Private social media is not a wave. It’s the tide.

Since its inception, social has been a medium centered on human interaction between friends, family, classmates, and other close circles. Over time, these circles grew to encompass business, celebrities, and the media at large. Eventually, they grew too large. 

Algorithms have overwhelmed the feeds, Stories have become saturated, personal connection can be scarce, privacy is not a privilege (it’s a right), and the most meaningful interactions go unreported to the general public. These five factors have forced social media leaders to reevaluate their business models.  

As Mark Zuckerberg declared during his keynote address at the F8 developers conference last week, “the future is private.” The time has come to find new methods for bringing positive (and profitable) personal connections back to the core.

Algorithms overwhelm the feed.

Consumption has become a passive exercise based on volume, not purpose. 

The flood of content has forced brands to pay to be seen and causes publishers to reduce their reliance on social as the main traffic driver1. Meanwhile, influencers and other social-born businesses can crumble in the aftermath of an algorithm update2. 

Then, Stories arrived. Since Instagram adopted the Stories format invented by Snapchat, the feed has become significantly more sparse, and is predicted to surpass time in-feed sometime in 20193.

Dwell time has become a leading indicator of relevance for the algorithm4. If you have ever watched 30 seconds of an Ellen video and then scrolled down to see the next three posts are also Ellen videos, you understand what I mean. It’s in your face. It makes you think “why am I seeing this” — now more than ever before.

To combat this, brands should reevaluate their reliance on the typical promoted post and think beyond the feed in order to find ways to connect with the right audiences in a memorable way.

Stories are saturated.

Algorithms are not isolated to the feed. They dictate the order of the Stories environment as well. With a Stories format available on nearly every major app, they are facing the same problem as the feed: there is simply too much content. People ferociously tap, striving to see it all, without stopping to interact, only to skim.

Instagram recognized this. You'll notice that all of the features added to Stories over the last year have been in service of making them more interactive: polls, GIF stickers, emoji voting, countdowns. Each of them meant to make interactions easier.

Stories are where the people are spending their time. Brands need to be present there. If they aren’t prioritizing the interactivity of Stories, they are missing the potential. 

Personal connection is limited in the feeds.

New features can try to make consuming video less passive, but the underlying truth is: social media is lacking personal connections to both one’s followers and their content.  

In a recent interview, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey admitted that they are “rethinking how Twitter incentivizes user behavior5”, suggesting that having a service that prioritizes the interests of the user, regardless of the author, is more important than who and how many people you follow.  

On the flipside, Pinterest, a platform that has never had a chronological, follower-based feed, added the “following tab” to its platform last year6. Why? To make it easier for pinners to see the content and recommendations from the people they have chosen to follow.

Facebook Watch has dedicated groups for each of their shows where any user can form a Watch Party for any video7, and friends can all tune in together. YouTube has introduced group chats to comment on and share videos with friends8. Even Instagram is testing a similar group viewing experience for IGTV9. 

All of these examples illustrate different ways the major platforms are giving control back to users and bringing the personal back to their services.

Meaningful interactions don’t make news.

Usage of messaging apps surpassed traditional social media way back in 2014. And, as no surprise to any Redditor, there is a group for everything and they’re thriving. From triathlon enthusiasts, to cancer survivors, to those who like interesting doors, you can find your community. Groups might be the last reason some remain active on Facebook11, but one-on-one interaction being the dominant behavior is not new.

What is new is how messaging apps and private groups are transitioning to become the core business opportunity. Traditional video, feed posts, and Stories will continue being the primary reach drivers, but longevity will come from successfully and constructively finding ways to be the conversation, rather than “join the conversation.”

It is critical for brands to ensure their customer care strategies are adapted for chat-based environments, and that they’re creating content specifically targeted to the appropriate communities.

Staying afloat in changing seas.

The combination of overwhelming algorithms, content saturation, and a longing for meaningful interactions has caused the major social media platforms to change course and keep positive, private and personal connections at their core. All of this is underpinned by the view that data protection and privacy is a right and should be built into every aspect of a platform. 

