What’s Working on Social Right Now
ICYMI, here's what's trended on social media recently
[Photo by Andrew Knechel on Unsplash]
I’m shaking up the format of this week’s newsletter after being inspired by Phoebe Parke’s Instagram post this week: “Three really cringe Instagram hacks that actually work,” plus some student questions about YouTube Shorts.
We are continually looking forward to the next big thing (guilty as charged) that we don’t always take stock of where we are, what’s working right now and what recent releases we should be taking advantage of.
Consider this one big ICYMI recap that boils down to this: focus on vertical short-form video, the creator economy and social audio.
What’s Working on Instagram
Phoebe’s advice is rock solid:
Share new Feed posts to your Stories.
Create Reels, including ones where you point in thin air (no matter how cringe this might make you feel).
Use niche hashtags (I’d say go with a mix of broad, mid and niche hashtags).
As a reminder, some of the other Instagram tactics that work (and we know they work because Instagram expressly told creators to focus on the following just before the New Year):
Stories are a funnel for the rest of your content but remember to kick them off with polls, stickers and questions. The more time users spend engaging with your content in Stories, like answering a poll, the more likely your content will get surfaced in their feed.
Carousels increase the time followers spend interacting with your content which means it increases the time people spend on Instagram. That’s a good thing. In 2020, Carousels got more engagement than any other type of post.
Instagram Live Shopping rolled out last year along with Instagram Shops for anyone with a Business account that has checkout capabilities. Live stream shopping is predicted as the future of ecommerce with everyone from Amazon, Walmart and Google jumping on the bandwagon. So if you do have a product or are partnered with an ecomm business, now’s the time to tap into your best Home Shopping Network persona and start selling.
Short-Form Video on YouTube
It’s almost impossible to “game” YouTube for quick growth. Multiple creators have said it can take 3 to 5 years to see any real success. It took Mr. Beast over 100 videos to reach his first thousand subscribers and several more years to reach even 10K subscribers. He’s now at 58.8M. But… people are talking about the success they’re seeing lately with YouTube Shorts. Shorts are to YouTube what Spotlight is to Snapshat, Reels are to Instagram and TikTok clips are to TikTok. Short-form vertical video is in. And you’d be well served to incorporate it into your video strategy whatever platform you’re focused on.
The Creator Economy
Creators and influencers have been around in some capacity since there were royal patronages and artists’ benefactors (circa the olden times and, more recently, traditional celebrity endorsements). But there has been a much bigger push from the social platforms themselves recently to launch creators programs that fund and support creators, especially creators from under-represented backgrounds. Simultaneously, we’re seeing a rise in platform peer-to-peer tipping tools that allow audiences to donate to their favorite creators.
If you’re a creator, here are some of the platform resources being rolled out for you:
Clubhouse Creator First Accelerator Program (V1 is now closed) and Clubhouse Creator Payments
YouTube Black Voices Fund and YouTube Viewer Applause, Super Chat and Channel Membership
Twitch Partner Program and Channel Subscriptions, Emotes and Cheer
But what if you’re a business owner who’s interested in working with creators or seeing if influencers are a good fit for your brand? The first question I usually get is about agency recommendations. But even before you source an influencer for your campaign, you need to understand that influencers aren’t a one-size-fits-all solution. In fact, each influencer is a mini brand in their own right and specializes at different levels of the sales funnel.
Someone who excels at sparking conversation and driving engagement, may not actually help drive sales. Just like someone who excels at affiliate sales may not be the person you want to help you grow your accounts or contribut to your overall social branding. Creators are not interchangeable sales machines. So, if you’re just getting started ask yourself this:
What are your expectations for working with an influencer? If you simply want them to sell for you, you’re going to need to spend time researching and recruiting an influencer who can do this for you, otherwise you’re going to be disappointed. There are a lot of ways to work with influencers and a brand really needs to outline its expectations in working with influencers before engaging in any kind of sponsorship campaign.
Are there influencers already associated with your brand that you haven’t considered yet? For example, a lot of entry-level people these days are coming into the work force as micro influencers with an existing online audience. Can you create a brand ambassador program within your own organization? Mobilizing your workforce on social has been gaining a lot of traction (tho take a page from Amazon on what not to do). Additionally, are there customers already acting as advocates of your brand? And would additional incentives help motivate them to work with you in an even more impactful way?
Social Audio
Social audio apps are being called the Goldilocks medium for this era. “Text is not enough, and video is too much; social audio is just right.” The space includes Clubhouse, Twitter Spaces, Facebook (which is reportedly working on an audio offering), Fireside Chat (with an investment from Mark Cuban), FishBowl (a space for professionals) and the list goes on — seriously, there are over 30 options for you to explore.
An audio option won’t work for all brands but it’s certainly worth testing, especially if you’re looking to establish your own expertise and network with other professionals or if you’re looking for an venue where your organization’s senior executives can demonstrate their thought leadership.
