Exploring Instagram's Newest Features, the Chronicles of a Car Fire, and the Power of Audience Signals
Sparq Designs
Award-winning advertising agency. Changing the way people think, feel, see, relate, and connect.
Hello, I'm back! ?? I'm Lizz Venanzi, Senior Online Marketing Manager at Sparq, a well-regarded marketing agency based in Pittsburgh.
Thank you for sticking around for your dependable weekly source for the latest news and practical insights in the world of social media, online marketing, and more!
Here's a quick overview of what you can expect from The Slowdown each week:
?? The Lowdown: A concise summary of essential information.
?? The Showdown: Exploring creative ideas that inspire.
? The Slowdown: Practical and thought-provoking ways to apply what you've learned.
The Lowdown.
Instagram introduces new features worth understanding.
Let's start with Meta's rollout of new ways to create content on Instagram.
Here are the key takeaways:
Along with the new creative features, Meta introduced a new Reels metric called "replays" and an interactive retention chart that tracks watch time and percentage watched over the length of the video.
These new tools and insights will bring more flexibility for creators and open room for ways to make even better content that holds their audience's attention for longer.
Snapchat brings positivity to the lives of its users, says a new study.
Snapchat's unique focus on positive emotions makes it a standout platform for brands. The study shows that users experience genuine happiness, leading to increased engagement.
Ads on Snapchat outperform, generating 1.6 times more engagement and portraying brands as relatable and modern.
“Snapchatters find genuine happiness while using the platform because it allows them to express their truest selves to their closest friends and family. Using neuroscience, we saw that their engagement with content on Snapchat far surpasses other social media platforms.” - Snap
Snapchatters exhibit better ad recall and are more inclined to contemplate purchasing products showcased on the platform, particularly among those who feel more connected while using Snapchat.
Positive emotions on Snapchat directly impact brand success, influencing user recall, purchase intent, and recommendations.
Recognizing and leveraging this emotional connection can result in authentic campaigns and positive outcomes for brands on this platform.
YouTube aims to increase premium subscriptions by offering generative AI tools.
YouTube is enticing more paid subscribers by offering Premium members early access to experimental features, including two new AI experiments: Conversational AI and Comment Topics Summarized by AI.
Conversational AI: This tool can answer questions and suggest related content without disrupting your playback experience.
Comment Topics Summarized by AI: This tool organizes extensive comment sections in lengthy videos into manageable themes, enabling creators to digest conversations and engage quicker. This feature will also allow creators to more easily take audience signals and turn them into new pieces of content.
Aside from these new perks, YouTube Premium account holders enjoy an ad-free experience, the ability to download videos, play them in the background, and access YouTube Music, making it a comprehensive package that can replace other audio streaming services like Spotify.
Writer's note.
2023 is really a year of subscriptions for social media platforms. Will this trend continue? Will the bubble 'pop' when subscriptions continue to rise for users? ??
The Showdown.
Stanley emerges unscathed from car fire and grants recognition to user for the free marketing.
This year, there's a noticeable trend of people trading in their Yetis or Hydroflasks for Stanley insulated mugs.
Embraced by teens and the athleisure community, Stanleys have become not just a popular choice but also a topic of conversation and a community for enthusiasts.
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This past week, a Stanley consumer (Danielle, @danimarielettering) uploaded a wild scene to TikTok. The video shows the inside of her car ravaged by fire but with one key component unscathed.
Her orange Stanley.
Danielle picks up the mug and shakes it, where you can hear noticeable sounds of ice clinking.
The video quickly amassed over 81 million views, with thousands of comments mentioning the good marketing for Stanley.
Stanley responded with a genuine reply about a day later. In the response, the company's president expressed gratitude for her safety and acknowledged how her video showcased the enduring quality of Stanley products.
Then, the president added:
"I've seen a lot of comments that we should send you some Stanleys. Well, we're gonna send you some Stanleys, but there's one more thing, and we've never done this before and we'll probably never do it again, but we'd love to replace your vehicle… yeah all of us at Stanley we'd really like to replace your vehicle."
The authenticity of the response resonated with TikTok users resulting in an overwhelmingly positive comment section full of buying intent.
This is a phenomenal example of how a brand can take user-generated content and compassionately benefit from it without exploitation.
The Slowdown.
That's your cue to listen up!
Audience cues or signals are the most underrated way to improve your company's content and build affinity with your audience.
Are you listening to your audience, and I mean really listening? Or are you just responding to comments and messages to check off the box?
Great brands listen to their consumers and create content that answers their questions and acknowledges their wants and needs.
Oftentimes, audience signals can throw off your plan.
Maybe your audience is more interested in a product that isn't a "focus" for the year. So, you continue pushing the strategy, hoping it'll pick up the pace.
And when it doesn't, you feel defeated.
True online listening requires brands to be nimble, flexible, and, most importantly, open-minded.
Your consumers are the ones purchasing your product or investing in your services; shouldn't you be giving them what they want and need?
Your comments, DMs, and reviews are a treasure trove of content ideas that will be guaranteed to resonate with your audience.
Even if it's just one person or one audience "signal," many others probably share the same concern or feeling if one person has a question or expresses a certain sentiment.
So, this week, I challenge you to slow down and take an hour to assess your social media engagement (user-generated content, comments, messages, shares with content, reviews) and look for questions or trends that can inform your content strategy.
Message me ( Lizz Venanzi ) if you'd like me to take a look at your page and make some recommendations!
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Thank you for reading and subscribing!
I am always grateful for the opportunity to candidly write about marketing updates and share my thoughts and strategies. But I am especially thankful this Thanksgiving week.
Have a safe and happy holiday!
~ LV