Mediaboss Marketing

Social media has seen interesting changes recently.

The dramatic changes at Twitter now rebranded as X saw many SEO professionals looking for new social media platforms to maintain their community connections.

We saw the rise of BlueSky, Mastodon, and Threads,and renewed interest in LinkedIn and Reddit as marketing channels for brands.

As big shifts happen in SEO and search following the introduction of generative AI, this could be a time when social media evolves.

As marketers experiment with AI, its going to be important to understand how to leverage these tools whilst maintaining authenticity and trust.

With exciting times to come this year during this evolution of online marketing, there is much anticipation for how this will impact social media.

The overriding sentiments in the industry appear to be building relationships and meaningful connections alongside leveraging AI tools for better analytics and understanding how to create a social media strategy with impact.

We reached out to a variety of social media experts and thought leaders to get their input on what might happen in the coming year, and to ask where social media marketers should focus in 2024.

If you havent shifted your social strategy lately, youre doing it wrong. For most of us, its not a traffic accelerator; its a relationship builder.

Walk with me back to the dawn of social Then, we were using it to amass massive audiences quickly and easily, then using it to boost traffic or conversions (however we defined conversion).

Those days are over. Done. Cooked. Toast.

Instead, in 2024, its all about recognizing that social medias superpower is its ability to help us build more sustainable relationships more slowly.

Social in 2024 and beyond requires a shift in strategy. But also (importantly) an evolution of your mindset.

One core area Id encourage social media marketers to focus their attention on in 2024 is to supplement their regular demand generation activities with an executive thought leadership social strategy.

As a result of the continuing economic worries, businesses increasingly cut budgets throughout 2023.

According to Edelmans research, 44% of decision-makersalso claim they will be less receptive to sales calls or marketing outreach, making it harder for businesses to attract new clients.

Marketers have realized, often the hard way, that nurture- and bottom-funnel campaigns alone arent sufficient. After all, its increasingly futile to promote, say, a free demo when people might not have the budget to buy what youre demo-ing.

How, then, to stand out? Thats where thought leadership comes in.

Thought leadership campaigns (both paid and organic) help increase market consideration and build trust with prospects to support demand generation efforts that drive ROI and can attract talent.

According to the Edelman study, More than half of decision-makers say that during an economic downturn, its essential that non-critical suppliers produce high-quality thought leadership if they want to earn business.

Five top tips:

Social media is a data-rich environment. This is a huge advantage for marketers who analyze this data and then iterate their social strategies which is more fun than ever if you use AI.

So, in the new year, smart social media marketers will focus on getting data out of social media and getting it into an AI-friendly structure.

Give ChatGPT nicely organized CSV files, and it will give you charts that may cause you to immediately rethink what you post.

Heres a chart that AI made for me based on one year of top posts on LinkedIn, categorized manually before uploading. Interesting, right? 2024 will be a fun year for AI-powered social media marketing data analysis.

The entire worlds social media has converged on short-form video. If you still havent mastered the art of producing content in short-form videos, its hard to see how youll be successful in social media in 2024!

Firstly, embracing emerging platforms and technologies is crucial. While its important to maintain a strong presence on established platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, keeping an eye on rising stars in the social media world can offer fresh opportunities.

For instance, platforms that leverage augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are becoming increasingly popular, providing new, immersive ways to engage audiences.

Also, considering the growing interest in decentralized platforms and blockchain technology, exploring these areas could position brands at the forefront of digital innovation.

Secondly, video content continues to dominate across social media channels, and this trend is likely to persist and evolve.

Short-form video content, popularized by platforms like TikTok, has shown significant engagement rates and offers a creative way to showcase products, share stories, and connect with younger audiences.

Additionally, live streaming is gaining traction, offering real-time engagement and fostering a sense of community among viewers. Investing in quality video production and exploring diverse content formats can greatly enhance a brands online presence.

Lastly, personalization and user-generated content (UGC) are becoming increasingly important. Social media users are looking for authentic, relatable content that resonates with their individual experiences and interests.

Encouraging UGC not only fosters a sense of community but also provides marketers with valuable, authentic content that can enhance brand credibility.

