SOCIAL
Facebook Provides Audience Connection Tips in Latest ‘Social Skills’ Video
Facebook recently launched a new video series called ‘Social Skills’ which aims to provide social media managers with the skills and insights they need to maximize their promotional performance.
Each video interview includes real world insights into how businesses have utilized Facebook’s ad tools to boost their brands. And there are some great pointers – even if you’re confident that you know Facebook’s systems, you’re likely to take away a couple of notes.
The third video in the series outlines key tips on how to learn from your audience, and adapt your approach accordingly, with the social media team for Luxottica eyewear brand, Persol.
The Persol team shares three key tips:
1. Paid and organic content balance each other
The Persol team uses a combination of paid and organic content to maximize their reach and growth.
The aim of the team’s approach on social has been to maximize audience engagement, which has seen it put more focus on “less institutional and more native” content. That ties into its paid approach, through which they will amplify selected messages to boost the brand’s presence.
“With organic, we want to engage the community and go in deep in the conversation with them. Then, we use paid media to amplify our strongest content, show the product upfront, and ultimately reach new audiences based on their interests.”
Persol notes that, in either instance, it’s critical to remain authentic to the value of your brand, in order to build your community.
2. Identify your community
Persol notes that understanding your brand community is also key, which extends to utilizing influencer content and UGC in your approach. This can help strengthen brand bonds, which is crucial to maximizing engagement around your messaging.
Persol also notes that each platform requires a different, dedicated approach:
“Demographically speaking, our Facebook audience is a slightly older audience, and they’ve been big fans of the product for a long time. We receive very specific and detailed questions, and prefer private messages. With Instagram, our audience is a bit younger, and they love to interact with the brand in the comments or in Stories.”
By focusing on the key elements of interest on each platform, you can better connect with your brand communities by providing the content they’re looking for in each app.
3. Listen to your community
Persol’s last point largely reinforces the previous – Persol advises that brands must listen to what their customers are saying, and adapt accordingly.
Persol aims to engage with customers as much as possible, in order to maximize community interaction, and learn more about their preferences.
“That’s the beauty of social media – you don’t have to wait for people to come to you and tell you their stories, you can ask them. You can ask them with an open question in your story, or just telling them ‘which one do you prefer?’ That’s learning from your customers, that’s learning from your audience, and you can do it every day.”
But there’s also another element here – listening to your community provides more angles for valuable stories that can further align with community interests.
“What I love about this work is the ability to tell great stories to engage our readers.”
These are some good notes, which underline the fundamentals of effective brand marketing on social media. Listen to your community, learn what they want, what interests them, share their stories. Then amplify the most resonant elements with paid spend to boost reach and community.
Some good tips – and it’s worth tuning into Facebook’s Social Skills series to get more insight into how brands are actually seeing success online.
You can view the first two videos in the series here and here.
SOCIAL
Snapchat Explores New Messaging Retention Feature: A Game-Changer or Risky Move?
In a recent announcement, Snapchat revealed a groundbreaking update that challenges its traditional design ethos. The platform is experimenting with an option that allows users to defy the 24-hour auto-delete rule, a feature synonymous with Snapchat’s ephemeral messaging model.
The proposed change aims to introduce a “Never delete” option in messaging retention settings, aligning Snapchat more closely with conventional messaging apps. While this move may blur Snapchat’s distinctive selling point, Snap appears convinced of its necessity.
According to Snap, the decision stems from user feedback and a commitment to innovation based on user needs. The company aims to provide greater flexibility and control over conversations, catering to the preferences of its community.
Currently undergoing trials in select markets, the new feature empowers users to adjust retention settings on a conversation-by-conversation basis. Flexibility remains paramount, with participants able to modify settings within chats and receive in-chat notifications to ensure transparency.
Snapchat underscores that the default auto-delete feature will persist, reinforcing its design philosophy centered on ephemerality. However, with the app gaining traction as a primary messaging platform, the option offers users a means to preserve longer chat histories.
The update marks a pivotal moment for Snapchat, renowned for its disappearing message premise, especially popular among younger demographics. Retaining this focus has been pivotal to Snapchat’s identity, but the shift suggests a broader strategy aimed at diversifying its user base.
This strategy may appeal particularly to older demographics, potentially extending Snapchat’s relevance as users age. By emulating features of conventional messaging platforms, Snapchat seeks to enhance its appeal and broaden its reach.
Yet, the introduction of message retention poses questions about Snapchat’s uniqueness. While addressing user demands, the risk of diluting Snapchat’s distinctiveness looms large.
As Snapchat ventures into uncharted territory, the outcome of this experiment remains uncertain. Will message retention propel Snapchat to new heights, or will it compromise the platform’s uniqueness?
Only time will tell.
SOCIAL
Catering to specific audience boosts your business, says accountant turned coach
While it is tempting to try to appeal to a broad audience, the founder of alcohol-free coaching service Just the Tonic, Sandra Parker, believes the best thing you can do for your business is focus on your niche. Here’s how she did just that.
When running a business, reaching out to as many clients as possible can be tempting. But it also risks making your marketing “too generic,” warns Sandra Parker, the founder of Just The Tonic Coaching.
“From the very start of my business, I knew exactly who I could help and who I couldn’t,” Parker told My Biggest Lessons.
Parker struggled with alcohol dependence as a young professional. Today, her business targets high-achieving individuals who face challenges similar to those she had early in her career.
“I understand their frustrations, I understand their fears, and I understand their coping mechanisms and the stories they’re telling themselves,” Parker said. “Because of that, I’m able to market very effectively, to speak in a language that they understand, and am able to reach them.”Â
“I believe that it’s really important that you know exactly who your customer or your client is, and you target them, and you resist the temptation to make your marketing too generic to try and reach everyone,” she explained.
“If you speak specifically to your target clients, you will reach them, and I believe that’s the way that you’re going to be more successful.
Watch the video for more of Sandra Parker’s biggest lessons.
SOCIAL
Instagram Tests Live-Stream Games to Enhance Engagement
Instagram’s testing out some new options to help spice up your live-streams in the app, with some live broadcasters now able to select a game that they can play with viewers in-stream.
As you can see in these example screens, posted by Ahmed Ghanem, some creators now have the option to play either “This or That”, a question and answer prompt that you can share with your viewers, or “Trivia”, to generate more engagement within your IG live-streams.
That could be a simple way to spark more conversation and interaction, which could then lead into further engagement opportunities from your live audience.
Meta’s been exploring more ways to make live-streaming a bigger consideration for IG creators, with a view to live-streams potentially catching on with more users.
That includes the gradual expansion of its “Stars” live-stream donation program, giving more creators in more regions a means to accept donations from live-stream viewers, while back in December, Instagram also added some new options to make it easier to go live using third-party tools via desktop PCs.
Live streaming has been a major shift in China, where shopping live-streams, in particular, have led to massive opportunities for streaming platforms. They haven’t caught on in the same way in Western regions, but as TikTok and YouTube look to push live-stream adoption, there is still a chance that they will become a much bigger element in future.
Which is why IG is also trying to stay in touch, and add more ways for its creators to engage via streams. Live-stream games is another element within this, which could make this a better community-building, and potentially sales-driving option.
We’ve asked Instagram for more information on this test, and we’ll update this post if/when we hear back.
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