What I Learned At Social Media Marketing World

Social Media Marketing World, or SMMW for short, in San Diego is a must-annual event for those who want to stay current in the latest social media developments and marketing tools. In 2019, they did not disappoint. Overall, the CCAT system is still the heart of every social media strategy: C-Content C-Consistency A-Algorithms T-Tracking

-CONTENT. The verdict is clear: Users want VIDEO. People prefer authentic, non-salesy content. Perfect and polished is out. Raw, improvised, and creative content is in. Visuals are huge. People want to see personality and brand uniqueness. Going LIVE, producing STORIES, and posting edited video TEASERS to drive traffic are hot.

-CONSISTENCY is a must if you want to gain attention and grow an audience following. With thousands of posts happening every second if you aren't posting 3-5 times daily, your posts may or may not be seen. Having a content schedule is mandatory. Of course, you also need to experiment with the timings of your posts to see when your audience is online.

-ALGORITHMS are constantly changing but to get the most out of every platform, use the new features and spend more time on the platform, not just posting but interacting with others' content. The algorithm will reward you. Example: Using Instagram's IGTV will you the most ROI. Same with Linkedin video. This means it is important to follow all new or upcoming feature announcements closely and try to be the first to master them. Who knows? Maybe you can even request to become a beta user for features the big 5 are testing.

-We can get the most growth on Instagram for B2C compared to all other social media platforms. Linkedin is the king of B2B, and people are very curious and excited about Linkedin video. Hopefully, more brands will see and use Linkedin as the lead magnet platform it is. Facebook is the mega platform everyone has a love/hate relationship with. Algorithm fluctuations are huge on Facebook so tracking post-performance and constant tweaks are a must.

-Instagram Stories and IGTV are hot. We all need to use them more. Doing an IG TV export to Videorama, then sharing a preview to your feed is a great way to get engagement. Remember that stories are only seen by your current followers whereas IG TV can be seen by everyone.

-Twitter is still very relevant but it is mainly a platform for announcements and shares of what you are doing on other platforms.

-Brands need to track their posts’ performance to figure out which content their audience loves best and create more of it. That will likely never change.

-The biggest new development is COMMUNITY. People want to connect personally like never before. DIRECT MESSAGES are mandatory. Spending as much time as possible engaging with people 1:1 is the new thing. GROUPS are also gaining momentum. 

So I’m going to update my social media system to add an extra C for CCCAT (Community. Content. Consistency. Algorithm. Tracking.)

A FEW HIGHLIGHTS

“A lot of people are only talking. They are not listening and giving people a way to be a part of the conversation.” - Chalene Johnson, female entrepreneur and Instagram powerhouse (@chalenejohnson).

"Do not use bots! Do not copy and paste! Personalize! Personalize! Personalize! Not responding is not an option. If you have too many DMs, bring in help!" - Jasmine Star, Instagram expert (@jasminestar).

“Instagram is so great because you can create an intimate connection. The person watching your IG story may not need your product but her best friend might!” -Sue B Zimmerman, Instagram expert (@suebzimmerman)

"Define your ideal client right down to their age and income level, the more specific, the better." - Chris Ducker, Youpreneur (@chrisducker)

"Create all content with purpose to move people towards a sale. Does it clarify a pain point for your customer and help them understand WHY they have this problem? Does it connect with your customers and align their identity with yours? Does it prove your product works? - Caitlin Bacher, Facebook Group Expert and Online Course Creator (@caitlinbacher)

"Optimize your video content for Linkedin. Create trailers and teasers for IG, FB, and Youtube to drive traffic. Repurpose long-form content." - Goldie Chan (@goldiechan)

SUMMARY

This was my first #SMMW! I loved it and highly recommend it to everyone who has a business or works in marketing for businesses. There was much, much more I couldn’t do this year since there are multiple sessions happening simultaneously and I had to pick. I can’t wait to get access to all the replays in a few weeks and plan on watching the ones I couldn’t attend live. I hope to meet more fellow business people at #SMMW20! I already got my ticket. 😉 I hope this little summary was helpful. Check out my other posts where I go deeper into each session I attended.

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