Social Media Hits & Misses - Talk Show Edition

As a digital marketer I live in a 24/7, constantly on the go, tech savy world and like many millennials I value having social media at my fingertips to share important moments in my everyday life as I interact with brands.  While in NYC for a week visiting friends I had the opportunity to compare and contrast two talk show empires and the value they place on their social voice.

Live with Kelly & Michael

Challenges:

• A small studio in the middle of the Upper West Side means long wait times outside to get in 

• A long rectangular shaped studio means many audience views are blocked out by stage crews and cameras 

• Live show means a long wait for a very short taping for audience members.  

WINNER WINNER:

•  Policy for audience members: Take as many photos as you want!
• Social media channels addressed on the show and reminded to audience to reinforce brand
• Every break Kelly and Michael ran over to audience members to take selfies (which you know were posted everywhere online)
• The crew allowed any audience member that wanted to take a photo with the show logo backdrop on way out to do so, no rush

This show hit a home run for me as an audience member who didn't get a great seat. (This photo was taken by a friend with a better seat, thanks Craig!) Instead of feeling cheated the experience and the atmosphere was so conducive to social media, supporting and encouraging its audience members to share their experiences, that I left wanting to come back.  Next time, I found myself thinking, I'll stand in line at the crack of dawn if it means getting a great seat and a photo with the celebrity hosts.

The Dr. Oz Show

Opportunities:

• Spacious ABC Studios location in midtown Manhattan where audience members spend very little time waiting outside
• Large open studio with clear views for every audience member, not a bad seat in-house!
• Taped segments mean lots of downtime in between segments to post about experiences and take photos if given the opportunity

GAME OVER:

• Policy for audience members: No cameras in studio and phones off entirely
• Social media channels never mentioned and show hired a comedian to try to entertain audience members between segments when they could have been posting online
• Dr. Oz takes photos with audience (taken by show) and shakes hands, but shows misses opportunities for audience brand ambassadors to share their positive experiences live
• Audience rushed out the door at end of taping by crew, not allowed to stop and even take pictures with show logos

This show struck out for me as an audience member who received a great seat in front as well as free tickets to a movie premiere the next day.  Instead of feeling delighted by the experience and the atmosphere I felt confined, unable to share the great excitement I was experiencing shaking Dr. Oz's hand and even doing a taste test on camera with my family and friends in a timely manner.  Furthermore the show often misses out on great story lines including this photo I sneakily took (hence the graininess) in which Dr. Oz signed a magazine for a 94 year old fan who was as giddy as a schoolgirl to meet him. (I shared it on Instagram anyway, sue me).

 

Survey Says: The Battle of the Social Media Platforms

The Content Marketing Institute is out with their new report, surveying marketing around the world about content and digital marketing success.   You can read the report here or check out the highlights below:

bit.ly/1SGPytV

And the Categories are:
Choosing the correct social media platform for your business needs is often the most important decision laying the foundation for an effective digital marketing strategy and it's crucial to understand that B2B companies not only differ from B2C in platforms, but in needs.

B2C

• B2C respondents ranked Facebook as the most effective social media platform for reaching and selling to core customers with 66% effectiveness.  
• Of the B2C respondents, 76% use promoted posts with 61% finding them to be the most effective, followed closely by social media ads at 59% effectiveness.  (A 20% and 30% respectively increase over last year's results)  

Facebook succeeds in providing a fun and entertaining diversion from work, and businesses directly targeting consumers can find success by focusing on lighthearted content and direct engagement.  Companies based in sports, hospitality, food, and the arts truly shine with this content. Of the companies surveyed 52% reported that they had a stand-alone budget just for sponsored social in their marketing mix.  Add in a boosted post or timeline ad to targeted audiences and generate greater brand allegiance and top of mind consumption.

B2B

• While B2C respondents spoke to success in the social space less than half of B2B respondents found promoted posts or sponsored ads effective.  
• Instead far more found paid search a valuable tool for soliciting the right clients at 55% effectiveness, and LinkedIn as the most effective social media platform at 66%.  

While Facebook offers fun and distraction from every day life LinkedIn users are looking to solve problems within that everyday life whether it's how to grow their careers or the right professional to hire for their company's needs.  B2B focused companies can find success in by providing expertise in subject matter through LinkedIn publisher.  B2B companies should take advantage of this platform to provide free information/expertise on vital problems and solutions within a respective industry.  Companies focusing on professional services such as law firms, architectural firms, and accountants can build a satisfying client list through these platforms. By providing knowledge in this space, B2B companies can be seen as experts, build trust and professionalism, and gain long term sales.