Reimagining Human Connectivity at Social Media Week

Date

Four days, 27 sessions, and 114 Instagram stories later, social strategist Gina Vo landed back in Minneapolis.
We sent Gina to Los Angeles, which played host to one of the nation’s four Social Media Week events this year. The event sported a tagline of “Reimagining Human Connectivity,” a compelling topic after Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook manifesto targeted a more connected world community.
Gina took on a loaded itinerary, hearing from brands like The Knot, Tastemade, and Cheerios on topics including chatbots, platform distribution, and content development.
On a map, Social Media Week ran smaller than many events, confined to three auditoriums in total. The size constraint did not affect the event’s content, and the thought that went into the planning stages was evident.
“You could essentially stay in one venue for the whole day and not miss a thing,” Gina said. “It was great how they showcased tweets and posts between events to highlight key points and takeaways. That way, if you missed anything, you could catch up and jot those notes down.”
“They did a great job of creating a ton of workspaces and supplied countless outlet stations. That’s extremely underrated, especially for social media people.”
If you followed our Instagram story, you kept up with the on-goings and takeaways as they happened live. S/O to Gina for being so thorough.
If you didn’t, though, don’t worry. We’ve got you covered.
 

Here are Gina’s top-five takeaways from #SMWLA.

 

  1. Make your content a virus, not viral. A virus is contagious. You can’t help but catch it. Viruses don’t and can’t die. Conversely, viral is a temporary state of being, extremely short-lived, and easily forgotten. Create your content with the intention that it resonates so deep within your audience, they can’t NOT pass it on to their friends, family, and social network.

 

  1. Facebook ads are like dating. If you want a prospect to like you, you show them your best qualities. Show your endearing side with things you care about, people you associate with, and how you operate. Then you probably schmooze them by talking up some of your talents and accomplishments. Then, BOOM, make your move and hit them with a carousel ad.

 

  1. Interacting with a chatbot today is like going to the zoo. It’s cool to see all the different bots out there. However, you still know it’s not the real thing, and it feels a little weird seeing one outside of its natural habitat. Overall the feature is lagging, as few brands and individuals are adopting the tech, and of the ones who do, very few are doing it well.

 

  1. It doesn’t matter how good your content is if no one sees it. Pretty self-explanatory. If you have a piece of content that begs to be seen but isn’t gaining traction, put some money behind it. It’s 2017, and brands have to pay to play.

 

  1. Pinterest is killing the visual search / SEO game. Pinterest doesn’t view itself as a social network, per se, rather a search engine and idea catalog. With features like Lens, Flashlight, and See More Like This, Pinterest is making the path from product discovery to purchase as smooth and simple as possible. Read more on how Pinterest is dominating the visual-search world here.

 
And there you have it! You basically went to Social Media Week! Ok, not really, but you got some of the key takeaways, which is still pretty good.
Enjoy this article? We’re pretty active on the event trail and have a couple of recaps you might enjoy. Check out our three favorite takeaways from SXSW and these five “shake-aways” from this year’s Social Shake-Up.
Next up, we’re heading to the Big Apple for Hashtag Sports. Be sure to tune in to our Instagram and Twitter feeds to get an inside look at the event!

Want to work with us? Contact us here.

Want to learn from us? Get insights, context, and actionable intelligence on what’s trending in the world of culture, social, and the future when you sign up for our newsletter.

Background on The Social Lights
The Social Lights® is a social-first agency headquartered in Minneapolis that partners with clients to grow their business through strategy development, creative production, media buying, and social media management. Current clients include General Mills, Ecolab, Cargill, Caribou Coffee, Kwik Trip, Polaris and Massage Envy. The Social Lights was founded in 2011 and is a WBENC-Certified Women Business Enterprise. Learn more at The Social Lights.

More articles