Digital Communication: the power in your hands
Mendoza had the third edition of Social Media Day, with the latest trends up for debate.
Social Media Day had its third edition in Mendoza. Together with experts and professionals from the industry, the latest trends and practices in this changing world of social media and digital communications were debated.
Those of us who work in the volatile world of marketing and advertising know there is no formula for success, but we understand that staying on top of the changes and the main technological currents is essential. For this and much more, we leave you a summary with the main topics of the day.
Big Data and cognitive analytics
At a time when the transfer of data has become common currency, the need arises for what to do with and how to use those large amounts of data. Organizations and brands use them to be able to make better decisions and do a bit of futurology, but this trend is slowly starting to fade.
For the world of marketing and advertising, the challenge is oriented more and more toward understanding people, their potential clients, and in that way being able to anticipate their needs. Every word, photo or file a user shares on social media represents large amounts of metadata that can lead us to understand that person’s personality. Creating and using cognitive systems that help us interpret that data can make decision-making easier or give answers in real time.
YouTube and audiences
We all know YouTube’s unstoppable reach. The growing habit of users watching what they want, at the moment and place they choose, has led the platform to position itself as n° 1 in the supply of audiovisual content. It is estimated that 86% of internet users watch videos on YouTube.
This is complemented by the growing number of smartphones entering the digital map day after day. In Argentina, 33% of the population has a mobile device, and dedicates 3.5 hours a day to it. In fact, it is said that we look at our phone approximately 150 times a day. For all this, it is no surprise that 50% of YouTube visits come from mobile devices. If brands want to stay relevant, they will have to review that their strategy is mobile first, think in small interactions and keep in mind that it is the user who decides.
On demand content platforms
The what, when and how habit is not only applicable to YouTube. The pressing need we have to watch what we like without interruptions is already a behavior that has been going on for some years. Since Netflix appeared, the platform has done nothing but grow and accumulate customers all over the world. Besides, more and more television networks are joining this on demand model.
While the objective of this type of platform is not to be a social network, it is true that they look to perfect their recommendation algorithm to improve the experience. The question many users ask themselves when having to decide between hundreds of titles is: what do I watch? That is why the search continues to optimize the interrelation of algorithms, platforms and social media.
Online reputation vs. Social Media
Nowadays it practically does not happen that a brand or a given organization is not online; they all have a presence in the virtual environment. But there is something many do not take into account, and it is that reputation and prestige are in people’s hands. Any negative comment on a social network or forum can cost the brand not only its reputation, but also its existence.
Any mistake in communication can affect the business. That is why it is important to carry out a change in communication and in the way of doing business. Communicators must have a place at the decision-making table in order to take part in building our online reputation, and not let others build it for us.
Social Media and online journalism
Social media: is it essential for journalism? Yes, it is essential for the practice of journalism today. Does it mean the end of journalism as we know it? No, but you have to know how to adapt the forms to the media. Using social channels as allies of journalism raises a debate with many angles, but the reality is that they have become essential media when it comes to informing.
However, a post on Facebook or a 140-character tweet is not enough. You have to have journalistic rigor and know the context of use of each of these networks. While Twitter works as a news source for launching Breaking News or dealing with agenda topics, Facebook works as a lighter medium where the consumption of information tends to be more informal and where people like to give their opinion.
The virtual landscape keeps changing constantly. The role of social media around brands and organizations will keep being predominant, and we will have new and unexpected challenges to face each time. Whether as tools or as a medium of communication and interaction, we will have to do everything possible to keep the level of relevance and visibility required these days, and keep gravitating around that powerful key player: the user.
