Social Media Marketing World 2019 (#SMMW19)

This was my first time attending the Social Media Marketing World 2019 (#SMMW19), one of the largest social media conferences – I had done the virtual conference last year where I had access to the recordings.

Still, like a lot of other sidetracked projects, I couldn’t get through all of them.

This time, I really wanted to invest in this and myself/MantraM and be there to soak it all in.

And I will say that being present in the live workshops made a difference.

Like any conference this one was all about learning and networking, but I liked the fact that it catered to people of all levels – the tracks were organized that way.

If you wanted to focus on one platform you could immerse yourself in just Facebook learning, or you could do a workshop each on every platform – and be a jack of all trades .

Much like many other conferences like SXSW, which I have attended a few times, but one that was just all about social was something I didn’t want to pass up. To see other 6500 social media nerds in action was tempting:)

Here are my key takeaways from the conference:

Two messages rang loud and clear in Social Media Marketing World 2019 (#SMMW 2019)

#1 KEEP IT SIMPLE – whether it’s your product, people, your value prop, or your content. And #2 – VIDEO, as this content format seemed to trump most other formats on all social platforms. Well, depending on your industry of course, but for the most part.

Let’s dive into what else I took away from SMMW19. Check out my live updates on Twitter here.

mantram smmw

1. It’s all about 1 on 1 communication: Social Media Marketing World 2019 (#SMMW 2019)

Even if you have a million fans on any platform, cater your content and communication to one. Speak to that 1 single customer; your “Doris”(from Ann Handley’s email workshop), or your (insert persona/name here). When you create content for that one person in your niche (and speak like you know him/her well), you will build your tribe and also grow your reach. It’s ironic but true. 1 to 1 can lead to 1 to many.

2. Video

The key theme was video. Facebook live, Facebook native video (NOT Facebook Watch), Instagram live, Linkedin native video, Twitter live, Twitter native video.

Native video on all platforms seemed to be the way to go.

Taking advantage of this format under :30s, has been proven to build you an audience.

You can argue that this depends on the industry and the product but simple video formats.

Even a bunch of moving photos that tell a story perform better than text and static formats.

My Facebook Content Marketing Recommendation:

? 70% Video
? 20% Images
? 10% Links/Status Updates#SMMW19

— Mari Smith | #SMMW19 Keynote | #AdobeSummit (@MariSmith) March 22, 2019

1. Build communities – Build your tribe – FB groups, messenger, DM (Direct Messenger) all provide ways to create your niche community. This again is in line with the 1 on 1 communication point; DM, Messenger work better than sending out mass messages as they make your communication personable and thereby build your community.

It’s about:
?engaging VIDEO content
?embrace FB & IG STORIES
?integrate MESSENGER marketing
?building community in niche GROUPS@MariSmith #SMMW19

— christine gritmon✨ (@cgritmon) March 22, 2019

1. Person not brand – A company or product can never win the confidence of a consumer; but a person can. Humanize your product/brand. Then #1 becomes easy.

2. Authenticity – Build trust, by being authentic. Share your ups and downs, your highs and lows, and be genuine in your content.

3. Provide true value – Be of help to others. Ask yourself – how does my product or brand provide value that is truly helping solve a problem. And don’t hesitate to provide those tools of value for free. Don’t always be sale-sy.

4. Tell stories – In line with being authentic, share your story. And share stories (whether on FB, Insta) with intent, not just for the sake of it but to be of value and inspire.

5. Find your niche – You cannot be everything to everybody. Be of use to 1 person and other similar ones will follow.

6. 90:10 rule – Do one thing really well; Focus on one thing/one platform/one niche/one strength and allocate 90% of your efforts; experiment with other projects/platforms/categories for the remaining 10%.

Analysis

As you can see, there is a subtle connection between all of them.

I have begun to feel that amidst all this chaos and noise and wanting to get attention, we have almost come full circle.

There used to be one TV channel, a handful of magazines, no smartphones, no internet, and we had genuine 1:1 conversations.

It now feels like we have to find that “quiet” amidst the chaos, tune out all the noise, and focus on what each one of us knows best.

Recommendation

If we can genuinely service one person and move the needle, others will follow.

Then, we will build quality communities and have mastered the secret of social media success.

I also found this message to align with what MantraM stands for and what we want to focus on moving forward – helping entrepreneurs and small businesses find their business purpose, their digital blueprint, and their Mantra.

Last Updated on April 24, 2024