“The good old days of jumping on bandwagons and desperately trying to outrun trends on social media are numbered,” says “Social Trends 2024” from Hootsuite, a social media management platform. Businesses are focusing on ROI, the report says, even though Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, etc., “continue raining new tools, features and algorithm updates on us all.”
What does it mean for your social media campaigns? It means you should do less to do more. Select your champion platforms, Hootsuite says, and focus on one approach to content: Be entertaining.
Stop Yammering
Entertaining posts on LinkedIn is a viable content strategy? Yes.
“Consumers are saying it loud and clear,” Hootsuite says. “After staying in touch with family and friends, the top reason they use social media is to be entertained and to mentally unwind.”
The biggest no-no a marketing team can make is being overly self-promotional. “Almost half of organizations are yammering about themselves” in their posts, Hootsuite says. How many times have you seen a LinkedIn post crammed with photos of a contractor’s recent project? Or pic after pic of somebody’s safety meeting with everyone wearing PPE. Such posts are self-serving, and too much of them, users say, is annoying.
Users say instead that they access LinkedIn, YouTube, etc., for enjoyment.
“Humor is enjoyable for sure,” Hootsuite’s report says, “but so is finding inspiration, getting excited, feeling moved or learning something new.”
Host a giveaway. Hold a caption contest. Poll the industry. Reply to comments with a video of yourself. Post some memes. Users will smile, and you’ll cultivate their affection and ultimately garner more devoted patrons.
Add Wit Using AI?
Meltwater, a provider of social listening and consumer intelligence software, also surveyed social media users and marketers for a 2024 report. Initially, Meltwater found that many social media campaigns flounder—often due to a lack of direction and budget.
“Thirty-four percent of respondents state that while they have a dedicated social media team, they are still working on defining a strategy,” says “State of Social Media 2024: United States,” Meltwater’s recent report. “Twenty-six are in the tougher spot of having a strategy but lacking the resources to execute on it.”
This won’t do. Brands have to produce high-quality content on a regular basis “if they have even a hope of encouraging meaningful engagement,” Meltwater says.
After staying in touch with family and friends, the top reason they use social media is to be entertained and to mentally unwind.
Meltwater’s survey also found that AI is now a team player. Most social media teams use AI to create copy for social media posts on a day-to-day basis—60% say AI tools help them save time writing; 32% say AI tools improve the quality of their copy.
Can AI Add Some Wit to You Posts?
My prompt: “Rewrite this sentence with a little wit: Steel framing is often lighter and easier to handle than traditional materials, placing less strain and stress on construction workers.”
ChatGPT: “Steel framing, akin to a trusty sidekick, swoops in with its featherweight charm, sparing construction workers the agony of lugging hefty traditional materials and keeping stress levels as low as a limbo champion’s bar.”
I smiled when I read it.
The New Golden Rule
Social media won’t be going away anytime soon. So, develop a good marketing plan and work hard at executing it. Have concise, digestible content spread across one or two platforms. Use hashtags to focus messages; repost them to maximize audience reach. Consider adding AI to your social media marketing team. And never forget the new Golden Rule of social media marketing: entertain, entertain, entertain!
