7 Themes at Toronto’s Social Media Week

7 Themes at Toronto’s Social Media Week

Toronto’s Social Media Week, presented by Pinch Social, showcased a multitude of trends and insights in the social media field. Here are our top 7 themes gleaned from #SMWTO 2017:

Content is Still King, but Distribution is Queen.

Diply, Buzzfeed and lots of other publishers are living proof that content is still the bread and butter of an effective online marketing strategy. However, good content will get you nowhere unless you put effort into distribution through paid advertising, influencers, and other means. Dean Elkholy, Co-Founder of Diply, shared with our audience “content is still king, but distribution is queen.”

Micro Influencers are the New Influencers

It’s not about how many followers you have, it’s about how engaged they are. “Micro-influencers have a higher engagement rate – usually around 10% – whereas influencers with a larger following are closer to 3%.” shares Deb Goldblatt-Sadowski, Founder and President of Rock-It Promotions. Many brands are turning to micro-influencers who often have a stronger influence over a smaller number of followers and are more cost-effective.

Video, Video, Video

Facebook and other platforms are blatantly favouring video in their algorithms. Christine Faulhaber, founder and CEO of Faulhaber Communications, shares the tip “Design video for sound off, delight with sound.” In other words, the key to effective video marketing is to ensure your video is enjoyable to watch without sound, since most content is consumed in silence. Sound should enhance the video-watching experience, but should not be required.

Pay to Play

“If you go back a few decades, companies spent tons of money on TV ads. Now, the majority of spend has shifted over to digital” shared Kat Spargalo of Abacus Agency. As social platforms continue to monetize, organic reach decreases year over year and is now as low as 2% – this means if your Facebook page has 100 likes, only 2 of them might see one of your posts. Paid advertising is now vital for all brands when it comes to effective social media.  

Mobile is Now

Mobile is the leading platform for social media usage – particularly when it comes to millennials.  “85% of millennials own a smartphone and most of them check their phones on average 43 times per day, scrolling through 300 feet of newsfeed on a daily basis” shared Dean Elkholy and Taylor Ablitt, Co-Founders of Diply.  

Create Thumb-stopping Content

“On average, people consume mobile content in 1.7 seconds” shared Kat Spargalo of Abacus Agency. To make someone stop scrolling, and watch a video, or read a comment, your content must be exceptional, and get your message out within the first 1.7 seconds.  

Adapt or Die

There is a reason why Social Media Weeks take place around the world 4 times every year. With the rate of change to social media platforms, best practices and more, social media professionals must keep an open mind and adapt to these changes in order to survive in the industry.