Social Media Trends & Tips: June 24-28

Each week on Friday I share 4-8 articles that I thought were particularly insightful or useful from the previous week. If you like what you see below, you can subscribe to my weekly e-newsletter where I share articles and perspectives like this--as well as local jobs, events and news around Minneapolis/St. Paul: https://tinyurl.com/5n8xp294

Here's what I thought you might find interesting this week:

We Put 4 AI Tools Through a PR Task Test. Here's What Came out on Top.

TLDR: No one tool did it all well. In fact, Microsoft's Copilot was only the clear winner in one of the tests--and dead last in another! Read More

Hanson & Hunt Podcast: Surgeon General Makes Big Move

Big move by the U.S. Surgeon General last week in his NYT op-ed calling for warning labels to be added to social media platforms.

And I'm shoulder-to-shoulder with him--100%.

Here's why:

• We know our kids are facing a HUGE mental health crisis. In the Times op-ed the Surgeon General states: “Adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media face double the risk of anxiety and depression symptoms, and the average daily use in this age group, as of the summer of 2023, was 4.8 hours. Additionally, nearly half of adolescents say social media makes them feel worse about their bodies.” Pretty damning evidence. And for those of us who are parents of middle-school kids to college-aged kids, we see this every day.
• The Surgeon General says this strategy of placing warning labels on harmful items has worked with tobacco in the past. But, more importantly, we shouldn't stop there. Schools can play a role by ensuring the classroom is a phone-free zone–I can’t believe this hasn’t happened already, but this would be a huge improvement and I hope it happens in the next 12 months. Not giving kids access to social media until after middle school–another great idea, and one I really wish we would have adopted as parents.
• We (parents of high school and early college-aged kids) were the first generation of parents to deal with phones and social media. And, I'll just speak for us, we made all the mistakes. We probably gave our kids access to phones too early (4th/5th grade if I remember right). We definitely gave them access to social too early (prob 5th/6th grade). We did monitor phones, but as they both entered late middle school that got tougher. But, I’ve seen first-hand what the phones can do. Sure, they can be used for connection and other good things. But from where I sit the harmful effects far outweigh those positives in my mind. The anxiety issues aren't 100% coming from phones and social media, but I do think they're a huge contributor.
• I'm actually starting to think about ways I can help in this area as it's a big area of concern and passion for me. Because kids need our help right now. I've thought about volunteering with Bolder Options, an organization with a mission I can 100% get behind. I'm thinking about how I can help with social media education with kids--an area woefully in need of a super-boost. It's been on my mind a lot lately, and Kevin Hunt?and I talked about it on our 190th episode of the Hanson & Hunt Podcast last week. Read More

How to use Instagram Broadcast Channels to Support Creator Partnerships

Some really interesting use cases here for those with relationships with creators--definitely worth exploring. Read More

Marketers are Feeling Overwhelmed by all the Channels they have to Manage

In my 2024 social media trends prezo that I've given now almost 10 times to organizations, clients and prospects, the first trend I talk about is how more companies will focus on channel prioritization in the year ahead.

New data from a recent study commissioned by Quad and produced by Harvard Business Review Analytic Services is confirming that assumption.

The survey found 53% of marketers said they either strongly agree or somewhat agree to feeling overwhelmed by the number of channels they need to manage as part of the media mix (just 16% strongly disagreed or somewhat disagreed).

What's more, 59% of marketers said they either strongly agree or somewhat agree that the need to have specialists knowledgeable about each marketing channel is creating complexity (again, just 17% either strongly disagreed or somewhat disagreed).

There is a relatively easy solve for most marketing teams here: Take a long, hard look at your existing social and digital channels (maybe even do a social and digital marketing audit--drop me a note if I can help with that!) and figure out which channels are performing--and which are not. And cut or pause those that are not.

Many brands have already done this with Twitter. But, I wouldn't stop with one channel--especially if you're a tightly resourced team.

Long gone are the days where you need to be on every social media platform. The new norms for success in social media marketing are: quality over quantity, focused effort, and hyper-targeting and personalization.

And none of that can happen if your one-person social media team has 5-6 social channels to manage. Read More

The Evolution of Emotional Support Water Bottles

This would resonate deeply with my 16-yo daughter. I think she has about 19 water bottles (now on Stanley). Read More