Pairing this with data-driven personalization strategies ensures that content reaches the right audience at the right time, increasing engagement and conversion rates.

If social media marketers havent already created an exit plan for X, formerly Twitter, then they need to prepare their bug-out bags now.

Where should they go? According to SEJs list of The Top 10 Social Media Sites & Platforms, social media marketers should focus their attention on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Pinterest, Reddit, and LinkedIn.

And marketers shouldnt forget that blogs were one of the original social media platforms. So, if you still have a small team tweeting, then its time to get them some upskilling and reskilling ASAP.

In addition, social media marketers should focus more attention on creating videos worth watching and content worth sharing.

Why? According to the Content Marketing Institutes latest research, 67% of marketers say video has become more important to their business over the last year. Why? Videos ability to tell stories and resonate emotionally with audiences makes it an ideal format for making human connections.

Finally, run, dont walk, to learn which AI tools including AI image generators and AI video generators will help them in 2024 and beyond.

As Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang told 10,000 graduates during a commencement address back in May, While some worry that AI may take their jobs, someone whos expert with AI will.

In 2024, as in previous years and likely in years to come, I believe social media marketers should focus their attention on two primary areas: audience building and analytics.

Far too many who look to leverage social media to build their brand spend an inordinate time trying to create and distribute killer content but forget or simply fail to ensure there is a receptive audience waiting, or even available, to consume it.

More time should be spent socializing and community building in the channels your desired audience favors. Build your following by following and sharing content from like-minded brands and influencers in the hopes they will reciprocate and/or their audience will take notice.

And this is where analytics comes in. Social marketers should be leveraging native social media analytics or web analytics to effectively understand what is working or not working and where.

We all know social media is not just about likes and shares, but actual clicks and conversions, so every effort should be made to use branded and/or tracked URLs to see if and where real engagement is happening.

In social media marketing, along with digital marketing in general, there are so many things that can be done, so its critically important to use analytics to determine the things that should be done.

In 2024, social media marketing will be all about meaningful connections and responsible branding. Heres how to make the most of it:

Influencer Collaborations

Tap into the power of micro-influencers. These are individuals with smaller but highly engaged followings. Brands can collaborate with them for more authentic and targeted outreach.

Start by identifying influencers whose followers align with your target demographic. Then, craft campaigns that resonate with their audiences interests, ensuring a more personalized and impactful connection.

Sustainability and Social Responsibility

Embrace and communicate your brands commitment to sustainability and social responsibility. Consumers increasingly value brands that are environmentally conscious and ethically sound.

To do this, integrate sustainable practices into your business model and share these stories on social media and share them often. Use your platforms to educate and engage with your audience on these issues, especially the issues that matter most to your demographic.

This creates a brand image thats not only about products but also about positive impact on issues that matter most to their customers.

Community Building

Focus on creating and nurturing online communities around your brand. This involves more than just selling products; its about fostering a space for shared interests and discussions and can look like Facebook groups, Slack channels, email lists, and more.

Engage with your audience through regular, meaningful interactions in these unique groups. Host Q&A sessions, create discussion forums, and encourage user-generated content to build a community that feels valued and connected to your brand.

By concentrating on these three strategies, brands can create a more impactful and resonant presence on social media in 2024.

In 2024, social media marketers should focus on several key areas to stay ahead in the ever-evolving digital landscape.

Firstly, they should prioritize video content, as it continues to dominate user engagement on platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube.

Additionally, marketers should pay attention to emerging platforms and trends, adapting their strategies accordingly. Building authentic and meaningful connections with their audience through personalized and interactive content will also be crucial.

Lastly, understanding and leveraging data analytics and AI tools to optimize campaigns and track ROI will remain essential for successful social media marketing in 2024.

As we head into 2024, we have to really look at how privacy changes by Google and Apple are impacting our social media remarketing campaigns.

When it comes to social, organic reach has already become minimal, and with iOS 14 and now iOS 17, we are seeing our paid audiences shrink as well. Businesses need to focus on capturing first-party data.

Whether its on-site methods like promotions, pop-ups, or visitor identification tools, without this first-party data, the social reach will be limited, and remarketing campaigns will continue to underperform.

