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This year, we were lucky enough to attend Social Media Marketing World for the second time, and it did not disappoint. For those of you who don’t know what Social Media Marketing World (SMMW) is, it is the world’s largest social media marketing conference that features hundreds of sessions led by expert speakers on a variety of social media topics like Facebook ROI, Strategy, Content Marketing and more.

Social Media Marketing World is one of the BEST conferences we have had the opportunity to attend, and somehow it keeps getting better each year. Not only is the event informative and up to date on all things social media, but they recognize the value of networking and provide attendees with the opportunity to listen and discuss with all-star speakers that are leaders in the industry on a wide variety of topics.

We learned so much at the conference, but have listed our biggest takeaways below.

SMMW16 Recap:

Live Video. In the Keynote sessions, one thing was made very clear—live video is King. By using live video, a company or brand seems more transparent, making consumers more likely to share and engage with the content. Social Media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat are in on the live video game and are making it even easier for consumers to use on both desktop and mobile devices. At the moment, Facebook Live is the most popular (and most effective) form of live video—and will give live video preference on fans timelines.

Influencers. There are many different opinions on the power and definition of a social media influencer, however when you combine influencers with live video, content can become viral, and your brand can not only gain enormous exposure, but the trust of the influencer and their following. To get the most out of working with an influencer via live video, use YouTube, Periscope, Snapchat, Facebook Live or Blab.

Hashtags. You may already be using hashtags in your social media campaigns, but the key is to use them consistently and when appropriate. Branded hashtags are huge, and really bring together a campaign, so be sure to choose your branded hashtags accordingly—make sure they align with your brand, are easy to type and memorable. Once you decide what your branded hashtags are—use them! Include them in all appropriate posts and use additional related hashtags to gain a following. If you partner with an influencer, be sure to use their branded hashtags in addition to your own—this will not only expand reach, but it will benefit both the influencer and the brand.  

Top Platforms. The most important social media platform differs based on the brand you have and the content your audience is interested in. If you are not sure, try using one of the top platforms (which are all live video friendly)—Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat.

Did you attend Social Media Marketing World? Comment below with your biggest takeaways!

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Facebook has introduced a few new additions to their “Like” feature with the rollout of Facebook Reactions, which are six new emoji’s that users can choose from to ‘react’ to a post. Not only does this allow users to express a variety of emotions, but it allows brands to learn how consumers are receiving their brand and gain insight as to what type of content their target audience is interested in.

We have included a brief overview of Facebook Reactions below that will help you understand what they are and how brands can learn from them.

What are Facebook Reactions?

Basically, Facebook Reactions are an extended version of the original “Like” button that come with an emoji. Now, instead of just “liking” a post, users can express their reaction to a post with “love,” “haha,” “yay,” “wow,” “sad” and “anger.”

How to Use Facebook Reactions

From a computer, users can hover over the “Like” button and the additional emoji’s will pop up on a floating panel where they can click on the desired reaction. On a mobile device, users have to hold down the “Like” button, and the rest of the emoji’s will pop up in a panel to choose from. Much like the use of the “Like” button, users can only use one reaction at a time. For example: You can’t “Wow” and “Love” the same post.

What Can Brands Learn from Facebook Reactions?  

Facebook Insights: Page Managers and Admins are now able to see an even more in-depth overview on post statistics including the full breakdown of reactions for each post, making it easy to see what content is most popular among their fan-base. This will allow brands to capitalize on content their fans are interested in as well as gauge what content works best for their brand.

Competitor Analysis: The new Facebook Reactions are also great for analyzing competitor pages and seeing what works and what doesn’t for a specific target audience. This gives brands the chance to see what is working for their competitors, and adjust their own content accordingly.

What do you think of the new Facebook Reactions? Comment below!

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If you stay up to date on the latest trends in Social Media, then you probably know all about Instagram. What you might not know is how their latest announcement can help your brand reach a new target audience that has remained untouchable in the social ad-sphere until now.

Instagram has served as an online mobile photo-sharing, video-sharing and social networking service that has attracted over 400 million monthly users since its launch in 2010. Recently, they announced that businesses will now have to ability to advertise on the platform with a “self-serve” option allowing companies will to target their audiences through the popular app and advertise their brands to numerous Instagram users.

The most active users of this innovative platform are teens and young adults who are interested in the latest social trends and understand the features of this social media platform—which makes the long-anticipated introduction of Instagram Ads a breath of fresh air for businesses looking to engage with these users.

With impressive click-through rates, the potential for Instagram ads is tremendous. Early Instagram advertising campaigns from Taco Bell and Mercedes-Benz have already seen impressive increases in ad recall, spurring other adopters to follow their lead. What’s more, Instagram Ads can be created through Facebook Ads Manager and Power Editor, making it easy for businesses to post photo ads, carousel ads or 30-second video ads to reach their target audience as well as select from four objectives including Clicks to Website, Video Views, Mass Awareness and Mobile App Installs to ensure they are getting the most out of their Instagram Ads.

If you think Instagram ads may be a good strategy for you, be sure to keep in mind what kind of media and creative your target is interested in and learn more here!

1.       Find Influencers. Influencers are people in a specific industry that have a high level of social media influence. These “social media celebrities” have the power to reach a specific audience, engage with them on a topic of interest and create content that is relative to a specific brand or industry. By following influencers not only will a brand have a great source of industry information and content, but also the opportunity to have this person interact with your page.

2.       Compose Thoughtful Tweets. Followers do not want to follow a page that only pushes a product or service. Mix it up a little with fun and intriguing content like photos, videos or interesting links that will grab the followers attention and encourage them to engage with the brand. Be sure this multimedia content is related to your brand or industry in some way as you don’t want to confuse your audience.

3.       Be Active. If you are not consistently active on Twitter, you will lose followers. Be sure to tweet at least twice a day and remember to interact with your followers by answering Mentions, Re-Tweeting their content and responding to Direct Messages. Followers like to know their tweets and questions are being answered, so try to keep your response time within 24 hours (if not sooner).

4.       Use Hashtags. The use of Hashtags helps increase visibility of a Tweet in followers news-feeds as well as categorizes the Tweet so it will be visible in Twitter search. When using a hashtag, be sure to keep it current with trending topics so when fans search or use the same hashtag, your tweet is likely to show up.

5.       Cross-Promote. Promoting a Twitter Page on Facebook is a great way to increase followers and leverage both fan bases. In addition, you can link a Facebook page to Twitter so Facebook content will automatically post to the Twitter news-feed. Learn how here.

6.       Twitter Ads. Increasing a Twitter following organically can be difficult, which is why we recommend using Twitter Ads to jump-start a follower base. Twitter Ads can be targeted to a specific audience which will ensure your followers are already interested in your brands product/industry and increase the likelihood they will become a loyal follower.

We hope the above will help you increase your Twitter following and gain loyal fans. Have any tips or tricks of your own to secure followers? Comment below!

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