Overlay
Let's talk

Hello!

Negotiating the Competitive Social Media Landscape of 2017

A Changing Social Media Landscape

In November of 2007, brands and businesses were given the opportunity to have an official Facebook presence. The same day, Pages for companies launched and 100,000 companies joined the social conversation. Established brand names, new businesses, local companies – they all felt ready and fired-up about social media and the magical aura that surrounded its impact for businesses at the time.

As we enter 2017, social media – for many – feels like it has lost a bit of its magic. What were once feelings of excitement that surrounded the influx of platforms, mediums, businesses, brands, and users has now transformed to feelings of frustration and disillusion.

Why So Frustrated?

It’s no doubt that an overcrowded landscape is making it harder and harder for brands and businesses desperately trying to reach, connect, and engage with the right people at the right times – and in meaningful, memorable, and relevant ways.

2016 was called “The Reachpocalypse” for a reason. Before 2012, 16% of Page followers were set up to see a brand’s update. Now, Facebook has cut the reach of organic posts to about 2%. Instagram’s introduction of ads in 2015 (three years after Facebook’s purchase), also made it easy for organic posts to drop to the bottom of users’ feeds.

For users, it’s easy to feel lost in the multiple feeds of information – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, SnapChat, Medium… Skepticism has risen about privacy issues online, and many people have expressed annoyance about targeted ads, never ending emails, messages, and reminders that seem to pop up on every platform until you hit that buy button. 2016 has also raised some important concerns about the role social media plays in the political spheres, heightening the expectations people have of some of the top tech and media companies of today to assume a more aware role.

Social Media in 2017

In short, it’s been a rough year for social media. And on the surface, it might seem like the impact of social has become insignificant. However, quite the opposite. Interestingly, as companies’ ability to reach audiences organically has plunged, the power of social media in swaying purchase decisions has surged. A recent McKinsey study found that about a quarter of purchase decisions are influenced by a primary social recommendation – not insignificant by any account.

And although navigating the social media landscape has become more and more of a challenge, businesses and brands that want to survive in the competitive landscape today need to be social.

1. Pay to Play

For 80% of companies in 2017, paid advertising has become a basis of their social strategy. And although paying might be a sure way to reach more people, it’s not a sure-fire solution. First off, money doesn’t grow on trees. And although brands can pay as little as $5 for a Facebook ad, actually sustaining that ad throughout the year is a large and often unrealistic investment for many businesses today.

And a paid ad that isn’t targeted in the right way to the right people isn’t going to get the job done. Being smart and strategic and working in line with a strong brand is key here as much as anywhere. Using paid and organic advertising and finding the right balance takes planning, research, and some experimentation. It’s about figuring out specifically who you are trying to reach, the best way to reach that audience, and in what ways.

What many brands and businesses aren’t taking advantage of is the data behind social. Running a low-budget ad may not help you reach a large audience, but it can reveal a lot about who that audience is. Who’s clicking? Who’s engaging? In what ways? Not only posting, but looking at how that post fares and is important to thriving within shifting times.

And luckily, because a balance of organic and paid ads isn’t going to break the bank – there’s room to experiment, test, and research within it. For instance, social might be a great way to try out two new taglines and judge responses, or see what kind of pictures your audiences best engage with. Being able to absorb the kind of engagements that are happening digitally and adapt accordingly is the only way you can position your brand to play in a competitive, and often deathly landscape.

2. Leveraging Employee Loyalty

What the reachpocalypse of 2016 has taught us, if anything, is the real impact of employee engagement. As business Pages might have a harder and harder time reaching the people that they want to reach, employees that engage socially become more and more valuable to a brand. Employee advocacy holds a lot of weight. And when information is shared from an employee, many brands find it is more engaged with, more seen, more shared, and often times, more trusted.

Employees have an easier time coming across as human, personal, and honest. And authentically sharing employees reflects well on a brand. So in order to get employees on board, make sharing simple. Giving people the tools they need and letting them personalize posts to their liking can help. So can appointing a point person to help when people need it.

