As Adweek promised, “We’ve entered a new chapter in social media.” And boy did it deliver on this promise. Over three days, we joined eager media buyers, planners, brands, and social media gurus at Convene, a premium meeting space in downtown Manhattan, to discuss what was hot and new in social media today. Sessions and workshops were sponsored by those companies leading the change, like Twitter, Roblox, BuzzFeed, Google, Hootsuite, and Meta.

Each day had a specific theme that content was crafted around:

Day 1: Collaboration and content creation

Day 2: Crossing over from the real to virtual world

Day 3: Evolving perspectives on privacy and identity ownership

Top 5 takeaways we have from #SMWNYC

  1. Plan for a flexible content strategy. The best way to do this is to create a brand asset library that includes approved copy points, headlines, images, and more. This allows your media buyers to respond quickly to what is around them and update your messaging in real time.
  2. Treat each social platform with the attention it deserves. Just like you can’t take a billboard and use it as a digital banner, you can’t take an asset built for Facebook and run it on Pinterest expecting the same results. Each platform has nuances that should be approached with tender love and care.
  3. Personalization drives results. This isn’t new to the marketing community; it’s something we learned in the world of direct response decades ago, so naturally, it translates into social as well. Some campaigns are seeing as high as a 50% increase in return on investment when personalization is built into the creative assets.
  4. Short-form video is where it’s at. The days of long, drawn-out YouTube videos may be coming to an end as reels and stories take over. Focusing on video formats that are six to ten seconds in length offers an opportunity to highlight your message in a fast and memorable way. Be sure to include filters, songs, and captions, and don’t be afraid to jump on the latest crazy trend.
  5. Social listening continues to be a critical research avenue. When innovation is only linear, you might miss the opportunity to deliver true value to your consumer audience. Social listening allows you to see, hear, and understand not just sentiment but also customer pressure points that can lead to solutions that your brand can provide.
  6. There is more to social media than what is within the platforms. Social media MUST be coupled with a clear CRM This type of outreach is no longer within the confines of email or direct mail. CRM nurturing and engagement should be happening within social platforms in the form of shopping, direct messages, hashtags, reposting, friend requests, and community engagement. The one-on-one experience that is happening within these social platforms is priceless for brands.

Our biggest takeaway? Innovation is fluid and flexible and driven by consumer need, not linear and driven by corporate wants and technology. Looking to optimize your social strategy? Let’s talk about a social media audit.