Mediaboss Marketing

The ever-shifting social media landscape has never been easy to navigate for footwear executives, but the past year has been doozy, marked by the rapid rise of video platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels, changing expectations about how brands communicate on social issues, and increased adoption of direct sales programs like livestream shopping.

Yet amid so much change, the need to invest wisely in a social media strategy has become imperative,with people spending more time than ever online.

Leaders at top comfort shoe brands reveal their strategies for connecting with new and existing customers on digital platforms this fall and holiday.

Alison BergenCEO, Aerosoles

For fall, our Laura Ashley partnership and the compelling content surrounding it will be a major way we engage with customers on social media. We thought of this collaboration really holistically and wanted to build out an entire world around the product that draws our followers in. Weve partnered with content creator Harling Ross from the beginning on this project, working closely with her on curating a digital Cottage Shoppe of vintage dcor, accessories and clothing that embodies the collaborations cottagecore aesthetic and gives shoppers a new reason to visit Aerosoles.com.

Aerosoles CEO Alison Bergen

CREDIT: Courtesy of Aerosoles

Frank CammarataFounder & CEO, The Enjoiya Group

Instagram is definitely the strongest for us in terms of engaging our customers. We work with many influencers and bloggers, who create very appealing photos and videos. Its an excellent way for us to showcase our shoes in creative and unique ways. Our social media campaigns focus on educating the consumer about what sets our brands apart, namely fashion, comfort, quality and value. We reinforce our relationship with our customers by asking open-ended questions about their lifestyles and preferences. We also incorporate a call to action, which helps to increase engagement.

A spring 2022 sandal from Enjoiya.

CREDIT: Courtesy of Enjoiya

Brad KinnasVP of e-commerce & digital marketing, Aetrex Worldwide

Weve had great success launching new products on Livestream shopping events [on Facebook and Instagram]. Our customers experience is far more appealing and convenient. They can view all of the product styles, colors and comfort features. Plus, they can ask questions, get answers in real time and buy the product all in one forum. Launching new products on a Livestream platform also generates excitement, curiosity and exclusivity. We reward our viewers who follow us by giving them access to exclusive content and promotions.

Brad Kinnas of Aetrex

CREDIT: Courtesy of Aetrex

Tiss DahanVP of marketing, Dansko

Social media platforms change rapidly and our team has stayed on top of the current trends that are driving higher engagement and impressions. We are leveraging tools like Reels on Instagram, and tapping in to platforms like TikTok to keep our consumers engaged with video, audio and animation. We also have taken steps to understand how her preferences may have shifted, enabling us to better understand what is resonating with her in todays environment. This allows us to produce more content that we and our retail partners can use on social media to reflect how our footwear fits within our consumers lifestyle, hobbies and fashion choices.

Danskos Larisa leopard-print flat for fall 2021.

CREDIT: Courtesy of Dansko

Edna De PamphilisMarketing Director, Lamo

Aside from the digital campaigns that we will set forth for the fall and holiday season, we are looking to partner with influencers who embody the casual and comfortable aspect of the Lamo brand. We are looking to tap into some of their audiences but also partner with them on collaborations such as giveaways, contests and livestream shopping experiences to provide more insight into our brand, products and engage on a different level.

Edna De Pamphilis

CREDIT: Courtesy of Lamo

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These Are the Social Media Marketing Tactics Brand Execs Are Leaning Into This Fall - Footwear News

Getting seen on social media is the goal of dental practices nationwide. However, it seems the days when a Facebook post could achieve thousands of organic reaches are behind us. No longer will a single but powerful Instagram post generate the visibility it once did. Today's social media platforms are pay-to-play, and managing your marketing dollars for maximum return on investment can mean walking a tightrope.

Social platforms change their algorithms every year to prevent the system's gaming and to increase revenues. How well you stay on top of trends and leverage your paid ads will determine your social media success. It's not enough to post daily and throw money at boosting posts to increase the audience.You must carefully consider your curation tactics, follow the increasing demand for visual content, and identify your audience before opening the purse strings on your marketing spend.

