I always get asked, “How much time does it take you when planning your Facebook and Twitter content?” I am not the only one wondering. According to the eMarketer January 6 article, “How Long Does It Take to Plan Facebook, Twitter Content?” a Percolate survey found that most marketing executives created Twitter content on the same day. Facebook took a longer amount of time: up to a month or more in advance. “Content marketing goes beyond social and short-form content such as tweets and status updates, and includes everything from e-newsletters and images to presentations, blog posts and long-form videos. Marketers must cut through the clutter and figure out what content to use for their audiences.”
How long does it take you to plan your Twitter and Facebook content?
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Photo via Adriana @ Great Food 360°
eMarketer has released “Key Digital Trends for 2015, What’s in Store—and Not in Store—for the Coming Year” divided into three sections:
– Five Key Things You Need to Know About 2015
– Five Things that Might Get Big (But Might Not)
– Five Things You Won’t Need to Worry About
Five key things you need to know about 2015:
1. Marketers that respond quickly will succeed with real time marketing enabling those to be fast, flexible, and fluid.
2. Mobile search takes over desktop
Smartphone and tablet usage continues to surpass traditional desktop and laptop searches especially with price savvy smartphone users comparing brick and mortar pricing as they shop with online merchants.
3. Programmatic moves beyond digital display
eMarketer predicts programmatic will make up more than 50 percent of all digital display advertising.
4. The Internet of things becomes a thing
Marketers will have the ability to connect products and services for consumers and enterprises, and the data from these connected things will provide insight to how users interact with them.
5. Cross-Device Targeting
As more consumers not only the desktop/laptop but smartphones and tablets, publishers will have to create other solutions for advertisers to buy audiences, not channels. Advances in user identification, retargeting and the use of location data should boost marketer confidence and spending.
Five Things that Might Get Big (But Might Not)
1. Wearables: Not Quite Ready to Wear
Some have predicted wearable device shipments to hit triple-digit growth but eMarketer believes that without a single transformative product creating a must-have item (remember how Apple did it with the iPhone and the iPad?) US consumer penetration will continue to be low.
2. Mobile Payments? Wait until next year
Digital wallets and mobile payments have not been used by enough consumers since most still pay with cash and/or credit cards. Other than those using the Starbucks app and Apple Pay, consumer behavior may not take hold for years. The other issue are those merchants waiting on the sidelines to see which technology gains the confidence of consumers so those merchants will not have to invest and install an obsolete system.
3. New Life for Social Commerce
Getting consumers to shop via social is another new trend as Twitter created an in-tweet “buy” button but eMarketer cites a 2014 Harris Poll for DigitasLBi where only 5% of US adult internet users made a purchase through Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest.
4. Will Content Marketing Sputter?
eMarketer cites a 2014 Social@Ogilvy/SurveyMonkey survey where 6,500 social network users were asked if they were seeing too much branded or advertising content on their social networks. 60% said they were seeing too much so brands need to listen more and speak less and focus on relevance over quantity.
5. Cord-Cutting: Still More Hype Than Reality
Cord shaving is the more apt term as consumers are reducing what they spend. Most viewers of all ages still watch television the traditional way but mobile continues to grow.
Five Things You Won’t Need to Worry About
1. The Desktop
eMarketer feels with consumers increased use of smartphones and tablets less time is being spent on desktops and laptop computers. “Consuming digital content in a nonlinear manner, using whatever screen is most convenient at any given time, is now commonplace. For marketers, that requires a shift in thinking and focus—away from channels to audiences, and reaching them on whatever device or screen they’re using.”
2. QR Codes: Not the Next Big Thing
QR codes won’t disappear but it appears they will not become a mass technology either.
3. Social TV: The Conversation is Pretty Quiet
eMarketer cited the 2014 Academy Awards moment when Ellen DeGeneres posted to Twitter the Samsung sponsored “selfie” shot as an exception since some consumers use mobile devices while watching television with a small number actually talking and engaging about what they are watching through social media.
4. Baby Boomers: Going Bust
Other than healthcare no need for marketers to be bending over backwards getting boomers to buy new cars or any other luxuries as those same boomers don’t have the money to spend in their golden years.
5. Pivacy? Security? Yawn.
Even with the massive data breaches in 2014 there is nothing stopping those from wanting to use and live by social networks. “The general population has proven beyond a doubt that it does not care about privacy or even security if protective measures inconvenience their digital habits. Users may claim to be worried about security, but their actions speak louder than words.”
