Late in October, our social media team attended the Community Manager RECHARGE conference in Philadelphia in order to stay on top of what’s going on in the ever evolving world of social media. Here’s what they learned:
 
1. Plan for the unplanned. Predictable events (upcoming holidays, movie premieres, etc.) are always great fodder for scheduled posts and shouldn’t be overlooked. However, brands are leaving more room for “now” events, allowing posts to capitalize on spur-of-the-moment opportunities to be the first and most memorable.

2. #follow @fans. Many accounts track and use hashtags that relate to their brands and reach out to users to create “awesome moments” for fans (and potential fans) to make their days. Others follow users who tweet at them in order to encourage more activity as well as thrill a devoted fan.

3. Connect with customers. Customer service is reaching a new level of personal with many stores, restaurants and service providers taking it upon themselves to respond to almost every action taken on their pages. This instills a sense of humanity behind the brand, and shows that the company cares enough to start a conversation, especially when concerns or problems arise. Negativity is nipped in the bud and customers are put at ease knowing their comments were acknowledged.

4. Everyone’s a critic. Pages in all industries often have their hands full with having to deal with users interacting primarily to insult or leave rude comments. Instead of letting these “trolls” take over, savvy community managers are using them as an opportunity to connect with the haters and gain points with true fans. Measured responses and, depending on the page, a certain level of sass are how hearts are being won in these situations.

5. Inject fun into any industry. With the right attitude, any business can have a fun and engaging social media page, no matter the topic or industry. Brands are embracing fun content, breaking away from exclusively posting news or announcements, in order to stay top of mind and relevant.

Utilizing our talented design squad, we made QuickChek’s mascot airborne! Macy’s Parade Q was just one of the fun ideas we’ve had for the QuickChek Facebook page; by making Q a major player with personality, we’ve elevated QuickChek’s brand in the minds of fans.

6. Don’t make it all about YOU. This past year, certain industries, like health and finance, were struggling to get fans to engage, possibly because they were too focused on showcasing their services. Social media is about making the fans happy and bringing new light to an industry by keeping posts simple, fan-centric and entertaining … which ultimately benefits the brand.

7. Rules of engagement. Although some fans don’t need the motivation, others need something to keep their attention. Brands are doing everything they can to keep interest high: exclusive sales or coupons, trivia questions and giveaways, pop-up prizes and surprise bonuses only fans can access. Photo and picture posts with minimal copy are growing in popularity, with community managers acknowledging that it’s all too easy to quickly scroll by a wall of text – a photo is an attention-grabber and easily shareable.

8. It starts from within. As much as brands need the outside world to grow, it’s important that everyone involved behind the scenes is on board from the start. By keeping all employees updated on promotions, exciting content pieces and encouraging them to share with friends on their own social accounts, companies build internal trust toward social efforts and increase employee support on company projects. They advocate for the social evolution of the brand … and may even be the ones to get the social cycle in motion. Social media is about timeliness, empathy and communication with fans … incorporating these into a social media strategy is the surefire way to boost any brand’s standing in the digital realm. To learn more about how to ignite your brand on social media, contact solutions@oxfordcommunications.com.