While the foundations of social media strategy—goals, knowing the audience, measuring engagement, etc.—has stayed the same, much of the execution has changed. That’s what attendees of the July 17 PRNEWS Digital Learning Series workshop: "Social Media for PR Campaigns," learned to be the current state of social when considering newer platforms and features, such as TikTok and YouTube Shorts, that engage younger audiences like Gen Z.
Knowledgeable presenters and panelists for the workshop, hailing from companies such as H&R Block, the International Association of Better Business Bureaus, ROKK Solutions, /prompt., Verizon and University of Southern California, delivered updated best practices in social media for PR pros, including essential platforms for right now, AI for content creation, reaching Gen Z and more.
Everything About Social Platform Preferences Has Changed
Carolyn Cohen, Senior Marketing Manager - Social Media at H&R Block, who presented "Essential Social Platforms NOW: What to Focus on, What to Forget," referenced Oreo's famous "dunk in the dark" post that went viral in 2013 during a blackout at the Super Bowl. The campaign now serves as a historical reference of excellence for anyone wanting to learn about successful watershed moments in the history of social media communications. However, Cohen says, you probably could not do the Oreo post today to the same fanfare.
"There's just too much content on too many platforms now," she noted. Back then, everyone used Twitter during major cultural events, creating a groundswell of global community in real time.
Now, social media users swarm TikTok, and according to a study she shared, users are spending about 1.5 hours a day on the platform, watching dozens of short videos from different niches that add up to about the length of a movie. In fact, the study showed that users spent more time on TikTok than Netflix per day.
The Future of Social Media Is Brimming with AI
Destiny Chambers, VP, Head of Marketing, and Freddy McLaughlin, SVP of Analytics, showed how their agency, /prompt., is going full speed ahead with creative AI integrations and innovations to make not only their work flow more efficient, but to provide some truly creative experiences when it comes to campaigns.
"AI does not actually replace creativity—it simply augments it,” Chambers noted.
The duo gave an informed rundown on what they saw for the not-so-distant future when it comes to creating with AI. The list included:
- Hyper-Personalized Content: Social media feeds will curate content experiences tailored to each user's unique preferences and interests.
- Real-Time Content Optimization: AI will analyze engagement in real-time, allowing you to refine your content and campaigns on the fly for maximum impact.
- Emotionally Intelligent Content Creation: AI will understand user sentiment and generate content that evokes the desired emotional response from your target audience.
Spend Time Monitoring Trends
Since the X, formerly known as Twitter, trending list no longer relies on the former trustworthy complex algorithm of the former Twitter News team, it may take more time for you to spot a trend. Unless you have a teenager at home, younger employees on your staff, or spend hours a day on TikTok, it takes a little more elbow grease to figure out what Gen Z is talking about and what they gravitate towards.
During the session "How Gen Z is Using Social Media Today," Gabriel Gomez, Social Strategist, Brand Engagement Marketing Activation & Creative at Verizon, and Victoria Mendoza, Director of Conversation Design at University of Southern California, explained their staff process for following and deciding when to jump on trends, as well as tools used for finding those opportunities.
Mendoza mentioned using the creative management platform Plot for social monitoring and ideation within her team. She also touted TikTok's Creative Center, an ads platform that shows the latest trending videos, creators, hashtags and even video songs and sounds.
A full, recorded version of the workshop with all sessions and takeaways, can be found here.
Nicole Schuman is Managing Editor for PRNEWS.