Johnson & Johnson’s Social Media Strategy
How Pfizer, Tiffany and American Express Engage Their Employees
Inside Gatorade’s Social Media Monitoring Hub
JetBlue’s Social Media Strategy
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Hashtag Killer Psych USA Network Social Media Strategy
How CNBC, Pepsi, and American Express Harness Mobile Marketing and Commerce
Time for an update to see how the social networks are ranking with the eMarketer November 18 article, “Younger Users Spend More Daily Time on Social Networks,” according to a Cowen and Company online survey of of internet users aged 18 and older, the top six social networks are:
1. Facebook
2. LinkedIn
3. Pinterest
4. Twitter
5. Instagram
6. Snapchat
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Johnson & Johnson’s Social Media Strategy
How Pfizer, Tiffany and American Express Engage Their Employees
Inside Gatorade’s Social Media Monitoring Hub
JetBlue’s Social Media Strategy
How to Make Effective Videos That Connect With Your Audience
Hashtag Killer Psych USA Network Social Media Strategy
How CNBC, Pepsi, and American Express Harness Mobile Marketing and Commerce
Gary Vaynerchuck Book Discussion Jab Jab Jab Right Hook
The New York and Los Angeles chapters of the Public Relations Society held a Google Hangout that featured Andrew Wallenstein from Variety and Steve Baker from ABC News Nightline and provided insight for the best ways to get Variety and ABC News Nightline to cover your client, book or story.
Starting as a weekly entertainment trade magazine in 1905 and debuting online in 1998, Variety can now be accessed via wireless with Variety On-The-Go available as an app for the iPad, iPhone, Android, Blackberry and Windows phone.
As the Co-Editor-in-Chief at Variety, Andrew Wallenstein advises PR pros to know the publications and the people at those publications in regards to what they do, what they cover, and understand what is relevant in the news cycle of each publication. Andrew believes that the most effective pitch is when a publicist knows what the reporter or writer writes about, what interests him, and if you come to Andrew with something that reflects those interests at the very least he will will get back to you promptly since that publicist has taken the time to take Andrew seriously. And what are those things of interest to Andrew? He has a track record going back many years of all the things he has covered.
When emailing your pitch Andrew suggests answering, “How can I make this headline stand out?” and make your email subject line clear by not dressing it up. Otherwise, Andrew warns, he will unspin whatever you are trying to spin. Attaching photos in the email is irrelevant to him since most photos are large files that get deleted without being seen. Andrew is open to a lunch meeting if a publicist would like discuss a future idea, but don’t pull a bait and switch where we talk about interviewing one specific person and end up speaking with someone different. Also think about a different angle when covering certain topics that may be seen as overexposed. Andrew cited how the Kim Kardashian mobile game was a huge financial success and there may be an instinct from those in the media that may hold up their nose to certain things but there can be a story underneath that.
You can follow Andrew Wallenstein on Twitter @awallenstein
As the Senior Producer at ABC News Nightline, Steve Baker feels a great pitch is tailored to the types of stories and topics Niteline covers such as character driven narratives. Since Nightline competes against 60 Minutes/CBS This Morning Steve appreciates publicists that provide their clients with more time to conduct the interview as those guests open up and share unique stories for Nightline. Steve’s favorite kinds of stories have strong emotional story lines where people can connect to and a side of the interviewee has not been seen before.
When emailing pitches Steve recommends a personalized email such as “we saw your show the other day and feel our client has a great story about…” otherwise mass emails become overwhelming. Avoid pitching him on a Friday afternoon but Steve accepts attached photo files and trackable links in the email. If your guest will be doing other programs prior to Nightline it is best to be upfront and let Steve know.
You can follow Steve Baker on Twitter @stevenrbaker
If you would like to watch the entire panel click here.
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How to Get Your Client or Book on CNBC, Huffington Post Live, The Chew, and Better TV
How to Get Your Story or Event On Television and Radio Shows
How to Get Your Guest or Book on Rachel Ray and CBS This Morning Saturday
From the eMarketer November 3 article, “Reach B2B Execs with Snappy Video” it is revealed that “B2B marketers pointed to video as one of the top three most effective content marketing techniques. The typical time-starved businessperson, doing research at the top of the consideration funnel, grabs a moment to watch a video because he or she is hoping to learn something quickly.”
And what guidelines to use when creating video to grab attention?
“Informational videos must be short—if you don’t grab their attention in the first 20 seconds, you’ll lose them, marketers say. Robert Rose, chief strategist at CMI, said, “Video is being used more and more as a way to talk about products and services instead of a long white paper or long article.”
The other three methods were:
– In person events
– Webinars/webcasts
– Blogs.
You may also be interested in these posts:
Johnson & Johnson’s Social Media Strategy
How Pfizer, Tiffany and American Express Engage Their Employees
Inside Gatorade’s Social Media Monitoring Hub
JetBlue’s Social Media Strategy
How to Make Effective Videos That Connect With Your Audience
Hashtag Killer Psych USA Network Social Media Strategy
How CNBC, Pepsi, and American Express Harness Mobile Marketing and Commerce
Gary Vaynerchuck Book Discussion Jab Jab Jab Right Hook
The Mike Johnson Blog 
