My current view perched above Los Angeles reminds me that in business, as in life, perspective is important. It’s helpful to take a breath and get the lay of the land. When you do, it’s amazing how many problems can be solved and solutions imagined (even a midday walk can help in this respect).
With that said, there are five big-picture truisms discussed during sessions at Social Media Week LA that are consistent with my own experience. From my vantage point at Social Media Week, agencies and brands are all experiencing the same thing – nobody has a secret weapon they’re hiding from the digital world. Take a step back for perspective and think about what each of these statements means for your business’ approach to social media.
- Organic reach is dead. There are too many sources of content to hope, much less expect, a video, gif or other creative to go viral. If it does, fantastic! But if you really need ROI, expect to pay for your audience. Asking influencers for freebies is a thing of the past; they expect to get paid.
- What is true today wasn’t true yesterday – and may not be true tomorrow. Things move fast and you have to be nimble. Complacency is the enemy and social media will always be evolving. Embrace the change as part of the medium.
- Don’t worry about jumping in and out of platforms – nobody cares. YouTube’s presenters made the candid observation that they jump in and out of platforms as needed. If one isn’t working, don’t throw good resources after bad. Get out and try something else. Your nonexistent audience won’t care.
- If you get it right, social content doesn’t compete with advertising – it competes with popular culture. (Credit YouTube with this gem as well). Stay true to the spirit of social media, which is most compelling and successful when it provides entertaining content. Your brand can’t reinvent social media, so don’t waste your time trying.
- Don’t obsess over the quality of content. Yes, quality matters. But some of the most “viral” videos are low-budget segments filmed with an iPhone. A compelling blog post can be three short paragraphs. Audiences crave authenticity, not perfection.
How do these ideas change your approach to social media content creation? Share your thoughts below or tweet to us at @CookerlyPR.
Matt Cochran is a vice president at Cookerly PR.
As design director at Cookerly, Tim serves as the creative lead in the development of branding campaigns, print collateral and digital media for clients across a broad range of industries, including consumer, professional services, healthcare and technology.
As a senior vice president at Cookerly, Mike Rieman is a strategic communications leader specializing in media relations and reputation management. With a proven track record of securing high-profile placements in top-tier outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNN and USA Today, he excels at crafting compelling narratives that resonate across print, broadcast and digital platforms.
Mike Touhill is vice president at Cookerly Public Relations, where he helps lead traditional, social and digital media programs for B2B and B2C clients in packaging, telecommunications and technology, among other industries. As a communication leader, he develops and executes public relations strategy, provides proactive and reactive counsel to C-level executives and secures earned media coverage for client initiatives and product.
Andrew Agan is a vice president at Cookerly Public Relations, overseeing the agency’s internship program and leading media relations, content strategy and social media initiatives. He provides counsel and executes campaigns for clients across various sectors, including finance, healthcare, hospitality, technology, automotive and many others. Andrew excels at crafting compelling stories and building media relationships, resulting in clients being featured in notable outlets such as CNBC, Associated Press, Business Insider, Fox Business, HBO, Inc. Magazine, Sirius XM, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today, among others.
As vice president of Cookerly, Sheryl Sellaway uses her extensive corporate communications background to lead consumer PR efforts, deliver strategy for marketing programs and share expertise about community initiatives.