Meta will roll out significant AI-powered updates throughout 2024. Along with more refined use of its AI-powered discovery engine to recommend content, especially reels and ads, Meta will unveil impressive developments with generative AI to rival ChatGPT and DALLE, among other platforms.

As Meta CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, stated in February 2023, the company has a turbocharged focus on generative AI, in particular. We saw the launch of simple AI-generated stickers in Instagram and Facebook Stories.

But much more impressive, with real utility, will be when the company bakes generative AI into Meta Business Suite. This will offer businesses the ability to create unique text, image, and video content and then schedule, publish, and track performance, all without having to use any other third-party AI app or tool.

Meta will also integrate more AI-powered tools inside Messenger, Instagram Direct, and WhatsApp, including new custom AI personas. Possibly into Threads as well.

These are conversational chatbot assistants. This will allow businesses to create custom avatars and build their own effective use cases such as FAQs, customer service, a unique knowledgebase of their own, and likely much more.

As AI transforms social media in 2024, approach its integration with caution, especially regarding branding and upcoming regulations.

Authenticity becomes crucial as AI content proliferates, so its essential to use AI as a supportive tool, not a substitute.

While short-form video storytelling remains a key to success on platforms like Instagram and TikTok, platforms like BlueSky and Threads are gaining traction for their content updates, reminiscent of Twitters style.

Remember, in 2024, a blend of authentic messaging and engaging short videos will be the cornerstone of successful social media marketing.

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Featured Image: Dilok Klaisataporn/Shutterstock

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13 Social Media Experts Offer Their Predictions For 2024 - Search Engine Journal

Featured image: (left to right) Cecelia Heberling and Amiee Goldy

The Lehigh Valley-based boutique marketing firm bolsters its team to strengthen client services, account support and public relations capabilities.

BETHLEHEM, Pa. (December 13, 2023) Social T Marketing & PR, a Lehigh Valley-based boutique marketing firm, announced today the addition of Amiee Goldy and Cecelia Heberling to serve as public relations and communications specialist and social media account manager, respectively.

We are thrilled to welcome Cecelia and Amiee to our agency, recognizing that an exceptional team is our greatest asset and the foundation of our success, said Social T Owner & President Tina Hasselbush. Their expertise and passion align with our commitment to delivering superior client results. With their addition, we look forward to reaching new heights as we continue to build a strong, dedicated staff that elevates brands and meets our clients goals.

As a public relations and communications specialist, Goldy supports clients public relations, media and promotional needs by creating personalized strategies that build and promote each brands reputation to elevate public awareness. Before joining Social T, Goldy led and supported successful public relations campaigns in the economic development, nonprofit and commercial real estate industries. She previously worked as an account executive at Violet PR and an associate account executive at Antenna Group. Outside of work, Goldy is a board member for DAWN Center for Independent Living, a nonprofit that works with people with all disabilities to advance their independence and assists with the organizations public relations and media strategy. She graduated from the University of Scranton in 2018, earning her bachelors degree in Strategic Communication with a concentration in Public Relations and a minor in Psychology.

In her role, Heberling creates strategies tailored to reach target audiences, enhance brand awareness and drive online growth for clients. She previously held internships at PLS Logistic Services, Sparq Designs and Social T, where she gained experience building email marketing strategies, writing social media content and scheduling content across multiple clients social media platforms. Also, she has obtained HubSpot certifications in Email Marketing, Inbound Marketing and Social Media and a Digital Marketing Certification from Semrush Academy.

Heberling graduated from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh in 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Marketing with a concentration in Digital Marketing and Analytics and a double minor in Information Systems and Technology.

To learn more about the Social T team, visit http://www.socialtmarketing.com/meet-the-team.

Social T Marketing & PR is a boutique marketing firm serving clients in the Lehigh Valley region and beyond. Our diverse, professional team brings a proven track record, skilled content managers, digital experts, PR specialists, accomplished writers, and Google professionals.

Social T will support your marketing and branding strategies through thoughtful positioning, public relations, social media, and corporate messaging. Follow Social T on Linkedin, Facebook and Instagram. For more information, visit http://www.socialtmarketing.com.