A 2019 study revealed that organic reach is only 6.4% of a page's total likes after a 2018 algorithm shifted focus in the newsfeed to friends and family posts to spark conversation and meaningful interactions. Meaningful interactions for Facebook were defined as:1

Facebook subsequently implemented artificial intelligence (AI) to help filter out controversial content and demote clickbait deemed sensational or misleading. Facebook also announced the details of how it is now using machine learning (ML) to personalize content for each user.2

Facebook inventories all posts available for viewing in a user's network to predict the content someone might want to see. Each post is scored based on the signals such as likes, shares, comments, and tags to indicate its value to the user. All posts deemed unlikely to engage the user (based on past behavior) are discarded, and relevant posts are ranked based on how likely they are to prompt user action. The final posts are presented based on final scores to deliver a variety of content to the individual. This process is repeated for each of the platform's 2.8 billion active users.

Instagram also heavily weights its algorithm based on engagement.3 When you post a photo, it's first shown to a small percentage of your audience, and Instagram measures how quickly it is interacted with in the form of comments and likes and how much interaction is taking place. Finally, the engagement is compared to engagement on your other posts shared at similar times on similar days. When photos attract a lot of engagement, Instagram shows them to more people in your audience. It can even be shown on "explore" pages. If the engagement is sustained, the photo can remain at the top of other users newsfeeds and attract even more attention.

So, how do you achieve the engagement that drives reach?

On Facebook, there are three ways you can slide your content into user feeds by leveraging some of the only organic approaches left.4

Making your content emotional without resorting to engagement bait such as scare tactics or controversial topics can increase interactions and get your audience engaged.5 Focus posts and videos around an appeal to these six emotions.5

Social media is increasingly visual. A recent survey revealed that more than 60% of marketers think visual content is crucial for their social media strategy. It's a simple fact that Facebook posts with images get more than twice the engagement as those without images.

Video is even more compelling, and Facebook Live videos get six times as much engagement as traditional video.4

YouTube is on the rise again, with simple search engine optimization (SEO) tactics gaining ground when developing YouTube videos. Videos show up before articles on the Google search engine results pages (SERPs).6 If the keywords you want to target are oversaturated with blog articles vying for front-page real estate, a video could leapfrog over them all and gain extra visibility. Launching a native YouTube channel for your practice can pay off. (Don't forget to close-caption your videos and make them as accessible as possible!)

Finally, no matter what organic reach you achieve by tweaking your content to play to social platform algorithms, don't forget to budget some of your ad spend for social. However, before you allocate those dollars to specific campaigns, make sure you're targeting the right audience or else it's money straight down the drain.

On Instagram, for example, create an ideal patient persona. Then, consider their age, income level, and geographic location to increase the chances of reaching your most valuable audience.7 Look for users who have already interacted with your practice's brand on Instagram, and retarget those who watched, shared, liked, or commented video content, developing similar ad creatives to leverage existing interest. By getting your targeting right, you can make the most of every marketing dollar.

Want to be seen on social? These tips and tricks can put you on the right path for maximum visibility.

References

1. Gollin M. How the latest Facebook algorithm changes affect marketers. Falcon. May 7, 2021. Accessed June 2, 2021. https://www.falcon.io/insights-hub/industry-updates/social-media-updates/facebook-algorithm-change/

2. Lada A, Wang M, Yan T. How machine learning powers Facebooks news feed ranking algorithm. Engineering FB. January 26, 2021. Accessed June 2, 2021. https://engineering.fb.com/2021/01/26/ml-applications/news-feed-ranking/

3. Forsey C. How does the Instagram algorithm work? Hubspot. May 25, 2021. Accessed June 2, 2021. https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/how-does-the-instagram-algorithm-work,

4. Cooper P. How the Facebook algorithm works in 2021 and how to make it work for you. Hootsuite. February 10, 2021. Accessed June 2, 2021. https://blog.hootsuite.com/facebook-algorithm/

5. Gollin M. 15 essential tips to increase your organic reach on Facebook. Falcon. May 13, 2021. Accessed June 2, 2021. https://www.falcon.io/insights-hub/topics/social-media-strategy/increase-organic-facebook-reach-tips/

6. Martinez D. YouTube SEO: How to rank in YouTube search. Social Medical Examiner. June 1, 2021. Accessed June 2, 2021.https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/youtube-seo-how-to-rank-in-youtube-search/

7. Sonnenberg A. Instagram ad targeting: 8 valuable audiences. Social Media Examiner. May 24, 2021. Accessed June 2, 2021. https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/instagram-ad-targeting-8-valuable-audiences/

Kristie Boltzis the founder and CEO ofmyDentalCMO, a marketing consulting firm that helps dentists make smarter marketing decisions and trains dental teams to execute on those decisions. As a result of her head for numbers and passion for teaching, people often say their practice marketing dollar has never been more effective. Schedule a chat with Kristie at mydentalcmo.com or call (877) 746-4410.