Brands need to adjust to this mindset. Meaning they’ll need to think beyond the feed, prioritize interactivity, adapt for chat-based environments, and find ways to tap into the relevant close-knit communities through a value exchange.  

How people interact online is constantly evolving, but one thing remains unchanged. No matter the feature, personal connection is the unique quality social media has over any other channel. Platforms, publishers, and advertisers alike can never lose sight of that, regardless of what's on the horizon.

Original run: https://www.digitas.com/en-us/news/insights/private-social-media-is-not-a-wave.-its-the-tide

Sources

1. "The Great Facebook Crash” - Slate (June 2018)

2. “Building and Losing a Career on Facebook” - NPR (Feb 2017)

3. "Stories are about to surpass feed sharing. Now what?" - TechCrunch (May 2018)

4. ”Facebook Dwell Time: What Video Marketers Need to Know” -  Tubular Insights (May 2017)

5. "Jack Dorsey says it’s time to rethink the fundamental dynamics of Twitter" - TechCrunch (April 2019),

6. "Introducing the following tab" - Pinterest Newsroom (March 2018)

7. "14 Things to Know About Facebook Watch Party" - Guiding Tech (November 2018)

8. "YouTube: Here’s How to Create a Group Chat" - AdWeek (Jan 2019)

9. "Instagram's Testing a New Communal Video Viewing Option" - Social Media Today (April 2019)

10. "The Messaging App report" - Business Insider (September 2016)

11. "These Women Are Only On Facebook For The Groups" - Buzzfeed (April 2019)

Lead the Next Phase: 3 Trends @ the Spredfast Social Summit →

Social media is no longer the wild west (coast) where anything goes, brands run free, and platforms remain unchecked. App redesigns are controversial front-page news, political moments move market share, and podcasts preach privacy practices. And, although social still moves faster and changes more rapidly than any other media, it has matured.

So, what's the next phase in social media marketing? Humanity. Remembering that your consumers are people, too. People with everyday lives and everyday problems, who yearn for recognition, connection, and appreciation. And, that means regaining trust and building relationships through a better customer experience.

We’ll take you through three areas to focus on that will help brands elevate their social experience for the benefit of the customers and the bottom line:

1. Bridging the gap between marketing and customer care efforts

2. Identifying the right data to inform strategy and creative

3. Knowing your brand values and taking a stand

#1: BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN MARKETING AND CUSTOMER CARE

Consumers are 7x more likely to purchase from and 15x more likely to spread the word about companies that lead in customer experience. Brands need to understand that every impression is a part of the customer experience.

Social media is the one channel where the marketing experience and care experience happen in the same feed, on the same post. Problems arise when they are not working towards a shared goal. This means going beyond customer service and broadening the phrase to encompass “Customer Care.” This means every moment on social is in service of creating meaningful interaction, not just answering the customer need. All while maintaining a consistent brand presence and a seamless information loop between your audience, marketing, and care.

#2: FINDING THE RIGHT DATA TO INFORM STRATEGY AND CONTENT

How do you translate all of the data social provides into content that can work hard for your brands? Listen with intention. Social data is, by nature, constantly being updated. For brands to excel means silencing the noise and finding the most relevant conversations to listen to. Finding the ones that truly form a connection between a brand, their consumers and a shared interest. For example, during the 2018 World Cup coverage from FOX Sports, FOX recognized that their most watched and shared content was not of the game's highlights, but rather of fans celebrating. In response, FOX shifted coverage mid-tournament to fully focus on the passion in the stands, leading to benchmark-breaking content for the network and their partners.

Along with understanding how people talk about a topic, advertisers need to evaluate how the individual platforms are incentivized as a business, compared to how their users respond and adapt to new changes. The main social platforms are constantly updating, responding to consumer behaviors, as well as creating them. The features that are both the most adopted by users and the most lucrative for the platform will be the priority in the algorithm.

#3: WE GIVE OUR BRANDS VOICES, IT’S OKAY FOR THEM TO USE THEM

Do good and stand for something. These words were on repeat throughout the days at the Summit. But, what does that mean for a brand? Brands have a responsibility to use their platforms to spread good. In our industry we hear it over and over again: “millennials support brands that support their causes”.