Information provided to TVL by: http://www.socialTmarketing.com/

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Social T Marketing & PR Expands Team with 2 New Hires - The Valley Ledger

50% of consumers will abandon or significantly limit their interactions with social media by 2025 as they think quality on the platforms is decaying, according to a survey by market research firm Gartner. By 2028, brands organic search traffic will decrease by 50% or more as consumers embrace generative AI-powered search.

A survey shows 53% of consumers believe the current state of social media has decayed compared to either the prior year or to five years ago, the company says.

The top reasons for this perceived decline were the spread of misinformation, toxic user bases, and the prevalence of bots. Concern about the impact of anticipated GenAI use in social media is high: over 7 in 10 consumers agree that greater integration of GenAI into social media will harm user experience.

Social media remains the top investment channel for digital marketing, but consumers are actively trying to limit their use, says Emily Weiss, Senior Principal Researcher at Gartner.

A significant slice says that, compared to a few years ago, they are sharing less of their own lives and content. As the nature of social media use and the experience of the platforms changes, CMOs must refocus their customer acquisition and loyalty retention strategies in response.

72% of consumers believe AI-based content generators could spread false or misleading information.

Mistrust and lack of confidence in AIs abilities will drive some consumers to seek out AI-free brands and interactions, says Weiss.

A subsection of brands will shun AI and prioritize more human positioning. This acoustic concept will be leveraged to distance brands from perceptions of AI-powered businesses as impersonal and homogeneous.

The use of GenAI in a creative teams routine daily work frees them up to do higher level, more impactful creative ideation, testing, and analysis. As a result, creative will play a more important and measurable role in driving business results, and CMOs will actually increase their spending on creative and content.

A survey made by the company found consumers are ready for AI-enhanced search, with 79% of respondents expecting to use it within the next year.

70% of consumers expressed at least some trust in GenAI-backed search results.

CMOs must prepare for the disruption that GenAI-backed search will bring to their organic search strategies, said Weiss. Marketing leaders whose brands rely on SEO (search engine optimisation) should consider allocating resources to testing other channels in order to diversify.

Rapid advances in GenAI have left organizations without the frameworks and best practices to ensure responsible use and mitigate risk. A dedicated content authenticity function and development of guardrails for brand will be an organizational imperative.

Moonshot News is an independent European news website for all IT, Media and Advertising professionals, powered by women and with a focus on driving the narrative for diversity, inclusion and gender equality in the industry.

Our mission is to provide top and unbiased information for all professionals and to make sure that women get their fair share of voice in the news and in the spotlight!

We produce original content, news articles, a curated calendar of industry events and a database of women IT, Media and Advertising associations.

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Consumers to abandon social media but accept GenAI search results marketing survey shows - Moonshot News

The social media landscape is in a dire state. Our feeds have gone from looking like boutique fairs to crowded neighbourhood strata malls, and influencers resemble coupon books more than creatives. As The New York Times tech writer Tiffany Hsu puts it, were in a a junk-ad epidemic because online, ads are sometimes most successful when they are eye-catchingly terrible.

As a content creator and social media consultant for companies, I witness the deterioration of both these camps daily. Beyond having over 140,000 followers across TikTok and Instagram, I have a company, Myriad Media, which consults clients on how to better their social media game. My day job is to help brands navigate this slippery slope of cringe and, well, it has not been easy.

The issue, I reckon, is that the over-commercialisation of social media is being fuelled by companies overly obsessed with measuring Return on Investments (ROI). It is evident in their ads, which are often excessively flashy, salesy, loud, and, often have knock-on effects on how they work with influencers. As a result of pressure from their clients, many content creators are starting to lean into clickbait to push fast sales rather than selling through compelling narratives that make them attractive advertisers to begin with.

The fundamental issue at play is how social media marketing teams work. They are increasingly coerced by their companies to report relentless increases in sales and profits. As a result, they are losing sight of the big picture that storytelling and brand building are at the heart of successful long-term marketing campaigns.

