My 8 Takeaways from the NISM 2024 Social Media Job Study
My 8 top takeaways from the 2024 National Institute for Social Media Job Study. If you’re among the elite club of masochists who do social media for a living, I promise you will see yourself represented here and possibly gain some solace in knowing you are not alone. If you don’t work in social, this will help you understand and appreciate your social team more.
Is my Facebook page really disabled? Here’s how to check.
If you manage a Facebook page on behalf of a business or company, chances are pretty high that you have received a message saying something like “Your Facebook page has been disabled due to violation of our community standards.” But very often (read: almost all of the time) these messages are fake – and learning to identify the spam is important so you can tell if your page is really in trouble. And, sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I just had a client report this same phishing scam on LinkedIn. So it appears the scammers may be migrating over to new platforms.
“The Bear” and my favorite two-word phrase
Like so many others, I spent the good majority of last weekend streaming Season 2 of FX’s “The Bear.” It’s been on my mind not because of the compelling story line, the great acting or the absolutely stellar musical selections. Nope. It’s because my favorite two-word phrase has now made an appearance in both Season 1 and Season 2 of “The Bear.” And I don’t think it’s an accident.
Your online security is up to YOU
Many consumers erroneously assume that companies like Facebook, Twitter and Apple are doing all they can to protect your online information. But it’s just not true. Bottom line: Your online security is up to YOU.
Companies: pull your heads out of the social media security sand
Here’s an ugly truth: most companies spend little to no time considering social media governance and security – even though ransomware, malware and other cyber attacks are on the rise and cost big-name companies millions of dollars every year. That’s the equivalent of sticking your head in the cybersecurity sand. But I think there are signs that 2022 may be the year this really changes.
Social media data is a competitive advantage, and your competition may already know it
A new report from Sprout Social showed executives expect an increase in their companies’ use of social media data, and – much more notably – in the number of departments throughout the company leveraging social media data. It’s about time.
RIP, Fleets
Last week, Twitter let the world know that it’s shutting down Fleets – its full-screen tweets that expire after 24 hours a la Snapchat. The abrupt and very quick axing of Fleets just eight months after its release leads me to raise two bigger industry-wide questions:
Why do social media platforms feel they have to copy each other?
When will posting fatigue overrun the benefits of posting for users?
5 reasons to include social media in your M&A planning
Companies that grow by merger or acquisition often have long and elaborate processes for executing those deals. And almost all of them neglect to include social media either entirely or until way too late in the process. Unsurprisingly, I believe this is a critical mistake. Here’s why…
Social media security is all about identity management
If I could have 5 minutes of every CIO, CTO and CRO’s time, I would use it to tell them two things:
Managing social media is increasingly a massive exercise in identity management.
Your organization probably has a huge blind spot in this area.
Going digital in a pandemic: the data tells the story
I love mucking around in a good data set, especially when it is super interesting. There are two such data sets that were released last week, and both of them have applications for companies interested in social media or digital marketing. Let’s dive in.
Identity Management Day: Let’s address a gap in understanding
I cannot tell you how big the divide is between the people who actually manage social media for a company and people like business leaders and IT decision makers. I would classify it as a prime example of what I call “a gap in understanding.” At its core, the reason for this gap is completely understandable and simplistic in explanation: the right people are not having the right conversations. Here’s why.
Social media strategy is a game of niches
By now you may have seen a post or three about the latest batch of Pew data on social media users. Here’s the big takeaway: If you still think you have one big single audience on social media, you are doing social media like it’s 2010.
Bring your brand images into focus
Professional communicators continue to put most of their energy, thought and resources into the words they post online while treating the images as an afterthought. If that’s you, it’s time to change your thinking. Images are only becoming more important in the race to capture consumers’ attention.
Clubhouse and voice-only platforms still come with security risks
It’s time to discuss the safety of audio-only platforms. Please – do not make the mistake of assuming that audio-only platforms are in any way safer than their text-based counterparts. Here are a couple of key reminders for these types of platforms as they grow in popularity and prevalence…
Kids and keyboards don’t mix for social media managers
Any parent knows that kids are extremely adept at taking advantage of opportune moments to “play” on mom or dad’s phone. But if you manage your company’s social media accounts, this is actually a risk that you should consider. Case in point: the intriguing mystery of the US Strategic Command Twitter account last week.
Why you shouldn’t let your agency own your ad account
Let me just state for the record that I have never hated agencies, and I know many good ones. I certainly don’t hate them now that I own one myself. But after managing dozens of agency relationships around the world for years, I truly believe that many companies make a big tactical error by trusting their agencies too much – especially when it comes to letting them own your stuff.
3 cybersecurity questions to ask for your business - and your love life
The helpful folks at the National CyberSecurity Alliance put out a lovely tip sheet on how to avoid online romance schemes this Valentine’s Day. These are great tips for the wayward romantics out there, but they are also great tips for general cyber security and protection. Read more about how to protect your company.
Social media is fun, but companies can’t do it just for fun
If there was one thing I wish I could get folks in the business world to understand about social media, it’s this: when you’re doing social media on behalf of your company, it’s OK to have fun. But it cannot be just for fun.
Trendspotting: Social media governance jobs are coming
Large companies will eventually realize they need a head of social media (or digital) governance. It’s honestly a position that is overdue at most large companies doing social media and digital marketing at scale. It’s my prediction that companies may eventually have a couple of FTEs dedicated to social media/digital governance.
Do things differently this Groundhog Day
You cannot improve your social media security by doing things the same way every day. And acting irresponsibly doesn’t help your cause. Social media governance is something that requires constant attention, diligence and effort. Don’t repeat the same thing every day and hope for a different outcome. Do things differently. Here are some tips.