However, at the end of the day, employees’ social engagement hinges on strong employee loyalty. You can make things simple and easy, but what matters most is that employees feel excited and proud of the brand they work for, and want to share it. When this is true, positive feelings surrounding the brand come to life across social platforms.

3. Greater Challenge Demands Greater Innovation

Just because social media may be more of a challenge today than it was five years ago, doesn’t mean businesses should go running for the hills. We’ve talked before about how brands need to be digital brands today in order to survive. And social is a large part of the digital landscape today.

That means brands and businesses have to be strategic. The challenge social media presents to marketers today demands even greater innovation and creativity. It requires teamwork and strong collaboration. Brands and businesses have to think outside the box and utilize their resources, and their people in new and unique ways. Rely on your brand to help guide strategic decisions on social platforms – remembering how you want to make people feel, who you want to reach, and why you matter to those audiences.

New platforms can enter any moment. And the best ways of using already established platforms is always changing. For instance, when Instagram introduced stories, the whole game changed. Being flexible, adaptable, and able to move fast is also key. Staying ahead of the curve, being willing to experiment, and always striving to create new innovative solutions is the only way to tackle the challenge the social landscape presents today.

Stay social and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for more insights, thoughts, and advice.

Emotive Brand is a San Francisco brand strategy and design agency.

VR: Gaining Momentum as We Enter 2017

Rising Normalcy in 2016

2016 was a big year for virtual reality. Facebook’s Oculus Rift and Oculus Touch released this week. HTC’s Vive and Sony’s PlayStation VR made a splash. Google’s Cardboard and Samsung’s Gear VR kept progressing in mobile. And although there are bigger years to come, this year indicated a rising normalcy around VR.

Deloitte Global predicts VR will reach a billion dollars in profits by the end of the year, and by 2020 the VR industry is expected to have shipped 30 million headsets globally. VR dominated the discussion at SXSW this year – indicating that virtual reality will now play a larger role in advertising, marketing, and branding today. The conference showed exciting ways for brands to transport customers to alternative realities, further immersing audiences in their worlds. For instance, Anheuser Busch gave viewers a full tour of their St. Louis factory, and Samsung’s VR lounge allowed people to ride a popular Six Flag’s ride from a seat in the tent.

As a whole, VR technologies are becoming more and more strategically utilized by brands and businesses today who are looking to create more immersive brand environments for people to engage with.

Unclear Future, Large Investment

Right now, part of what’s so exciting for brands is how unclear the world of VR seems. There are no established rules or best practices. The technology is continually improving and the software still needs work. Everyone knows there’s a future, but it hasn’t come into focused view…yet.

Most brands and businesses are still wary of their place in the world of VR. It’s expensive and complex, and a huge investment for brands who might not be sure how to strategically approach it.

Since VR is totally immersive, it also means that brands can’t afford to make mistakes. A bad brand experience holds more weight, impact, and long-term association in the world of VR. Some brands worry VR may seem unauthentic or not human enough for the brand they’ve worked so hard to build.

Because of these feelings of uncertainty, we saw a lot of brands simply experimenting with VR in 2016 – trying small campaigns, doing a tent at SXSW, sending Google Cardboard to loyal customers, taking small risks while watching the industry closely.

A New World of VR: More Real Than Ever Before

As a brand strategy agency that works to help brands reach, connect, and engage with the people that matter to their business on deeper, more emotional and meaningful levels, we have also been watching VR. We’re curious about the potential directions VR could take in the years to come. Here’s what we noticed happening in 2016 that we predict will continue to advance this next year.

1. Storytelling

We talk a lot about how brands can better communicate their purpose to their audiences – infusing it with emotions and bringing people along on the journey. Tom’s – a brand at the forefront of purpose-led business – has advanced their storytelling ability through VR. By setting up a ‘virtual reality chair’ in their flagship store, the company is able to transport shoppers to a village in Peru where they can experience a giving trip firsthand, and see Tom’s mission in action. The emotional impact is beyond any story Tom’s has ever told before. Even though it’s the same story, it demonstrates the power VR could have for many brands trying to make their story more impactful.

