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Social Media Week 2017

Performance Communications Author Image Performance Communications | October 20, 2017

London’s Social Media Week, they came, they saw, they conquered. Our note-pads and Apple Macs bursting with stats, buzzwords and us? Well, a relief that our brands weren’t highlighted as one of the ‘not so great’ examples.

Below are my key highlights from an action packed week.

Influencers and advocates rule the social media world

According to Olapic, only 7% of UK audiences trust traditional brand advertising. Consumers trust brand advocates, the ordinary Joe, and it’s these individuals who’ll end up driving traffic to your website.

7% seems incredibly low, but not a surprise. The community behind a brand is what will essentially, drive it forward and we ourselves have seen engagement spikes when content focuses on the driver, the non-celebrity.

Video is the way forward

Adaptly found that 64% of audiences are likely to purchase a product after watching a video.

So how can we use this to our advantage?

Also, forget the three second rule, 25% of purchase intent is driven by video impressions shorter than two-seconds. Two seconds! How often do you include a call-to-action at the start of a hero film?

Consumers want more from their video – the landscape has changed dramatically in the last 10 years and with Virtual Reality sales increasing by 70%, what’s next for the way we create our content?

Your vibe attracts your tribe

Literally.

Social Deviant believe brands have become lost in audience demographics, graphs and figures.

Brands are to be something that consumers aspire to and this can be done through five key takeaways:

  1. Put your best foot forward and be true to yourself. Innocent Drinks are a great example of this, they have interests which allow them to be interesting. Their human voice allows audiences to relate to them, thus, attracting a larger tribe
  2. Find the people that find you compelling and be yourself. Paddy Power are unapologetic and, while many may argue that they sometimes get it wrong, their witty personality allow them to be easily forgiven. They are at the core of the everyday ‘pub chat’ that again, allows their tribe to resonate
  3. Listen like you mean it. When looking for an insight, it’s easy to find one that supports your cause but when you really listen to what your audience want, need and say, you’ll create a campaign for the mass without even knowing it. London Underground’s quote of the day has become a talking point during key events
  4. Be different. In a world full of noise, add dimension and stand out from the crowd. Do you take a premium brand and push an emoji?
  5. Do not, under any circumstance, become clingy. Think of the connection between your brand and consumer as a relationship. If you become clingy, likelihood is, you’ll make them turn the other way. Attract your brand, don’t shout and tell them they need you, want you…let them come to you

Of course, I could go on and on…and on but essentially, the key takeout is this. Produce relatable content for your audience, with video and a language they can relate to.

Voila.

Now, let’s create a killer piece of content.

Silvia


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