The post 10 social media marketing trends for 2024 first appeared on Arik Hanson.

Last year, I had coffee with eight people on the 2023 list (and 45 people overall): Haley Thannum, Mary Vaughan, Stacey Kanihan, Alyssa Abilo, Andres (Andy) Ybarra, Natalie Albin (client at UST class last spring), Monica Gratzer (client at UST class last spring), and Stephanie Steineck

I missed out on: Kaylee Olson, Ryan Foster, Stephanie Johnson, Meg McDougall (although Meg’s going to speak at UST class this spring–yay!), Quinn Anderson (although we’ve been trading messages about getting together).

So, not bad in 2023. I met up with 8 of 13 people on the list, with 2 more in the works. I’ll take that!

For 2024, I’m tweaking my approach just a bit to fit more with my “purpose” goal of 2024. I’m hoping to meet with a number of people who will be very interesting to talk with when it comes to that conversation of purpose. Here’s the 2024 list:

* Wendy S. Wiesman (founder of the hugely successful Ready Set Pivot, Wendy will surely have opinions on the purpose discussion!)

* Kirsten J. Parker (someone I met during the pandemic whom I’ve been very much wanting to meet)

* Howie Chan (exact same as above; love Howie’s energy here on LinkedIn, too)

* Katie Tomsche (always looking to connect with Tommie grads, especially those who work in the food industry!)

* Melissa Fors Shackelford, MBA (pretty sure I’ve never had coffee with a Harvard grad–bucket list!)

* Jenna Soule (definitely one of the people I’m looking forward to meeting the most on this list; another person I believe I met during the pandemic online)

* Tiara Kesler (I was set to meet up with Tiara in 2023, but we got a little sidetracked)

* Kristen Peterson (we were all set to meet in 2023 until I had some issues on the homefront that derailed it; I definitely owe Kristen coffee!)

* Beth McGuire (been trying to connect with Beth for a while–2024 is the year! And, another Tommie!)

* Fey Grimm (another relatively new connection; I’ve been impressed by Fey’s posts here on LinkedIn)

* Kathy Arnold (would be fun to get outside the industry and talk HR/Employer Brand with UST’s head of HR)

* Matt Erickson (Rock Chalk Jayhawk will the key topic in this discussion, for sure!)

* Katie Brandt Conner, MPP (like many who work in social, Katie has an interesting background and one with a public policy angle; I’m curious to hear more about that)

* Jennifer Chenoweth, MBA, PCC (another Tommie! I’m also curious to talk career arcs with Jennifer and hear about her LinkedIn coaching practice)

* Colleen Kranz💡 (was very late to the game in discovering Colleen on LinkedIn, but LOVE her weekly e-newsletter and very curious to hear more about her journey to solo life from big corporate)

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However, if you’re one of those other people who want to use LinkedIn as a tool to help you get smarter and build out your network, you would be wise to look at your stats at least monthly because they can help you create better content and accomplish your goals.

Now, some people would say looking at your LinkedIn stats weekly or monthly is a little narcissitic. That it’s merely a way for you to “game the system” and become a bigger personality on LinkedIn. That it’s all part of the personal branding game.

I’d say that’s a pretty pessimistic view. What I would say is that if you’re taking LinkedIn seriously (and I believe most should), why wouldn’t you look at your stats monthly as a way to track your progress toward your goals (side note: I’m a huge goal guy).

So, I set out to conduct a four-week test of just that. To track my metrics on a weekly basis for four weeks as a way to learn more about how I’m doing on LinkedIn (side note: I’ve been doing this for years)–and figure out ways to improve or refine my approach in the months ahead.

First, the stats. I looked at my stats each Monday. Now, I have turned Creator Mode on, so I have more stats to view than the average user. But that’s probably lesson #1: TURN ON CREATOR MODE! The stats alone are worth it, and there is relatively no downside to doing it.