VR could also change the way the media tells us stories today. The NYT has been at the forefront of this possibility. In November 2015, they allowed their Sunday home-subscribers to watch a VR film called “The Displaced” through Google Cardboard glasses they delivered. Since then, they’ve shared several VR films with subscribers – making stories fresh, exciting, and truly immersive. Many believe that VR has the potential to change media as we know it today. Instead of hearing about what’s happening in other parts of the world, why not be transported there?

2. Immersion

The Oculus Touch went on sale earlier this week. The technology represents a whole new level of immersion for VR. People within the industry boil down the value of the new Touch to what they call “presence”: “what happens when all the technical elements of the hardware and software come together to convince your brain that what you’re virtually experiencing is actually real.”

Oculus Rift could enable presence, but didn’t take your hands with you into the virtual reality. The Touch is different. The technology allows a user’s hands to take an active part in this new world – grab things, play ping-pong, set off rockets, throw things, etc. It’s all about intentionality.

Earlier this year, Game of Thrones let users deeply immerse in the GOT world using Rift, but with Touch, users will now be able to use their hands to climb the Wall of Westeros. The Touch represents a big advancement in VR – making virtual reality even more real. It also opens up another world of social possibility.

There’s even been talk of fitness companies using VR – although it’s a stretch right now – to transport treadmill runners or indoor cyclists to the trails of Yosemite or biking along with the Tour de France (with their hands and feet along for the workout).

3. Social

Oculus’s bet on the social value of its brand and products has intensified, and with it the whole industry of VR. Senior executive at Oculus claims that “virtual reality will become a platform dominated by intimate social experiences, even though users are in different rooms.” The company has created avatars of users that can appear within another user’s experience to allow them to interact with each other.

Oculus and Facebook (who acquired Oculus in 2014) both believe that making VR more social will help normalize the role of VR. Non-gamers no longer have to wait on the sidelines. Mark Zuckerberg advertised social VR with a video of a demo he did at the Oculus Connect conference. The video shows people playing cards with each other from different locations and even families taking selfies together in a virtual world.

4. Learning

An immersive story-telling environment is arguably an environment catered to active learning. Although much of the discussion in the media around VR has been around how brands will use it to advertise, VR holds a huge potential in the education industry. Google Earth created a VR environment in which users can explore and learn about space – while being in it! There are many companies working to use VR to help educate and immerse people in educational environments. Imagine med school students being able to practice treating people in a VR environment. Or kindergarteners being able to travel to the Sahara Desert with all the animals they are learning about in class. The possibilities are endless and exciting.

5. Decision Making

In the competitive markets of today, it’s hard for brands to figure out ways to stand out from their competition and help people choose them. Consumers today are inundated with options and are often left feeling overwhelmed by these options. Brands that are using VR to help consumers make choices seem positioned for success.

Mercedes leveraged VR technology to show potential buyer’s how a Mercedes car could fit into their lifestyle – building an aspirational world where people can drive the car up a snowy Colorado mountain. Lowe’s helped consumers make in-store decisions by helping them visualize plans for a home improvement project. Shoppers could select the dimension of the room they were shopping for and explore different tile and lighting options within it – making it easier to compare and select what was going to help them build their dream home or dream room. A lot of brands are working on how to make in-store purchases easier for customers using VR technology and we predict this will continue into the new year.

Challenges and Opportunities Ahead

When Google Cardboard was released a lot of people complained about how uncomfortable and make-shift the product was. So Google kept moving forward and introduced the Daydream – an updated version of Google Cardboard that people are calling “the fleece jogger of headsets.” Priced at $79 dollars, like Cardboard, Daydream is a cheaper way for people to enter VR. There is still a ways to go, though. The Daydream only works with Pixel phones right now, although Android is quickly creating phones that will be Daydream-ready.

Many worry that investing in low-cost VR (or even full cost VR) just isn’t worth it. Why not wait for the real thing? The best thing? When’s the right time to enter the game? These are key questions a lot of brands and businesses are asking.

VR – like all other technologies today – is changing at the speed of light. While not all brands and businesses are jumping on board just yet, the smart ones are keeping up to date with what’s happening. Like anything, it’s always about being strategic. VR is now part of that conversation.

Emotive Brand is a San Francisco design and brand strategy agency.