This is LiftMetrix’s next installment in our blog series of interviews with notable social media marketers from brands across various industries. Throughout this series of interviews, we have accumulated their responses to several questions, including the social media platforms that they’re most excited to use. Spoiler alert: it looks like Snapchat is the clear winner, followed by Instagram! View the full responses below.
‘I love Snapchat!’
“I love Snapchat,” said Ryan Saghir, Director of Digital Marketing at Sabra Dipping Company.”I think Snapchat is awesome, but I have to say that more than anything else there are a lot of advances and exciting things happening at Facebook and with Instagram. I’m sure most people probably love the idea of what Snapchat brings and their approach because there is something very fascinating about it, but seeing how Facebook, Instagram and all of the other major networks are all evolving is really exciting as well. I’m really excited about working with the major social networks themselves, but there is still a piece of my heart for Snapchat, I just feel that it needs to be done right and not forced, I wouldn’t want to force us to do something when it doesn’t make complete sense for the brand.”
Malikah Kelly, Digital Content Manager at Steve Madden, also echoed this excitement for Snapchat and its capabilities, including ephemeral content: “I think that we’re going to see more disappearing content, so more apps similar to Snapchat where the content is just temporary. I think the cool thing about that is it requires urgency – I know I can look at my friends Instagrams or Facebooks all day and their stuff is always going to be there so I don’t necessarily have to rush to see it, but every time someone sends me a snap I look at it right away because I know that it’s going to disappear. I think we’re going to see a lot more apps that use that similar technology just to increase the urgency of looking at content and the amount of time you spend on the app because you feel that pressure to quickly jump on to see what people are posting.”
It’s not even just management who are keen on Snapchat. USA Today’s Director of Social Media for Strategic Brand Marketing Jodi Gersh said that her whole team is excited! “If you asked anyone here, everyone is going to say Snapchat; Snapchat is like the shiny object even though it’s been around for a couple years now. Everyone wants to sort of figure out the best way to work with it, but personally, I think that it’s messaging apps, Snapchat is a messaging app to an extent, but I mean things like WhatsApp, Line, WeChat and even Facebook messenger who recently opened up their API to build chat bots on the platform. I think if brands can figure out a way to not just send out headlines through these things but have a chat bot that’s a really fun and engaging way to get updated on what’s happening in the world. Research shows younger folks are interested in this one-to-one or one-to-group conversation versus just broadcasting everything out on Facebook or Twitter – so they’re heavily using chat apps. I think I saw a stat last week that chat apps have surpassed social networks in terms of that demographic. So I’m most excited to figure out how to play in that space and how USA TODAY can be fun and colorful and give snack bites of news and I think that platform would work really well for that.”
Instagram’s Content and “Human Side” are also Key
Nailah Blades, CEO of Wylie & Co., while excited about Snapchat and Facebook LIve, also loves the opportunities that Instagram provides: “I personally love Instagram; I’ve always been a big Instagram person and think it really allows the brand to have the opportunity to approach their content from a more editorial standpoint so you get to see your own magazine editor and I think that’s a great way to approach it. It’s also a great way for brands to showcase what their lifestyle is and kind of go behind the scenes and showcase their particular aesthetic. So personally, I always was excited to see how Instagram would grow and where brands will take that. I think looking into the future and the changes that are happening now, I’m most excited about forms like Snapchat and also live videos like Facebook Live and all of the other live video platforms. I think that has really opening up the content creator hat and really becoming a full on publisher and I think that’s really cool – so I think it’ll be really interesting to see how brands get more comfortable and get on board.”
“I would say we’re most excited about Instagram, said H&R Block’s Director of Social Influence Marketing Lauren Gerstner. “H&R Block has been on the platform for almost two years, but our initial strategy was more ad hoc. This year, we’re in a much better place where we can bring a more consistent look and feel for the brand on that platform, and it’s a great space to showcase the more of a human side of our brand.”
You can view the full interviews with these stellar social media marketers by clicking here. Stay tuned for the next Q&A post as well as our next recap post on these stellar marketers’ advice for other brands looking to improve their social strategies.
