“It’s got to be fluid. The brand is going to adjust over time, platforms are going to adjust over time, and audiences are going to adjust over time.” – Patrick Gillooly in an interview with SocialMedia.org
This week, Facebook delivered two major updates that will influence social marketing in a big way, a Massachusetts company is using digital marketing to find candidates the job of their dream, and brand ambassadors are making headlines in Forbes. Before you head to the beach this weekend, brush-up on our Social Marketing Quotes of the Week!
- The Quote: “Today’s brand ambassador should humanize your brand – not simply be a human with your brand visibly emblazoned on his or her t-shirt. Savvy celebrities and athletes are steering away from more shallow forms of brand promotion and increasingly seeking opportunities to work with partners that allow them to enhance the authenticity of their own profiles. They understand that consumers are aware of the economics surrounding endorsement relationships, and are tired of being sold to.” – Ralph Santana for Forbes
- Why it Matters: Seeing the shift in paid partners like celebrities preferring to partner with brands they feel best represent them as a person is a trend we’ve seen more of lately — and it’s been paying off. A few weeks ago, we looked at what Under Armour has done with athletes like Steph Curry, whose chip on his shoulder propelled him to league MVP status, and NBA finals champion this past spring, bringing the brand along for the ride. The key was that the brand was there with him from the beginning, making his rise believable and authentic. Consumers are more privy to marketing strategies than ever before, but that doesn’t mean they won’t buy in. They will, they just want to hear the story behind the relationship first.
- The Quote: “The biggest concern among marketers is competing with other brands in the race to secure influencers for their campaigns. However, identifying suitable brand advocates, communicating with them, and predicting their behaviour are all equally troubling concerns for marketers.” – Kimberlee Morrison for Adweek’s SocialTimes blog
- Why it Matters: In an article titled, “Marketers Struggle to Identify and Engage Social Media Influencers,” Morrison touches on the modern consumer’s ability to influence purchase decisions, and willingness to receive branded messaging. Those two factors combined make finding ways to connect with brand advocates a priority for companies, and no longer just worthy of campaign status.
- The Quote: “Anybody can go out and commission extensive third party-research,” but it’s the integration of that data with Facebook data “that gives us what we think is unique insight on why people do what they do, and if we are able to tell marketers more about what consumers are doing, then they’ll be better in using our platform for advertising.” Erin Hunter Sills, Facebook’s director-consumer insights, said in an interview at the Chicago event, which was held in June for FacebookIQ
- Why it Matters: The build out of FacebookIQ is all about actionable insights, which is arguably the most important challenges marketer face in today’s sea of big data. The information is there — on Facebook, and beyond — but how it’s presented and implemented into strategy is where brands can really make their social strategy align with consumers’ needs. How do you build brand advocacy? You deliver something your customers need, when they need it, and then continue to do so day in and day out. That consistency will make a world of difference, and it looks like FacebookIQ will deliver that in a way mid-level to senior marketers can all use.
- The Quote: “It’s got to be fluid. The brand is going to adjust over time, platforms are going to adjust over time, and audiences are going to adjust over time.” – Patrick Gillooly in an interview with SocialMedia.org on growing and running a social media team at Monster
- Why it Matters: Gillooly talks about the importance of being flexible in your social strategy throughout this interview, and the importance of building a social program that isn’t just about marketing strategy, but serves as a resource for the company as a whole. Buy-in and enthusiasm at every level of the organization is the goal for Monster social team, and its trickle-down effects have had a very positive effect on the company overall.
The Quote: “The most important new control allows you to tell Facebook that certain friends and pages — your spouse, your best friend, your child’s school, or hey, your favorite New York-based news organization — are so important to you that you want to see everything that they post. Facebook will then put those posts at the top of your feed.”” – Vindu Goel for the New York Times’ Bits Blog on the new changes to Facebook’s News Feed algorithm.- Why it Matters: The endless siege of content across digital channels has given users social media fatigue. This update to the algorithm is meant to put them in control. With Facebook users (re: your brand’s potential customers) in the driver’s seat, what’s your brand going to do to make sure they prioritize your content over the endless options out there? The answer is always engage, but how your brand chooses to do it just may be the difference-maker. Want to learn some ways how? Click on the link below to download our free guide.
