#CSMNY Wrap Up: Top 5 Takeaways From Industry Leaders
#CSMNY Wrap Up: Top 5 Takeaways From Industry Leaders
#CSMNY Wrap Up: Top 5 Takeaways From Industry Leaders
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The Incite Group’s Corporate Social Media Summit (#CSMNY) proved to be a fascinating experience for those who were able to make it. The two-day marketing conference became a social media crash course of sorts, with marketing leaders across a range of companies sharing their views on social and the ways in which their companies have capitalized on it.

#CSMNY Wrap Up: Top 5 Takeaways From Industry Leaders

It was equally interesting to see that even though the companies were so different- spanning the fields of finance, technology, television, editorial – they all found common ground on social. Everyone could agree that no matter the brand, social has to be a top priority. It can no longer be seen as a minor addition to marketing efforts; instead, it has proven worthy of a spot at the center of a company’s marketing strategy. Below are five of the major takeaways from CSMNY:

1. Social Listening Has Huge Value for Brands:

Social listening is the act of monitoring and evaluating what is being said about a brand or company online. Brands can then use that information to develop effective content strategies for their target audiences. By listening for mentions or discussions, brands can gauge how customers are feeling and make the necessary improvements to their marketing messages and/or their products.

As Head of Marketing for The Onion,  Joe Fullman digs a bit deeper into how they try to optimize their social efforts internally by being sure they’re maximizing their reach one channel at a time:

2. Social Media is No Longer Exclusively a Marketing Tool

Social media has evolved into a bonafide customer experience channel. Platforms like Twitter and Facebook have now taken on a customer service role and this development was heavily referenced at the conference. Jeff Lesser, Twitter’s Head of Social Customer Service, said customer service is the top reason why people follow brands on Twitter. Using social for customer care provides users with personalized service and is a great opportunity for brands to improve their image.

In our interview with VIP of Clarabridge Sid Banerjee, he detailed how he views the future of social playing a major role in customer service for brands. Learn more in the short video below:

3. Don’t Forget the “Social” in Social Media

Social media can seem like a formidable entity but it’s important to remember that at its heart, we’re still dealing with real people. It is a person-to-person interaction and should be treated as such. Tim Goudie of Coca Cola, incited the crowd to “Stop selling and start telling.” Goudie said brands should use social media as way to build personal connections with followers.

4. Brands have a responsibility to react to negative responses to their posts

The rise of social media has placed brands in a vulnerable position, exposing them to the criticism and discontent of the Twittersphere. Jenny Wolfram, CEO of Brand Bastion, says brands need to react to harmful posts on their properties. “Hate speech, trolling, scam, racist comments, and threats on your page are considered part of your responsibility,” according to Wolfram. She cautioned, “Make sure to protect your fans in order to protect your brand.”

5. Snapchat May be Hot Right Now, But Brands Still Haven’t Mastered it Quite Yet

Twitter dominated the conversation at CSMNY. Snapchat was noticeable – if only from its abject absence in discussion at the conference. The companies in attendance – spanning a wide range of industries – all seemed to be staying away from Snapchat. Twitter seems to be the customer care channel of choice with Facebook snagging second place. Brands may not yet understand how to utilize the messaging app for customer service but with Snapchat’s meteoric rise, they may want to pay closer attention to this platform.

To check out more from Incite Group’s Corporate Social Media Summit, follow @smxplorer and see what others had to say on Twitter via #CSMNY

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About the Author

Kristina Brown
Kristina Brown is a Marketing Associate at Renegade LLC, a NYC-based social media marketing agency. She was raised in Kingston, Jamaica and tries to find Jamaican food wherever she goes. Kristina is a recent grad of Duke University and would love to connect with you on LinkedIn!

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