favorite show. We built an entire strategy and devoted a significant portion of our budget around the show’s airing and its finale. Those tweets were our top performer, producing a 24% CTR, which was 300% the entertainment standard at the time.
TRACK AND ANALYZE YOUR PHOTOS TO KNOW WHAT WORKS BEST
DON’T PULL IN TWO DIRECTIONS - FOCUS ON ONE KPI
Create a list of guidelines for the best performing photos based on a variety of characteristics. For example, we’ve found close up shots of groups perform at half the CTR of couples and singles; and solid dark backgrounds represent a 12% lift in effectiveness on Facebook, because those ads pop against the lighter environment. The exact opposite is true for Twitter, which has a darker design.
Both Twitter and Facebook are built around KPI-based bidding, so if you have multiple goals for a campaign (e.g. sales vs. awareness) you’re setting yourself up to fail.
PERFECT PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
For videos, make sure your first 3 seconds are thumbstopping. For example, we edit out all green screens and credits for movie studios we work with. Also, be sure to play your video on mute when testing because that is how your customers will see it unless they click for sound.
A/B testing across images and video is critical before a big spend. Results can improve by up to 100%.
STAY FRESH Allocate the right funding for images and copy to optimize your creative and keep it fresh. THE FIRST 3 SECONDS ARE KEY
CONTINUE
Only 27% of marketing executives claim that they can prove clear ROI for their social media efforts. OUCH! We can do better. We have to. Here are 5 ways to measure social ROI beyond engagement. • If you have a sizable media budget ($250K range), work with Facebook and Datalogix to run ads across exposed and controlled groups with similar profiles. The beauty of Facebook and Instagram is that they are tracking walking, talking people and not cookies. Wait…did someone say cookies? (Sorry, we looooove cookies.)
S O C I A L R OI
• Datalogix can measure sales lift via credit card transactions. If you don’t have a big budget but do have a loyalty app, you can do the same with a savvy data partner. Measure sales lift from the people that saw the ads vs. those that did not.
• If you have neither a large budget nor a loyalty app, don’t panic, just measure success through social coupons or any type of in-store tracking device. We did a relatively small budget, special offer campaign with Waze and sent nearly 10,000 people to the parking lots of our client’s retail locations.
• Don’t like special offers? Then zero in on one particular item and measure the sales lift. • Don’t like any of the above? Maybe you need some more cookies in your life. The above simply scratches the surface of social ROI. There is a lot more that we can do today to measure sales return, and there’s no doubt we’ll learn more in 2016. Just remember: you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.
Source: eMarketer
Like bell bottom jeans or your cousin Bob at last year’s Thanksgiving dinner, fragmented social marketing is OUT. What’s required in this current digital landscape is a 360-degree, holistic approach. Social media is a complex creature. As such, you must work with subject matter experts in each of the core tenants of Data, Creative and Amplification. Having a team oversee each of these disciplines under one roof is ideal because their agility is positively unmatched.
JOHN BOHAN CEO & Founder john.bohan@socialtyze.com 310.773.0942
And, they can leverage data in near real time to ensure your brand is maximizing its ROI. P.S. By “they” we mean “we.” So again, call us maybe?
2150 Park Place Suite 100 El Segundo, CA 90245