The Three Pillars of Social in 2016

As we look ahead at the challenges and exciting changes happening in the industry they all ladder up to the three core tenants of Data Creativeamp160and Amplification So pour yourself a strong cup of coffee pop a squat and let39s talk aboutamp160what39s what for 2016DataData is to socialamp160what oxygen is to fire And we39re not talking about big data mass exports and useless spreadsheets that are about as exciting to open and read as the Yellow Pages RIP We39re talking small data Little pieces of gold that can be extracted from the heaps of numerical nonsense we39ve called quotinsightsquot for far too long Insights should be based on human experience and wisdom and have very actionable takeaways amp160What nuggets of data should you be looking for Well what problems are you trying to solve What are your main objectives Start there and work backwards What you39ll end up with is a marketing planThe same goes for understanding your audience archetypes Marketers often think much too broadly in terms of whom they39re trying to reach Prime example Millennials Gag Let39s all make a pact this year to put a quarter in a jar every time the word quotMillennialsquot is used irresponsibly in the workplace This group can be broken into more than a dozen very specific meaningful and useful archetypes amp160Same goes for Foodies Young Moms Men 1824 Tweens We need to start thinking smaller and smarter First and third party data along with social listening are the gateway to understanding and defining your audience archetypes so you can actually engage themCreativeCreative is so fun right There is nothing better than seeing an idea go from scribbles on a whiteboard to live and thriving on social Even for those ideas that don39t get greenlit the creative process embodies everything that makes social so excitingCreative teams should be drooling at the thumbstopping opportunities ahead this year We have Facebook 360 and live streaming on multiple platforms We have a blank canvas to tell and start stories with video cinemagraphs and GIFs Ohamp160myamp1602016 will be a year to remember in terms of how creative innovation sets a new standardBut it still all comes back to data All this great content must be created with those little insightful nuggets in mind It must also be optimized for each and every platform on which it lives for color length sound tone and voice Data is what allows your creative to catch fireAmazing creative is also nothing without white glove community management We did an experiment recently Weamp160asked 10 major brands a simple productrelated question and waited to see how long it took each to respond One responded within 15 minutes and two within two hours but the rest exercised their right to remain silent Best in Class brands on social are known for being innovative of course but they are all also known for their community management and how they39ve made their brand seem human with a distinct personalityAmplificationSo say you39ve got a datadriven marketing planamp160and amazing datadriven content to show the world Now you need to make sure people actually see it It may sound obvious but your paid media strategy also needs to be optimized for each platformamp160and should only run on the platforms best suited to meet your objective based on available ad units audience makeup longevity etcWhich brings me to my next point Pick one main objective If you39re doing a direct response campaign but judging success based on engagement metrics you39re setting yourself up for disappointment Again think smaller and smarteramp160 Media can be used to achieve any number of things engagement page likes app installs email acquisition offer redemption and beyond amp160but there are dozens of things to keep in mind in order to do it the right way From social listening to AB testing to working in tandem with creative to ensure you39re maximizing results and ROI the world of paid media is complex to say the least But so so powerfulFor more on the three pillars of social click to view our 2016 Social Media Survival Guideamp160Photograph courtesy of Corbis The opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecom MyersBizNet Inc management or associated bloggers

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The Three Pillars of Social in 2016

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John Bohan

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