I looked at 5 stats each week:

• Followers (this matters for reach)
• Post impressions (ditto)
• Profile views (you want the right people to be interested in you)
• Search appearances (ditto)
• Engagements (who is interested in what you have to say)

Here are those stats over the last 4 weeks:

April 10

Followers – 5,842

Post impressions – 15,467 (past week)

Profile views – 1,721 (past 90 days)

Search appearances – 234 (past week)

Engagements – 283 (past week)

April 17

Followers – 5,877 (+35 from previous week)

Post impressions – 19,847 (+4,380)

Profile views – 1,755 (+34)

Search appearances – 296 (+62)

Engagements – 367 (+84)

April 24

Followers – 5,918 (+41)

Post impressions – 35,657 (+15,810)

Profile views – 1,809 (+54)

Search appearances – 365 (+69)

Engagements – 327 (-40)

May 1

Followers – 5,933 (+15)

Post impressions – 20,338 (-15,319)

Profile views – 1,205 (-604)

Search appearances – 258 (-107)

Engagements – 497 (+170)

Given those numbers, here’s what I learned:

Lesson #1: Search results/profile visits didn’t correlate with top performing content

My top-performing week from a content perspective (week 4) generated 497 engagements, my best week by more than 100 engagements. However, that didn’t translate into more searches or profile visits. I had 258 searches that week. Meanwhile, I had 365 the week before when I had 327 engagements. So, content performance does not necessarily translate into more people searching for you on LinkedIn. My theory: Searching has more to do with need. But, showing up consistently in the feed on LinkedIn contributes to the number of searches in the long run.

Lesson #2: The right people are searching for me

One of my goals with my LinkedIn work is to merely create more awareness for my name and what I do (social media marketing). My customers are largely PR, marketing or social folks with midsized to large companies in Minnesota. Those are the people I want searching for me on LinkedIn. And, it looks like that’s working! If you click on “searches” in your data, you’ll see the types of people searching for you. The people searching for me on LinkedIn work at these companies:

Almost perfect. UnitedHealth Group, Medtronic and Cargill all fall in that bucket. UST only shows up because that’s where I teach. Now let’s look at the typical job titles of people searching for me:

Again, almost perfect. I want specialist folks searching for me–they are often either my buyer or, in many cases, a big influencer of the buyer. Founders are obviously great–especially for referrals. And executive directors are good, too, as I’ve been working with more non-profit orgs of late.

Lesson #3: Timely topics, personal updates are what resonated the most

You know how everyone is complaining that LinkedIn is turning into Facebook? Well, apparently those people are in the minority because 3 of my top 5 posts in the last couple months have been personal updates. I talked about my son graduating high school (if you read the post, you know this is a much bigger deal than it sounds). I wrote about my car being stolen from right outside my front door in broad daylight. And I wrote about taking my son to a fancy dinner to celebrate a huge academic milestone. All 3 of these posts generated more than 10,000 impressions. On the other hand, my top 2 posts of the last couple months were posts relating to timely topics. Notably: NPR leaving Twitter (my top post in terms of reach) and a wonderful Red Wing Shoes campaign with a local non-profit. Note what was absent from my top 5 posts: Thought leadership. That is obviously a big part of my content mix on LinkedIn–but it’s not in my top 5. The lesson: It’s the vulnerable, personal and timely posts that are going to rope people in. They might see the other stuff, but you’ll gain a wider audience by opening up and talking about in-the-moment topics.

Lesson #4: Reach does not correlate with engagement success

Another interesting content lesson was that more impressions did not necessarily mean more engagements. In fact, some of my most engaging posts were nowhere near the top in terms of engagements. My top-performing post so far in 2023 was a post about the challenges of being a working adult trying to parent teens. That post generated almost 2,000 engagement–far and away my most engaging post of the year so far. You could say it ‘went viral’. However, that same post generated just 3,203 impressions–just over 10% of the number of impressions of my most successful post in 2023 in terms of reach. That post only had 140+ engagements. What’s happening here? Some of my most engaging posts were posts where I talked about either a personal topic or a topic specific to people who know me well (speaking at Social Media Breakfast for the first time in 3 years, for example). Meanwhile, some of my best posts in terms of reach tackled topics that would be relevant to virtually anyone–NPR quitting Twitter, the Red Wing Shoes case study, etc. The lesson here: Go topics/thought leadership for reach; go personal/local for depth.

The post How analyzing your LinkedIn stats can help you produce more effective content first appeared on Arik Hanson.

That’s the name of the site. And get this: Oatly created it.

You heard that correctly. Oatly, the oat milk brand based in Sweden, created a site devoted strictly to its haters and those who have said mean, dishonest and outright lies about the company for last several years on the internet.

And it’s the best cause marketing case study I’ve seen in quite a while.

Wait, this is a cause marketing case study? Well, maybe not entirely. But, in the opening paragraph on the site, Oatly does says, “to understand the full story of Oatly’s mission to shift people away from dairy, and towards a life that’s less taxing on the planet, also browse this profanity-laced website we finally got approval to launch.”

