Change is a constant.
That's the only certainty in life. It's interesting that a lot of people are saying that social media is a disruptive force to the big traditional broadcast media. It will replace it, but at some point it will be the same.
Wait, what?
Avi Gandhi recently hypothesised on LinkedIn:
“In the early days of the creator economy, we interacted socially through social platforms, the distinction between posts by friends and posts by content creators was blurred, and creators felt like friends too.
That blurred line has become clearer thanks to improved production quality and the rise of all kinds of monetization tools: Creators' content is getting better and better, and more obviously economically driven, and Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram are becoming more media networks than social networks.
Today, we as users are less interested in staying in touch with friends and family on social media and are instead interested in being entertained and educated, just like back when we relied on television to pass the time.“
Knowing where we're heading, what should senior marketing executives do as a result of all these changes?
A. Is the focus on treating social as a content channel like traditional media?
B. Will you continue posting content and copy like you have done with social media in the past, with branded content at the forefront?
C. Would you stop and learn about the conjoint effect so that you can develop an entirely new strategy?
But what is the conjoint effect, why was I hearing about it for the first time, and why should every marketer understand the conjoint effect and how it impacts their social media strategy right now?
Because it helps you go beyond being an imitator and become an innovator.
What is the conjoint effect?
The conjoint effect is the theory that people, brands, celebrities, and content creators behave similarly to one another and steal each other's tricks (and often, sadly, their content).
But why is this important for marketers to understand?
Mental availability builds brand prestige. But too many companies just copy what other companies are doing. This worked well for a long time, but now it's too late.
For much of the Golden Age of Social Media (2007-2015), it was about connections, interactions, and engagement along your social graph. We received updates from people primarily in the form of text status updates and photos. We knew these people. As a result, we trusted them. This was the early days of the influencer and creator economy. A time when connections were highly valuable.
But then the “For You” feed took over and we started trusting strangers on the web as long as they were credible and influential. The conjoint effect is a subversion of how social used to work; it’s more about interests and ideas, more aligned with the interest graph. This puts pressure on brands to start creating content that exceeds the signal-to-noise ratio; a “meal” that’s more memorable than junk food. As a result, brands need to pivot:
- past: Brands are people too, and they need to act like humans on social media too. Make your brand human, authentic and relatable.
- future: Brands are not people, so they need to act in a way that provides value on social media, even if that value comes in the form of entertainment or humor.
As the social web moves in this direction, what should we do going forward as we cross the chasm?
3 ways to use the conjoint effect to upgrade your social media strategy
If “For You” feeds become the norm across all platforms, meaning less content from people you connect with and more content from new creators, influencers, and brands you don't follow, what's the best way to adapt to this new world? Let's start with this…
1. A listening strategy to identify content trends for lookalike audiences and brands similar to yours
The best way to think about where you want to be at the intersection of the conjoint effect is to look at what other creators are making for audiences similar to yours. This isn't about copying what they do, but about thinking about what you can do to get noticed. Remember that your audience has many options now. Why would they choose you? Get the information. Here's where…
2. Identify trends that will help you jumpstart your unique content creation
Most companies start and end with number 1. They find trends based on what others are doing, copy them, remix them a little and offer them. Now you need to go beyond them. Remember that you need to be mentally available. You can’t do that by talking, looking and dressing like everyone else. One thing you should do when building your social listening report is to find “hidden gems” that are not trending among your audience but have the potential to become trendy. This will give you an edge in terms of original ideas. Good examples of brands that go beyond what others are doing are Marc Jacobs, Duolingo, Airbnb and Mailchimp. Ultimately, from here…
3. It creates a flywheel effect that helps you develop the habit of creativity
Find your pace. Going back to step 1, gather data that will help you differentiate. Sure, you might start out creating with a similar audience in mind as your competitors, but eventually you'll go beyond that. Become a brand everyone will want to emulate. Become the brand everyone mentions in their “best practices” presentations. Beyond breakthrough social content, there are a few ways to achieve this: Your posts follow a consistent tone, style, visual identity, voice and branding that provide value beyond just promoting your products or services.
And once you do this, you reach a state of nirvana. Everyone will be talking about you, like a band. You will bring a whole new perspective to how people view how social media content is created. You will be the innovator and others will be your imitators. You will be in touch with many FYPs without gaining many friends or followers.
You become a “must see social.”
Looking for examples of brands cutting through the noise on social media? Check out our Post Performance Report series.
