We’re excited to introduce you to our new Account Manager, Erica Newell. Erica brings over six years of agency experience, working on marketing and communication strategies and campaigns with clients from a variety of industries including real estate, finance, nonprofit and more. She has extensive experience in planning and executing organic and paid social media campaigns for clients, a skillset she will use extensively in her role with our team. When not at work she can be found exploring our National Parks, playing tennis or catching up with her book club.
We recently slid into Erica’s inbox to ask her nine questions about social media…
Q: What are the best practices that brands and organizations should keep in mind when developing and publishing social media content?
A: Define your target audience, set goals (and measure them) and stay consistent with your branding. Be authentic. Stay true to yourself and your brand voice.
Q: What advice would you give to a brand or organization looking to add social media to their marketing communications mix?
A: I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again – know your audience. Research your customers, and ask your biggest fans why they choose you and why they love what you offer. Build your strategy from there. Knowing your audience will help guide you into which platforms and what type of content make the most sense. Test out your content and trust the data.
Q: What is the biggest trend of 2022 - so far?
A: Beyond the obvious…TikTok being TikTok and rewarding brands that are willing to take risks and have a little fun, I would say influencer marketing. There are so many creative ways for brands to think about tapping into niche and micro-influencers to “sell” their product. Just be careful and do your due diligence with who you’re choosing to represent your brand.
Q: What future trends do you see being most impactful?
A: The use of social platforms as search engines is something to watch out for. Pinterest is a big one already, but I also find myself using Instagram to find recipes or travel tips when I’m heading to a new city. It’s a whole new way of researching and there is a lot of potential for social platforms to develop this further.
Q: What is your favorite social media platform?
A: Instagram. I’ll give you three reasons why:
- I love being able to see visual snippets from the lives of my friends and family and brands I have affinity for. I’m a visual person and imagery and video have a way of moving me and connecting with me on a different level.
- It’s the only platform where I follow a mix of personal connections and brands. I discover so much great content, whether it’s quotes, industry advice, or mouth-watering recipes.
- It’s a platform I see all ages engaging with. My grandmother, mother, and I are all on this platform, and I can’t say that for any other social media platform.
Q: What is a recent social media campaign that you feel was successful?
A: Spotify #Wrapped. Combining two of my favorite things – social media and music. It’s a simple concept of sharing personalized listening data with users in an easy-to-share format with personalized visuals (hello, user-generated content galore!). The other genius part of the campaign is it truly makes non-Spotify users jealous and envious of the custom data and social media shareables.
Q: What is a social media campaign you don’t think hit the mark?
A: Nothing specific comes to mind, but I would say common mistakes that cause a campaign to flop include targeting the wrong audience. A lot of companies want to make a splash or jump on a trend, but they end up creating content that doesn’t align with their goals or their audience.
Q: What is your favorite industry related account to follow?
A: I’ve really been enjoying following The Marketing Millennials on LinkedIn. If they’re not making me laugh, they’re making me think.
Q: What is your favorite inspirational account to follow?
A: The Daily Stoic is great for inspiration and wisdom.
Have a question for Erica or one of our team members? Contact us at hello@slidenine.com.