Now, we’re starting to see that come to life. Brands like Nike have raised the expectations for consumers and it’s no longer going to be acceptable for brands to sit back and be silent. Most recently with their partnership with Colin Kaepernick, Nike not only saw their sales increase by 31% within within the first month, but they generated a meaningful debate on a topic that is at the intersection of their brand’s and consumer’s values. That being said, brands have to ensure that their voice is being heard in a conversation that is authentic to their brand purpose.

TLDR;

Keeping up with the speed of social, creating value through content, and engaging with your audience in one-on-one conversations are basic fundamentals that every brand should already employ. By trying to bridge the gap between marketing and care, listening to the right data, and having your brand utilize its voice, your brand will be positioned for success in the next phase of social media.

Here are some questions to ask yourself to get your brand moving in the right direction.

1. What are our consumers interested in general? What’s our role in that conversation? What is unique that a brand can offer to make the connection?

2. What insights from the social care team can we use to inform content development?

3. What are the potential social care implications of the new campaign about to launch?

4. Imagine the positive social customer care interaction you’d want. Then ask yourself, does my brand do this?

5. What is our brand’s purpose beyond the product? How can we use our purpose to support consumers?

Co-Author: Sarah Levi

You Can Copy a Format but You Can't Copy a Purpose -- a Snapchat Story

On Wednesday, March 1st, Instagram opened up its Stories ad platform to brands of any size. This update is the latest challenge in the ongoing competition for mobile eyes and ad dollars between Instagram and Snapchat. But we need to stop and ask ourselves: are they even playing the same game? Did the recent implementation of Stories on Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger put a major dent in Snapchat’s trajectory? Or did this introduction of Stories unintentionally help springboard the new entertainment “TV” focused era for Snapchat? The platform shifts in the last six months bring serious questions to the long-term viability of Snapchat as a platform but also expose new areas of growth.

Instagram Makes a Statement

2016 was a year of drastic change for Instagram. It was also the year Instagram put Snapchat as we know it “on notice.”  Depending on whose side you’re on, you may think of Instagram as the once pristine, independent, and inspirational photo-sharing app turned conglomerate copycat of the ephemeral, intimate, private, “cool” Snapchat. Conversely, you might believe Instagram is the leading visual communication platform, and they are adapting to changes in user behavior, while still doing it better than their competitors. I believe it is the latter.

In an attempt to bring the personal back to the platform, Instagram implemented numerous updates that range from small enhancements, such as adding the ability to bookmark posts, to more major updates, like live streaming, Instagram Stories, and enhanced direct messaging.

Many of these updates are a direct response to a growing Snapchat threat. Those moves appeared to have paid off, at least in the short term. According to documents from Snap’s IPO filing, Snapchat active user growth slowed 82% after the launch of Instagram stories.

As an advertiser, whether you think Instagram’s version of Stories is better than Snapchat’s Stories is irrelevant. In 2016, Instagram added 100 Million users in a single year, bringing their total users to 600 Million, and Instagram Stories now has nearly more users than Snapchat’s entire global platform.

According to Snapchat, Size Doesn’t Matter

In a recent exchange on Medium, two authors wrote competing viewpoints on how they see the future of Snapchat. The first, “Why I’m leaving Snapchat and so are all your friends” speaks to the utility of the platform, specifically how the updates to Instagram were enough to make him leave. The response, “Why I’m Not Leaving Snapchat, and My Friends Aren’t Either: A Response to Owen Williams’ Article” spoke about the platform’s emotional appeal, and how the intimacy, privacy, and secrecy of Snapchat is the true appeal, and how having a big following is not important. Snapchat used their IPO road show to convince investors of that exact same argument; spending significant time highlighting how the one-to-one, intimate communication with your closest friends is the user’s priority, and just because Snapchat is not the biggest does not mean they are not the best — emphasizing a smaller concentration of highly engaged users. (Tumblr anyone?)

Snapchat Needs to Evolve

Snapchat has always maintained that they are a camera company. It is the marketers and investors who continue attempting to classify Snapchat as one type of platform versus another. This gives Snapchat the opportunity to truly define their unique value proposition they will bring to the future.