The site goes on to direct you to content that discusses significant crisis situations in Oatly’s past including massive lawsuits, global boycotts and advertisements that virtually offended everyone.

Why would Oatly do such a thing? Like they say, “it’s super convenient to have the latest boycotts and criticisms all in one place. But more importantly, we’re not the type of company to hide from moments like these.  We see all the negative headlines, posts and petitions as an inevitable consequence of trying to create positive societal change.”

Smart. If any of these things come up in the future, they have a place to point people. And, in the event of future crisis’ they also have a place to point people and say “hey, look, we know we’ve had some challenges in the past and here’s how we handled those.”

But also, for a company with a strong mission to make a better planet by “growing stuff to eat instead of growing stuff to feed animals that we then eat”, Oatly has created content designed to get people’s attention.

And it seems to be working. And as far as I can tell, Oatly hasn’t even really been pushing the site all that much.

A quick look at their Twitter, Facebook and Instagram feeds find no promotional mentions of the new site. The only spots I saw it mentioned where instances where people tweeted at Oatly how much they loved the new site.

This isn’t all that surprising, is it? After all, isn’t this what most of us want from brands? To demonstrate authenticity and transparency? How many times have we seen companies hide behind corporate PR statements when bad things happen? Or, deny responsibility? Or, blame others? Or, worse yet, stay completely quiet?

What does Oatly do? They create a site–named fckoatly.com–that embraces all their crisis and foibles in one spot.

In 2023 content marketing context, that’s simply brilliant.

And it also demonstrates what it takes to cut through the marketing clutter in 2023.

Big risks. Going against the grain (who else is doing this?!?!?!). And whole lot of authenticity.

PS: The best part? Click on the link at the bottom of the site for one last jab at the haters.

The post Fck Oatly takes transparency, authenticity to a whole level first appeared on Arik Hanson.

For the last few years, we’ve heard a steady drumbeat of advice from social media experts encouraging brands to hop on TikTok. However, I’ve always thought that was foolish advice–at least broadly speaking–for a couple key reasons.

First, legal. We’re seeing this right now with the banning conversation. Many legal teams with big companies simply won’t allow it due to security risks. So, the conversation never even gets started at these organizations.

Second–the time issue. Social media teams are so stretched, asking them to add another platform, especially a time-consuming one like TikTok, is next to impossible. Right now, for most social teams, this just isn’t realistic. A lot would have to come off these teams’ plates for TikTok to become a viable channel.

So, given that backdrop, I went to researching which Minnesota-based companies were truly active on TikTok. What I found didn’t really surprise me. Only 22% of Minnesota-based companies (only really counting mid-sized to large companies based on a list I found on Wikipedia) have active TikTok accounts.17% had accounts but rarely, or never, posted. And, a full 55% of Minnesota-based companies have no TikTok account at all.

Here’s the full list of companies I researched.

I think the takeaway here is pretty clear. If you don’t have an active TikTok account, you’re not alone. The majority of businesses do not. And, I also don’t think that’s a terrible thing–considering the two factors we talked about above.

Don’t let the “experts” dictate your social media strategy. You know your audience. You know where they show up. And you also know your company and the resources available to you. You can’t be everywhere–and in many cases, you don’t want to be. And clearly, most companies in Minnesota have said: TikTok isn’t somewhere we need to be (or can’t be).

Minnesota companies that don’t have a TikTok account at all (55%; 43 total accounts)

• 3M
• Allina Health
• Ameripride Services
• Ameriprise Financial
• Arctic Cat
• Cambria
• Carlson Companies
• Cargill
• Ceridian
• CHS
• Deluxe
• Digi
• Digital River
• Donaldson Company
• Econofoods
• Edina Realty
• Entrust Datacard
• Hazelden
• HealthEast
• Hennepin County Medical Center
• Hutchinson Technology
• Jamf
• Jefferson Lines
• Life Time
• Lifetouch
• M Health Fairview
• Mosaic
• Old Dutch Foods
• Patterson
• Pearson Candy
• Polaris
• Post Consumer Brands (or any of their cereals)
• Quality Bicycle Products
• Regions Hospital
• Regis Corp
• Schwan’s
• Securian
• Surly Bikes
• Thrivent
• Toro
• United Health Group
• Watkins
• Xcel Energy

Minnesota companies with a TikTok account but no, or very few, posts (17%; 13 total accounts)