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Is anybody out there? Getting seen on social media - Dental Economics

TheDrop.com's Athlete Ambassador Program (AAP) Partnership Highlights Rice's Enthusiasm for Streetwear in One of the Earliest NCAA Athlete Deals

LAS VEGAS, Aug. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- TheDrop.com is the largest online streetwear marketplace in the U.S. - synchronizing 300+ brands and retail boutiques to give consumers access to exclusive access when a Brand or Boutique drops a new collab or entire collection, it hits TheDrop.com within 10 seconds.

The Drop focuses its marketing and merchandising on the 60-100 new apparel and sneaker drops hitting their site every day. TheDrop.com is excited to welcome its first premier athlete to their NIL Athlete Ambassador Program - Brenden Rice, the star Wide Receiver for the University of Colorado and son of NFL legendary Hall of Famer, Jerry Rice. TheDrop.com selected him for his passion for football and his entrepreneurial interest in building his own personal brand.

TheDrop.com is one of the first Fashion/Streetwear companies to complete an endorsement deal with an NCAA athlete, following the landmark June 29th US Supreme Court ruling that permits college athletes to earn income from their Names Images and Likenesses (NIL).

"Success is not inherited, it is earned. It is an exciting time for us as young athletes. I am grateful to partner with TheDrop.com as my first endorsement deal as a NCAA athlete." said Rice "My passion for streetwear combined with mentoring from the leadership team at TheDrop.com on the strategic use of social marketing and the role analytics plays to understand my fan base is invaluable. I look forward to supporting so many diverse creators and designers to strengthen their brands."

"Having Brenden Rice join us as our first NIL endorsement partnership is groundbreaking," said Matt Falcinelli, CEO and co-founder of TheDrop.com. " We are excited to welcome him to TheDrop.com Family and to be able to give him the opportunity to further build his personal brand while benefiting financially, all while rocking the hottest Streetwear brands in the market today."

Story continues

TheDrop.com recognizes that ALL young athletes and parents give up a lot to compete; and the past practice of limiting athletes at any level from benefiting from their investment is an outdated way of thinking. Other young people in the entertainment field are utilizing social media to benefit financially and there is no reason to exclude athletes.

TheDrop.com - NIL Athlete Ambassador Program

The Athlete Ambassador Program (AAP) goal is to engage more athletes than any other sponsor in the country.

Athletes from any age sports - school are eligible to sign-up and are paid to wear (and post) the hottest Streetwear brands in the market today. Athlete must attend a school in a state where NIL permission has been signed into law

Athletes can be compensated with a combination of Store Credit and Cash Payments based on sales linked from their social profiles.

Premier Athletes will be eligible for custom deals based on their achievements

The Drop's Give Back

The program will educate athletes on utilizing social media marketing strategies as well as how to leverage data analytics to understand their followers better.

TheDrop.com fully anticipates that the Athletes will be able to apply these new skill sets to other endorsements and apply them to future career opportunities after their athletic careers.

For those Athletes who have Marketing and/or Business majors, the experience in working with TheDrop.com and learning from an experienced digital marketing team will be invaluable, and could lead to employment after college.

Athlete Ambassador Program https://thedrop.com/nil-athlete-ambassador-program

Media Conatct Michael Glovaski Glo 315855@email4pr.com - Ph - 917 -213-4473

Cision

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SOURCE The Drop

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TheDrop.com Announces First NIL Endorsement Deal with Brenden Rice, a Star Wide Receiver at the University of Colorado - Yahoo Finance

The healthcare charity MSI Reproductive Choices has defended awarding almost 1.6m in contracts to a company whose president is also one of its trustees.

Philip Harvey, who has been a trustee of the charity since 1992, is also the president of DKT International, a company he founded in 1989.

The company describes itself as a non-profit organisation that uses the power of social marketing on some of the largest countries with the greatest needs for family planning, HIV/Aids prevention and safe abortion.

MSIs latest accounts for 2020 show the DKT group of companies was party to several agreements with the charity.

The accounts say the charity subcontracted 1.1m worth of services to DKT, and the company granted supplies to the charity worth 147,000, while a subsidiary of DKT supplied goods to the charity totalling 346,000.

The charity said trustees had no involvement in the procurement of goods and services.

An MSI spokesperson said: We have a clear and robust conflict of interest policy that applies to all team members, including the executive team and board of trustees, and our governance structures have been externally audited.