Lets look back to the days when advertising primarily took place on billboards, TV, and radio. There was no way to track how many individuals who saw an ad on the train or during the breaks of their favourite sitcom were being converted into buyers or clients. As a result, creative agencies had to ensure their ads were so compelling that as many viewers as possible would become customers.

Today, the landscape has changed. With the advent of social media analytics, companies mistakenly believe they now have, at the palms of their hands, a shortcut to accessible (and cost-effective) advertising. We are seeing captivating ads being replaced by the magnitude of methods that give marketers the highest click-through conversions on posts. These methods big discounts, catchy promotions, and hard-selling will deteriorate a brands image without storytelling and compelling narrative-based advertising.

After all, in the words of marketing strategist Seth Godin, people do not buy goods and services. They buy relations, stories and magic.

The issue isnt so much that click-throughs arent effective metrics of success. The issue is that they usually do less for a brands longevity and image than many think. Hard selling, for example, may bring in some sales. But what has it done for the brands image? What story of the company have viewers left with? Do they know anything about the brands values, history, how far it has come or its beginnings?

There are so many more opportunities to give clients an idea of what a brand is truly about through ads that include forms of storytelling. And while these ads arent pushy about making sales, they bring them in regardless just at different timelines. When you make storytelling content, both for yourself and with content creators, you are slowly, brick by brick, building a persona for the company. Eventually, this will reach the people who share the companys values and, most importantly, need the product or service you sell, thereby increasing the chances of them becoming loyal customers.

For instance, my most effective campaigns as an influencer came from videos that were so authentic that you could almost not even realise it was an ad. One of these a campaign spanning multiple videos on both my profiles and the clients account doubled the companys monthly sales in a few months.

Starbucks changed me Im a city gurl now

This is not the same campaign as the one mentioned above, but this TikTok ad I made for Starbucks did very well, likely because it mixed narrative and humour, and featured a strong character (the Italian abroad).

This is where the art of sandwiching comes in, where you layer the product, service, or promotion between folds of compelling narrative. The story draws the viewer in and eventually converts into a customer. While the immediate gain in sales may be lower than a straight-forward promotional video, when done correctly, video after video, photo after photo, this method can grow your brand awareness so vast that the sales will inevitably follow through.

If this style of marketing is neglected, marketers will struggle to constantly stay afloat in the loud and ever-changing social media landscape. They will be continuously stuck constructing quick promotions and sales to be advertised and boosted online, then rinse and repeat when the last one loses relevance.

While I was looking to promote a new experience and deal available at this restaurant, I did it here by subtly bringing it up in a vlog.

Over the past few years, we have seen social media change drastically. Apps like TikTok and features like Instagrams Reels and Shorts have gone from not existing to taking up colossal amounts of attention online. Still, despite these and countless more changes, KPIs in marketing teams have mainly (and strangely) remained the same.

The biggest mindset shift marketers need is to fundamentally remove the notion that social media marketing literally means making advertisements in the traditional sense online. There are so many more ways to raise the status and awareness of a brand now without having to turn to commercials.

Embedding product or business mentions in storytelling is one way, but there are countless others as well. Marketing professional Coco Mocoe, host of the Ahead Of The Curve With Coco Mocoe podcast, explains that sometimes, the most innovative advertising campaigns are about indirectly creating a feeling in a consumer that your brand is the best, without spelling it out to them.

If I were trying to promote a makeup line, I would pay an influencer to use a subpar brand, she explains. (I would get the influencer to say): Im (using) a dupe right now of this brand because I couldnt get my hands on this brand, Im going see if its the same.

That elevates your brand immediately, she continues. If there is something perceived of lower quality than what you offer, it establishes that you are higher than that thing, a fellow marketer on her podcast chimed in.

Today, tech giants continue to gatekeep organic reach in hopes that brands spend precious ad dollars. Save your money, brands, because content creators like me have better chances at attaining that precious paid reach because consumers value interpersonal social authenticity.

But it doesnt mean companies should work with a creator simply because thats what everyone else is doing. Brand messaging is a critical consideration when partnering with influencers. Companies should identify influencers whose values and content align with their own and who can organically infuse their service or product in their content lineup.

