Social Media & SEO

How would you like to lead communications for the new Facebook Oversight Board, which was created to adjudicate content-moderation issues for the behemoth social platform? For Dexter Hunter-Torricke, his greatest challenge, right now, is explaining to the public what the board is and does.

Shareablee data for 2021 show an 18 percent increase in consumer engagement versus 2020. Yet 2021’s consumer engagement was off a whopping 60 percent from 2019’s pre-pandemic figures across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

At The Social Shake-Up Spring Tune-Up virtual event, social media pros working at brands, agencies and in-house at platforms shared their insight on social media approaches and channels, from Clubhouse to TikTok. Here are top takeaways from the event.

One of the most difficult moments for crisis communicators is knowing when, or even if, to react. Once you decide to act, finding a proper response is critical. The backlash against Burger King UK’s tweet was immediate. The company, though, seemed to forget a motto it used for 40 years: ‘Have It Your Way.’ Instead, after choosing to respond, it doubled down with explanations.

For many stuck at home in 2020, social media provided one of the only ways to continue exploring the outside world. According to a report by Hootsuite and We Are Social, social media usage increased by 13 percent this past year. It should come as no surprise that new research by Sprout Social shows that 91 percent of executives anticipate their social budget will continue to increase over the next three years. Nearly half expect to bump spending by 100 percent. 

When it comes to influencers, does size matter? Do you go with a major celebrity or a micro-influencer, who has relatively few but intensely loyal followers? For the NFL’s Jesse May, manager of influencer & entertainment marketing, an influencer’s alignment with and passion for your campaign are deciding factors. She explains in this brief Q&A ahead of her April 21 appearance during The Social Shake-Up Virtual Spring Tune-Up.

With Major League Baseball’s full, 162-game season returning and fans allowed in stadiums for the first time since Oct. 2019, you’d assume social media would be awash with baseball-related posts. A PR maxim, though, says it’s best to test assumptions.

Creativity and authenticity also are at the heart of Ninja’s social media search for a Smoothie Bowl Sommelier. After a nationwide search in late January, Ninja chose Gillean Barkyoumb, a registered dietician with 8,000 followers on Instagram. We asked Sasha Hartman, SVP, director, global creative and digital at SharkNinja, about why Ninja chose a micro-influencer and specifically Barkyoumb.

As The Social Shake-Up Virtual Spring Tune-Up is set for April 21, we offer introductions to some of its scheduled speakers. In this Q&A, Dropbox social media head Susan Chang offers advice to social media managers about avoiding burnout. One of the tips she advocates is setting boundaries.

Burger King UK’s recent misstep on International Women’s Day is well known. One of the takeaways, writes Yonder CMO Lisa Roberts, comes from a basic principle: Know your audience. Roberts, though, goes beyond the usual interpretation of that communication maxim. In addition, she emphasizes the importance of planning for something to go wrong and reacting quickly.