Social Media & SEO

With Snapchat raking in over 100 billion video views a day, it’s well past the time to say “Snapchat isn’t right for my brand.” But once you’ve locked down a witty username…what, exactly, should you be snapping to reel in the platform’s rapidly growing demographic? Carolina Valencia, senior director of corporate communications at Univision Communications, shares some jumping-off points to help you generate fresh ideas for your Snapchat content.

In many ways, Facebook is using a time-tested PR tactic to increase the popularity of live video—influencers. By tapping some of the most popular media outlets and celebrities to create live video Facebook will have an incredible stockpile of content. Communicators should take a page from these prominent media companies and celebrities and jump on this burgeoning trend. Those who make a name for themselves now are sure to reap the rewards after live video inevitably becomes a main feature of the platform.

Nonprofits may have more in common with B2B and B2C brands than one might think. This installment in our series detailing consumer engagement with U.S. brands on social platforms finds patterns similar to those seen earlier when the focus was engagement with B2C and B2B brands on Facebook (PRN, May 30 and June 6). Examination of exclusive data provided to PR News by Shareablee shows the most engaged B2B, B2C and nonprofit brands seem to be emphasizing quality over quantity as the number of posts in Q1 2016 was down compared to Q1 2015. As a result, consumer actions, which is defined as the sum of likes, shares and comments, also fell.

You have to hand it to Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella. When he goes shopping, he comes heavy. Nadella plunked down $26 billion June 13 to acquire LinkedIn as a way to energize both companies. His hope, of course, is that the deal will be a win-win, with LinkedIn gaining cachet, scale and technology and Microsoft obtaining access to information about the mostly white-collar businesspeople who are LinkedIn’s stock and trade. Arriving at a stagnant Microsoft two years ago, Nadella has been pushing the brand to become friendlier to corporate customers. In this respect, LinkedIn and its 105 million monthly active users seems a good match. In all, LinkedIn claims 433 million members, or 433 million resumes, a juicy target for brand communicators.

If you’re anxious to find out how best to reach your target demographic on Snapchat, you’re not alone in wondering where to start. Snapchat’s users expect authenticity and creativity, and the platform’s ephemeral content isn’t as associated with polished photos and videos as Instagram and Facebook. “Snapchat is the cool new kid on the social media block,” says Hannah Law, VP of strategy, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide. “But don’t let that stop you from jumping in without a strategy.”

President Obama’s decision to announce his endorsement of Hillary Clinton on YouTube falls perfectly in line with how he’s conducted himself throughout his presidency. The president routinely speaks to the people on popular social channels like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. It’s all part of a carefully crafted strategy to increase government accessibility and transparency thought up by Obama, but orchestrated by a powerful digital team operating from the White House.

SHIFT Communications social media policy template (click to view)

Mayo Clinic social media policy template (click to view)

Snapchat continues to do well because it acts as a private portal into the lives of our friends—lives that are distinctively unfiltered, raw and often utterly mundane. It’s this window of authenticity that keeps users flocking to the app. And at this point, it’s the only way for organizations to have any kind of success on Snapchat. Brands like Taco Bell continue to post creative and compelling content on the platform, but there’s perhaps only one personality on the social network that truly embodies the philosophy of Snapchat: DJ Khaled.

Microsoft has finally become a player in the social media arena: It has entered into an agreement to acquire LinkedIn for $26.2 billion, the software giant announced on June 13. LinkedIn is to keep its branding, and its CEO, Jeff Weiner. Aside from intra-organization network Yammer (acquired in 2012), this will be Microsoft’s first widely used social media platform.