An example of excellent influencer marketing by Malaysian content creator, Jenn Chia. Her campaigns often start with a story that hooks viewers in before going into the product she is advertising.

Still, if fast-turning sales KPIs are the goal (which is completely valid in the grand scheme of marketing efforts), then working with dedicated online sellers is an avenue they can explore. But companies that value sophistication and storytelling should always invest in working with influencers who turn to narrative content over hard selling, firm in their belief that the creator they work with is a direct reflection and representation of their brand.

Do you see yourself as a strong and sophisticated brand? Then, forking out a certain amount to work with creators with loyal followings and clever narratives should be budgeted in. If youre only making coupon code ads that users skip with a flick of a finger, ask yourself: Is this all your brand is worth?

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Dear companies, your social media marketing is tedious and it's cheapening your brand - The Peak Singapore

New research shows the extent to which Labours hopes of achieving power depends on overcoming recent divisions between school-leavers and graduates.

In a paper published today by the Social Market Foundation (a cross-party think tank), leading political scientist Professor Rob Ford presents new analysis of Britains education divide and what it means for the coming general election. It shows that education is now one of the strongest predictors of vote choice and political values.

The divide is relatively recent, Prof Ford shows, having opened up since the 2016 Brexit referendum. In 2014, graduates and school-leavers were as likely to vote for Labour or Conservatives. However, Labour now does much better with university graduates and the Conservatives base has shifted towards those with GCSE qualifications or less.

This poses electoral challenges for all major parties. For the Conservatives to retain power, they can scarcely afford to lose seats in the red wall where school leavers are dominant but declining in numbers, whilst also having to stem losses in blue wall seats where graduates who now shun the party are the largest group. By contrast, for Labour to secure a Commons majority, they must gain at least 120 seats and will have to expand their coalition to include more school leavers, who are overrepresented in the constituencies Labour has lost to the Conservatives since 2015 and needs to win back.

With the political agenda currently dominated by economic issues like the cost-of-living that dont divide people as strongly on educational lines, politicians may have an easier job bringing both sides together. However, there are still big issues on the agenda which divide voters deeply by education, including immigration and the environment. More broadly, university graduates express much more liberal values while school leavers tend to hold authoritarian views value orientations which inform a wide variety of political beliefs.

School leavers are declining rapidly as a share of the electorate everywhere, with particularly steep declines in many competitive red wall seats. Graduate shares are growing fastest in seats in and around London, and a growing swathe of blue wall seats in the London commuter belt now have graduate majorities.

Other key findings include:

Rob Ford, Professor at The University of Manchester and Senior Fellow at UK in a Changing Europe, said:

The education divide is here to stay, with implications for all the political parties. Our new report underlines how education has become a central dividing line in politics, second only to age as a predictor of voters choices. All parties face new challenges from an electoral landscape being reshaped by demographic change, and neither Labour nor the Conservatives can hope to win the next general election without bridging the deep divide between graduates and school leavers, two groups with distinct identities and values who have been at loggerheads ever since the EU referendum.

Professor Anand Menon, Director of UK in a Changing Europe, said:

Our politics are changing. Recent electoral volatility can be put down to a number of factors. One of these is the emergence of new fault lines such as the education divide identified so clearly in this excellent report. This has significant electoral implications going forward, as Professor Ford clearly argues. It also has implications for perceptions of, and approaches to, higher education.

Dr Aveek Bhattacharya, Director of the Social Market Foundation, said:

As this research shows, the education divide has emerged rapidly to become one of the most significant electoral phenomena of recent times. That is of vital importance to political strategists seeking to win elections. But the bigger challenge is for the politicians that have to bring graduates and school-leavers together, help them to treat one another with respect and unite them in shared national project. The education divide must be healed, not just exploited.

Notes

Figure 1: Shares (%) of England and Wales residents by qualification level (2001-2021 censuses)

Figure 2: The education divide in Conservative support, 2014-2023

Source: British Election Study internet panel 2014-2023

Figure 3: The education divide in Labour support 2014-2023

Source: British Election Study internet panel 2014-2023

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Labour must straddle the education divide to achieve victory - The Social Market Foundation