• CH Robinson – 64 followers, 0 videos
• Cub Foods – 129 followers, 0 videos
• Ecolab – 78 followers, 0 videos
• Federated Mutual Insurance Company
• HealthPartners – 9 followers, 1 video
• Hormel – 84 followers, 0 videos
• Lunds & Byerlys, 33 followers, 0 videos
• Mayo Clinic, 1,056 followers, 0 videos
• Medtronic (although Medtronic Diabetes does have an account)
• Radisson Hotels, 67 followers, 0 videos
• Sleep Number – 108 followers, 0 videos
• Sun Country – 129 followers, 0 videos
• US Bank – 375 followers, 0 videos

Minnesota companies with an active TikTok account (28%, 22 total accounts)

• Andersen Windows & Doors – 1,512 followers, 153,000 likes
• Aveda – 8,246 followers, 10,700 likes
• Anytime Fitness – 5,223 followers, 19,500 likes
• Best Buy – 15,000 followers, 25,900 likes
• Caribou Coffee – 4,100 followers, 78,200 likes
• Dairy Queen – 273,300 followers, 679,600 likes
• Duluth Pack – 311 followers, 792 likes
• Endeavor Air – 12,300 followers, 448,600 likes
• Famous Dave’s – 181 followers, 382 likes
• Graco – 132,700 followers, 640,400 likes
• Great Clips – 1,501 followers, 9,480 likes
• Holiday Stationstores – 57 followers, 223 likes
• Jostens – 1,105 followers, 1,698 likes
• Land O Lakes – 433 followers, 502 likes
• Nordic Ware – 4,253 followers, 23,000 likes
• Red Wing Shoes – 1,149 followers, 538 likes
• Slumberland Furniture – 9 followers, 404 likes
• Summit Brewing – 1,033 followers, 3,649 likes
• Supercuts – 124 followers, 415 likes
• Surly Brewing – 1,029 followers, 47 likes
• Target – 2,200,000 followers, 11,900,000 likes
• Wings Financial Credit Union – 37 followers, 56 likes

The post Which Minnesota-based companies are active on TikTok (and which aren’t)? first appeared on Arik Hanson.

A couple things to point out as you watch the video or review the deck. First, I am NOT a trend expert. However, I do read a lot each week. I have to–for this blog, for our podcast, for my e-newsletter, and for class at the University of St. Thomas where I teach as an adjunct professor. And I love keeping my finger on the pulse of what’s going on in our industry.

Second, my trend presentations usually tend to be a bit more pragmatic. We’re not going to talk about the Metaverse (yet). We’re not going to talk about BeReal (this year, at least). And we’re not going to talk about decentralized social media networks (although they are on my radar). No, the trends I talk about are things I believe will impact a lot of people. If you’re looking for bright shiny objects, this is NOT your presentation.

With that, here’s 10 social media trends I believe you’ll see in the year ahead.

The post 10 pragmatic social media marketing trends to pay attention to in 2023 first appeared on Arik Hanson.

And while that may be true from a user perspective (user numbers and time spent on TikTok continue to climb), from a brand perspective, the picture is more murky in my view.

Many midsized and large companies I’ve worked with over the years have big-time legal and privacy concerns about the app–to the point where that is absolutely what’s stopping them from using it.

Other companies see TikTok’s relevance, but just don’t have the people-power or skills to make it work. This is why you’re seeing some brand outsource TikTok completely to creators or solos who specialize in it.

Whatever the case, I’m definitely not ready to say TikTok is going to “take over the world” when it comes to brand-side marketing. Far from it, in fact.

While TikTok’s user numbers certainly don’t lie about how much time people are spending on the app these days, neither do numbers show how many companies are using the app in 2023.

I did some research of the bigger companies just here in Minnesota and found that just 28% of the companies (22) I reviewed had even remotely “active” TikTok accounts. And, only a small handful of those companies are really seeing big success with the app–only 5 had 100,000 or more likes on its videos.

Now, I only really looked at midsized to large companies based in Minnesota. But, that’s a fairly representative sample size. And I do think it reflects the tenor of what’s going on in the social media world with TikTok on the brand side.

Yes, TikTok certainly provides some significant opportunities for brands willing and able to share on the platform. However, there are so many barriers right now. Privacy concerns. Skill sets/experience to produce videos that will work on TikTok. There are also concerns TikTok will be banned in some states, and the U.S., in 2023!

So, if you’re thinking about exploring TikTok in 2023, I say go for it. Huge upside for those in a position to take that one. However, if you’re stuck on one of the hurdles I mentioned above and you most likely will not have an active account on the app, don’t feel bad. You’re not alone. And you’re certainly not “behind.”