To avoid the struggles that have plagued Twitter of the past few years and to survive the ongoing battle with Facebook, Snapchat needs to go back to their original challenge: creating an intimate viewing experience that is as appealing to users as it is advertisers. In other words, how can Snapchat turn the historically impersonal broadcast experience of TV into a personal, intimate consumption experience, at scale?

They Are Poised for Success, If They Do it Right

Coming out of the largest tech IPO since Facebook, with a market capitalization of $35 Billion, Snap Inc. is flush with cash and ready to make these sweeping changes on their own. Snapchat has always been something of an enigma for advertisers — it’s difficult to pinpoint what is driving users to the app.

Is it the disappearing photos? Is it the filters and lenses? Is it Discover, or Stories? Maybe that’s the appeal in and of itself. It’s flexible. It serves many functions, for many people, as a mobile-first, media-centric, conversation tool. There have been new apps that have tried to replicate each of those separate features, and failed. So far, Instagram has been the only one that appears to be making an impact.

Mobile devices have forced platforms to specialize in the offerings that they provide. Facebook is firmly entrenched as the multi-purpose platform that often finds itself as the main portal to the Internet for many users. Snapchat needs to celebrate their unprecedented media consumption experiences within Live Stories and Discover content, while supplementing their hardware products with unique augmented reality experiences.

My “aha moment” for the platform’s potential with Live Stories was when I was watching the NBA playoff on Live Stories. You get to watch the game from the sidelines, from the nose-bleeds, from the couch or even from the locker room. Snapchat is bringing a powerfully immersive and unique experience to what is otherwise passive observation, all in one mobile-first feed.

One of the biggest and most important changes we’ll see on the platform in the coming months will focus on the multiple TV network deals to create Snapchat specific content.  As the TV landscape becomes more fragmented and app based, Snapchat’s grasp on the coveted 18-34 demographic sets them up to bring younger eyes back to “TV”.

In addition to Live Stories, Snapchat is one of the pioneering platforms to bring scale to augmented reality.  So far, their use of AR has been fairly novel, specifically with the introduction of World Lenses, which flip the camera to allow you to go from looking like a dog, to becoming the dog.  However, their numerous acquisitions of smart glass, 3D-Capture, facial recognition, and VR hardware companies has demonstrated their commitment to providing accessibility to augmented reality. They have also begun merchandising their augmented reality capabilities, with the introduction of Spectacles.  Leveraging their current software and hardware functionality, they are in a position to make a big splash in the AR/VR world in 2017.

Lastly, Snapchat has made dramatic updates to their advertising capabilities within the app itself. At the end of January, Snapchat opened up their ads API to let brands buy on their own. They’ve made partnerships with measurement, viewability and sales tracking companies to prove their effectiveness, and they have enhanced their targeting capabilities to include behavioral and purchasing targeting. Those updates, combined with enhanced 360 viewing experiences, to potentially using AR to revolutionize billboards, indicate that Snapchat has rapidly matured into a substantial advertising platform.

But What About Lenses?

Until this point, you may have noted my lack of discussion of Snapchat Lenses, which remain Snapchat’s last unique product offering. Even with the impending ability to target lenses to specific audiences, my response is “meh.” Facebook acquired MSQRD early last year, and the infusion of “Facebook Masks” into all Facebook properties is inevitable. That being said, the addition of Facebook Masks will lead to a decrease in price point for Snapchat Lenses.

In Summary

The many developments over the past few months have many wondering if Instagram Stories has put the kibosh on Snapchat, calling into question the long-term viability of the platform. But no one platform can own a feature (Facebook did not have a News Feed for its first two years). A platform can own a purpose.

Snapchat is just getting started and they offer a unique video immersion experience like we’ve never had before. They’re taking the Facebook route to “TV” faster than Facebook did, and they are entering into the next wave of AR/VR experiences. If they can successfully turn the historically impersonal broadcast experience of TV into a personal, intimate consumption experience, at scale, Snapchat is poised for a successful future.