“Be authentic, be consistent, be fun”: A conversation with social media manager Gabe Tucker

During the past twelve months, there has been a great deal of upheaval in social media. Few people have followed the action more closely than Gabriel T. , who recently took a position as Asher Agency ’s social media manager. I recently sat down with Gabe to learn about his work and hear his perspective on what businesses should be aware of as they prepare their social media marketing plans for the coming year. Here's a summary of that conversation.?

Anthony Juliano: Congrats on the new job. What does your work at Asher entail?

Gabe Tucker: I’m tasked with managing the full gamut of client and internal organic social media efforts from concept ideation to ROI measurement and KPI reporting. I collaborate with our AEs, Creative Team, and clients to develop social media strategies, community engagement playbooks, high-impact visuals, and monthly content calendars that help clients achieve critical business objectives while building an engaged audience of brand advocates.

AJ: What’s your favorite part of your work? What’s the biggest challenge?

GT:? My favorite part of organic social media is simultaneously the greatest challenge: innovating and creating meaningful connections in a landscape that is constantly changing, often by the minute. Because there can be a lot of noisy messaging, savvy users are pushed to adopt a “perpetual student” mentality: always researching, testing, modifying, and retesting to see what truly resonates with audiences while remaining true to core brand values and voice.

AJ: 2023 was a tumultuous year in social media. What do you see on the horizon in 2024?

GT: AI is going to force brands to completely reorient how they approach authenticity as a concept and how social media platforms approach content moderation and creation techniques. A huge swath of businesses are racing to investigate how to use AI to interact with customers marking its inevitable permanent place within social media marketers’ toolkit. Before, authenticity was often defined as being more human, created by hand, or less produced. In this new paradigm, authenticity will be redefined more in terms of how the brand experience and voice is presented. Does your content accurately reflect your brand’s personality? Does it accurately translate the emotion or narrative you are conveying into a lived experience for viewers that reinforces your brand values and mindshare? These questions will increasingly become the center of defining content direction and measuring success.

AJ: Are there specific platforms you expect to be less relevant in the coming year? Any that may emerge as more relevant?

GT: From an organic standpoint, X (formerly Twitter) and Snapchat are becoming less useful for businesses with limited budgets or smaller audiences. Alternatives like Threads offer a broader range of content types with lower user preference volatility. Snapchat is more suitable for high-budget enterprises or viral content creators, but due to the secretive approval process for Discover and Publishing Partners, businesses often find better success on platforms like Instagram Stories, Facebook Stories, and TikTok photo carousels.

Short-form video is a lasting trend, and platforms with robust video support like YouTube Shorts, TikTok, and Reels should be prioritized. For e-commerce brands, considering platforms like TikTok or WhatsApp with integrated shopping experiences is a must have. Messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram, popular globally, are increasingly attractive for brands seeking efficient customer service and personalized experiences while leveraging new AI tools.

Contrary to popular belief, Facebook still offers value for organic marketers, especially in passion-based industries like automotive, music, cooking/home goods, and hobby tech.

AJ: Social media can be a tremendous challenge for small businesses since they have limited time for organic social media. What’s your advice for using time wisely and still getting results?

Consistency is critical and, especially for small businesses, your day-to-day operations are highly interesting to your patrons. While attempting to establish or maintain a consistent posting cadence and content look, don’t worry about setting aside specific time just for creating content, show your daily doings while you are doing them. For example, a small restaurant that makes its own locally famous biscuits would be best served by simply setting up a phone, hitting record and going about their baking process or taking a quick photo of the dough being made or rising in the oven. Content like this is the epitome of the classic definition of authenticity and shows your customers the people and culture they are supporting. As you develop a rhythm and comfortability, you will be much more efficient at experimenting with framing or more complex edits.?

AJ: What’s important for brands to keep in mind when trying to connect with audiences via social? What do you think is the key to cutting through the clutter?

GT: Be authentic, be consistent, be fun. Social media is a place people go to be entertained, create a space that is fun and show your value propositions in action rather than walking through a list of talking points.

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