The start of the year is a chance to hit the reset button and adopt a fresh perspective.
That’s also true for the social team at MSL. The new year represents an opportunity to look at channels with a fresh set of eyes and think about how we can do things differently in the months ahead.
So, here are five things to think about as you plan your social media strategy for 2024.
Taking social media marketing beyond social
If content can capture the attention of audiences on social media, why can’t it have success in captivating and engaging audiences beyond their smartphones?
That sentiment was likely one of the factors at play when TikTok launched “Out of Phone,” the platform’s out-of-home advertising solution. Out of Phone allows brands to take the content they’ve created for Tiktok and display it in the real world on billboards and other digital screens.
The idea of re-purposing social content for other marketing channels is also something CB2 put into practice with a test in 2023, where the furniture retailer took top-performing content from their Instagram channel and utilized it for Connected TV ads.
As platforms like TikTok release new products and brands look to find efficiencies against the backdrop of an uncertain economy, this could be the year to consider taking your social content beyond social.
Snapchat marketing: Don’t sleep on Snap
While TikTok is the default channel for many marketers when it comes to reaching Gen Z and Millennials, don’t discount the importance of Snapchat to that target audience. According to data released by eMarketer in December 2023, 85 per cent of Snapchat’s audience is made up of Gen Z and Millennials, compared to 78 per cent on TikTok. Statista also projects that Snapchat will remain the most popular social platform amongst Gen Z through 2024 and 2025. While this is U.S. data, it’s not something Canadian marketers should ignore.
Create with Creators to break through the noise
As brands continue to battle for audience attention, consider partnering with content creators whose creative has the unique ability to put a stop to a user’s infinite scroll. One of last year’s most scroll-stopping creators was Ian Padgham, whose “poetically surreal videos,” like the Bordeaux Metro in Paris, give brands the opportunity to create the excitement of a big marketing stunt without any kind of physical activation. Padgham’s CGI-led creations are a great example of a brand-creator partnership.
Toronto-based creator Edwin Chung is another example of a creator who can give brands the upper hand in winning – and maintaining – audience attention. Edwin’s unique approach to stop motion has allowed him to develop content for iconic brands like Burberry.
Different from an influencer partnership, with creators, it’s more about a brand leveraging someone’s specific and unique skill set than it is about their ability to influence someone’s purchase decision, but the right creator matched with the right brand can do both.
Shoppable content: Take users from content to commerce
Near the end of 2023, we saw some global retailers take shoppable content to new heights. One brand created mini shoppable moments during an NFL game via QR-code-embedded ads that drove viewers to a variety of different Black Friday deals, turning a football game into a fully shoppable experience.
Another brand leaned into creative with a shoppable romantic comedy series that was released around the holiday season on TikTok, Roku, YouTube and owned social channels.
While these examples aren’t explicitly social by design, they shine a spotlight on how brands can take users from content to commerce quickly, something that social platforms are continuing to put a focus on (see the launch of TikTok Shop) and something to consider as part of your social strategy in 2024.
Experiment with AI, even if it scares you
It’s difficult to have a conversation about AI without someone bringing up the existential – it’s coming for all our jobs! – risk that comes with it. And while there are reasons for marketers to be wary about how they leverage artificial intelligence, it’s worth experimenting with, and in some cases, even embracing as a tool to help us do our jobs more effectively, whether that means supporting brainstorming sessions, creative versioning and copywriting.
The technology is something Publicis Groupe is putting significant investment behind with the recent debut of Core AI, which will focus on five key areas: insights and strategy, media planning, creative and production, software development and operations.
To learn more about how MSL can help you develop and execute your social strategy in 2024, contact us today.