As two of the largest family planning providers worldwide, it is in no way unusual for MSI Reproductive Choices to partner with DKT where the work demands it.

The Charity Commission said it was lawful for trustees to enter into contracts with companies they had an interest in as long as they were complying with charity law and the requirements set out in the charitys governing document.

We expect all trustees to identify and appropriately manage any conflicts of interest and make decisions in the best interest of their charity, said a commission spokesperson.

MSIs accounts also show that the performance-related bonus paid to the charitys chief executive Simon Cooke fell for a second year running.

His bonus fell from 124,000 in 2019 to 20,000 in 2020, but his total pay still topped 244,000.But this is still a substantial reduction from between 430,001 and 440,000 in 2018 and between 340,001 and 350,000 in 2019.

The charity, which changed its name from Marie Stopes International last year, had previously been criticised by the Charity Commission for failing to properly record discussions that led to Cooke being awarded such a large salary package in 2018.

The charity said: A proportion of our CEOs salary is dependent on achieving certain objectives and while MSIs teams did remarkably well to continue services throughout the pandemic, we did not achieve our growth targets overall, which impacted his remuneration.

Total income at the charity was down 14m year on year to 294m, the accounts show.

Total spending fell by 13m to 288m and spending on charitable activities fell by a similar amount to 286m.

The charity paid out 444,000 in redundancy and termination payments but said it did not gather data on the number of staff this related to because it was not a requirement under the Sorp.

But it did say that the redundancies were included as part of a larger figure in the accounts that shows the average number of staff fell by more than 800 employees, down from 10,300 in 2019.

The charity said: The eight per cent reduction in staff numbers was due to a number of factors: some relating to the end of projects and funding cycles, and others due to the financial impact of the pandemic and the need to preserve, secure and protect in order to ensure the sustainability of the organisation.

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Charity defends awarding 1.6m in contracts to company whose president is a long-standing trustee - Third Sector

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GHC - Market Data & News

Graham Holdings Co. - Class B (NYSE: GHC), a Arlington, Virginia, company, fell to close at $659.51 Tuesday after losing $6.64 (1.00%) on volume of 16,138 shares. The stock ranged from a high of $665.81 to a low of $650.25 while Grahams market cap now stands at $2,662,869,232.

Graham Holdings Company is a diversified holding company whose principal operations include educational services; television broadcasting; online, print and local TV news; home health and hospice care; custom manufacturing; automotive; and, restaurant venues. The Company owns Kaplan, a leading global diversified education services leader; Graham Media Group (WDIV-Detroit, KPRC-Houston, WKMG-Orlando, KSAT-San Antonio, WJXT-Jacksonville, WCWJ-Jacksonville, WSLS-Roanoke); The Slate Group; Foreign Policy; Megaphone and Pinna. The Company also owns Code3 (formerly SocialCode) and Decile, leading social marketing solutions companies; Graham Healthcare Group (Celtic Healthcare and Residential Healthcare Group), home health and hospice providers; Dekko, a manufacturer of electrical solutions for applications of workspace power solutions, architectural lighting, electrical components and assemblies; Hoover Treated Wood Products, a manufacturer of pressure-impregnated kiln-dried lumber and plywood products for fire retardant and preservative applications; Joyce/Dayton Corp., a manufacturer of screw jacks, linear actuators and lifting systems; and, Forney Corporation, a manufacturer of burners, igniters, dampers and controls for combustion processes in electric utility and industrial applications. Additionally, the Company owns Lexus of Rockville, Honda of Tysons Corner, and Jeep of Bethesda; Clyde's Restaurant Group (CRG), restaurant and entertainment venues in the Washington, DC metropolitan area; Framebridge, Inc., a custom framing service company; and, CyberVista, a cybersecurity training and workforce development company.

Visit Graham Holdings Co. - Class Bs profile for more information.

The New York Stock Exchange is the worlds largest stock exchange by market value at over $26 trillion. It is also the leader for initial public offerings, with $82 billion raised in 2020, including six of the seven largest technology deals. 63% of SPAC proceeds in 2020 were raised on the NYSE, including the six largest transactions.

To get more information on Graham Holdings Co. - Class B and to follow the companys latest updates, you can visit the companys profile page here: Graham Holdings Co. - Class Bs Profile. For more news on the financial markets be sure to visit Equities News. Also, dont forget to sign-up for the Daily Fix to receive the best stories to your inbox 5 days a week.

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Graham (GHC) falls 1.00% in Light Trading on August 3 - Equities.com