Knowing what content resonates with our community helps to inform the direction we should go in when developing future content.
MEDIA 7: One of the most recent developments in social media marketing is the emergence of Creators and Creator communities. As the Director of Global Social Media at Oracle, what are your thoughts on this?
LISA MARCYES: People trust people more than they trust brands. As brands look to make an impact and engage in new and unique ways with their followers, collaboration with creators will significantly increase. A few of the things we think about when developing social-first campaigns:
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Who will resonate within the community?
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What message do we want to tell?
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What type of content will deliver that message most efficiently?
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Where will the content live?
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And most importantly, let the creator provide their unique voice and direction.
The landscape is changing. As people build personal brands, they become micro-influencers and experts in their own right. The brands that incorporate creators in their social plans will be successful.
M7: In your role, you have developed and created social strategies for more than 24 social channels and across at least 8 lines of business. How did you identify which social networks are right for the brand?
LM: As with any business, the key is to learn everything you can about your audience: who are your customers; what do they care about, and where are they most active. Then, tailor your content and strategy to meet them where they are!
For example, developers tend to be more active on Twitter and communities (Stack Overflow, Medium, Reddit, etc), so we tend to develop strategies that cater to those channels. In addition, we’ve found marketing jargon doesn’t resonate. Therefore, we keep our messaging to the point, educational, and fairly technical.
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If you aren’t aware of what others are doing, you’re operating in a silo and can miss emerging trends.
M7: What is your go-to approach for audience gap analysis for Oracle?
LM: I’m always looking 3 things when looking for content gaps:
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Content Analysis: How is the current content, that we’re developing, performing? What is the top-performing content, and just as importantly, what is the bottom performing content? Knowing what content resonates with our community helps to inform the direction we should go in when developing future content. Of course, I consider every stage of the buyers' journey when evaluating so that we can consider, the top/middle/bottom of the funnel.
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SEO: Are we utilizing SEO as effectively as we could? How are our competitors ranking over us? When people search for our products, what questions are they looking to answer? Answering those questions can provide a blueprint for the type of content we can develop to rank higher.
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Competitive analysis: We consistently monitor what our top competitors are doing so we understand the landscape, what is resonating with the audience, and where we may have gaps. If you aren’t aware of what others are doing, you’re operating in a silo and can miss emerging trends.
M7: According to you, what are some top social media marketing trends to look out for this year?
LM: This year we’re all in on streaming on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram. We’re at an interesting time. We’ve been completely digital for a few years, and are now just getting back to in-person events. The comfort level with digital is there, so we are looking at ways we can create unique experiences that incorporate both in-person and digital across social moving forward.
With short-form videos, TikTok has changed the landscape and the way we approach storytelling. People connect with organic, honest, humorous content. Brands are faced with a unique opportunity to embrace this trend. A few ways we’re diving in include letting our customers tell their stories in their own way, highlighting employees and their experiences, and inviting creators/influencers to highlight new product advancements in their words.
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People connect with organic, honest, humorous content.
M7: What are some of the best ways to generate leads on social media?
LM: There are 3 key components to a successful social media post.
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Channel/Time: Go where your audience is and post when your followers are most active.
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Content: What’s in it for the user? Providing value for the user is key. That can look a lot of different ways, and vary depending on where they are in the buyers' journey. We’ve found success using a 4-1-1 approach: 4 top of the funnel posts which may be entertaining, educational, or thought leadership; 1 re-share or mid-funnel post product tips and tricks, offers, and 1 demand generation post.
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Imagery: In an oversaturated social landscape, the need to create feed stopping content has never been more important. Tweets with videos generate 10x more engagement than those without. Developing relevant gifs, stories, and images will make your posts stand out and garner more clicks.
Always think about the mobile-first user. 88% of our users are engaging with our social media posts via mobile. Good branding is noticeable but not obtrusive.
M7: What advice do you have for social media marketing teams who are struggling to take it to the next level in the present market landscape?
LM: The only thing that is consistent in social media is change. It can be easy to feel overwhelmed, but if you stay focused on your audience, you’ll find success. I always approach every post by answering the question, “What’s in it for them?”