SOCIAL MEDIA

as Discord , What ’ s App , Facebook Messenger and even email can be considered “ dark ” platforms . What ’ s App is the third-most-used media platform in the world , ahead of Instagram and TikTok .

People want to belong to a community , and they use specific social platforms to do that . Find that place where you can activate your community .

“ Social media is not a strategy ,” said Schaefer . “ It ’ s the beginning of a process that leads to community . Those who can bring people together in community can create a deep and lasting emotional connection .”

By Glenn Hansen

In this second-annual social media trends report , I took the work of Minneapolis-based social media expert Arik Hanson , added insight from marketing leader and author Mark Schaefer , tossed in our own wisdom as social media users and insiders and boiled it all down into a few recommendations . Let ’ s get to it .

FOCUS TO CREATE COMMUNITY Every business and organization faces increasingly complex marketing choices today . A 2023 study by research and consulting firm Forrester shows that marketers manage twice the number of marketing channels today compared to 2021 , and they use three times as many marketing technology tools . According to Hanson , that is unsustainable . “ We are starting to see brands cutting out some social media platforms ,” he said .

Find the channels your followers prioritize , and cut out the rest . Some have moved away from Twitter in its transition to X , and found the discontinuation caused little , if any , negative impact .

Your focus should be on creating community wherever your community exists — even if that ’ s a non-traditional social platform .

“ It may be time for dark social media ,” said Hanson . Dark social platforms are those private forums whose traffic can ’ t be measured by traditional analytics tools ( not the dark web ; that ’ s a different beast ). Private groups such

BE AUTHENTIC TO BUILD TRUST The idea of “ authenticity ” in social media has been alive for a few years now , with user-generated content ( UGC ) often at the forefront . Today , artificial intelligence , even in its infancy , will create a stronger need for authenticity across the internet . This goes beyond UGC and opens up a world of realism and personal expression that can succeed as opposition to machine-generated content . Consider two areas of focus .

1 ) Post what you can without worrying about highproduction editing and design details . Think of social media more as conversation and less as marketing . You ’ ll be able to post more frequently , and your audience will appreciate the simplicity and honesty .

2 ) Post with more personality . Hanson points to a trend he ’ s witnessed on LinkedIn where professionals are delivering more personal messages more frequently . According to Hanson , LinkedIn is the new office break room . But it also signals a shift to more transparency on social media in general . You don ’ t have to appear perfect on Instagram , or ultra-professional on LinkedIn . Be you , wherever you post .

Schaefer presents this idea a bit differently . “ Creators are the media ,” said Schaefer in his social media trends post . He points to a report published by the Interactive Advertising Bureau , a trade association for digital marketing , stating that 39 % of consumers are watching more creator content than a year ago .

“ Can you imagine any other media property getting a 39 % boost in one year ?” asked Schaefer . “ The impact , reach , and influence of creators is exploding , and yet an influence strategy is not even on the radar yet for most companies .”

30 SportsField Management | February 2024 sportsfieldmanagementonline . com