The post How many companies are really on TikTok–and do you need to be, too? first appeared on Arik Hanson.

• You’re a mid-sized or small PR, advertising or marketing agency owner and have a small and junior team heading up social for your clients. They’re great but still could use a little guidance from time to time on all things social. And they could use some help keeping up with all the changes and updates that are happening across social on a weekly basis.
• You’re a marketing or comms director at a mid-sized company. You’re either a one-person band, or a very small team. And, one of your many responsibilities is social media. You know enough to be dangerous, but you could use more depth. Your instincts are good, but you could also use validation once in a while. And, you could definitely use another brain on social campaigns and strategy from time to time.
• You’re a social media director or manager at a larger company. You have a team, and they’re fantastic, but again, they’re just a little inexperienced. More importantly, they’re really stretched thin. They could use help with brainstorming new ideas, and you could use help coaching them a bit, since you’re locked in meetings most days and have other items on your plate.

If one of these scenarios describes your current situation, I may have a new “product” to fill that need: Hire me as your social media coach.

I could be a nice fit for all three roles given:

• I have 25+ years of marketing/comms experience–if you’re a senior-level marketer or communicator, I’ve probably sat in your chair. So, as a coach to you, I have a unique background and deep experience in social.
• I focus exclusively on social media marketing and I’m one of the few in the market with almost 15 years of legit social experience.
• I’m not after your junior-level staffers’ jobs. I have a job. I love my job. So, I shouldn’t be a threat to them while I coach them.

Interested?

Here’s what the three levels of coaching I’m offering would look like:

Tier 1 – Basic Mentor

• 3-5 hours on-call time per month – Use this time however you’d like: For calls, brainstorming, client calls.
• 1 scheduled one-hour meeting per month – Use this scheduled time to discuss questions, talk about trends or for short training sessions.

Tier 2 – Trusted Advisor

• 5-10 hours on-call time – Use this time however you’d like: For calls, brainstorming, client calls.
• 2 scheduled one-hour meetings – Use this scheduled time to discuss questions, talk about trends or for short training sessions.

Tier 3 – Full-Blown Coach

• 10-15 hours on-call time
• 4 scheduled one-hour meetings per month – Use this scheduled time to discuss questions, talk about trends or for short training sessions.

I’m only taking on a few of these coaching clients for 2023, so if you’re interested in hearing more, or want to schedule a Zoom call to discuss, send me a note at arik@arikhanson.com.

The post Hire me as your social media coach first appeared on Arik Hanson.

I build this list each year as an exercise in stretching my boundaries for meeting new people. There is no pressure to meet with me. If folks don’t want to get together, that’s perfectly fine. Second, there is no hidden agenda. This is purely a way for me to meet more new smart people across the digital and social industry here in MSP. That’s it. No business pitch. I’m not selling anyone anything. It’s really just coffee–virtual or in-person.

So, how did I do in 2022 with my list?

Overall, decent. I DID have coffee with seven people on last year’s list of 12:

• Mall of America’s Nate Sandell
• Social Lights’ Taylor Lovaas
• Dairy Queen’s Maria Hokenson
• American Cancer Society’s Kymm Barlett Martinez
• CH Robinson’s Laurie Blum
• Spark Foundry’s Catherine Engel
• Best Buy’s Chris Havens

I missed the following folks in 2022 (but would definitely still be up for meeting in 2023):

• Renewal by Andersen’s Katie Zess
• Starkey’s Scott Wyffels
• Caribou Coffee’s Erin Newkirk
• PMG’s Kelsey Tjernlund

So, who’s on deck for 2023? Here are 13 people I’d love to sit down with in the New Year:

1 – Natalie Albin, Andersen Windows & Doors

I recently asked Natalie to join a social media mastermind group I run, so I’m looking forward to meeting her in person in the New Year!

2 – Monica Gratzker, Post Consumer Brands

I also recently asked Monica to serve as a client in my social media class at the University of St. Thomas this semester. So, I’m cheating here a little since I’ll see her twice from Feb-May!

3 – Stephanie Steineck, Medtronic

Always curious to meet more people working in social in the health care space.

4 – Kaylee Druk, Ryan Companies

Another Tommie! And, someone with an interesting mix of social backgrounds in hospitality, health and now, real estate at Ryan Companies.

5 – Ryan Foster, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota

Ryan recently reached out about helping him promote a job opening on his team, so that drew my attention. And he’s one of just a handful in town to work in the Employer Brand marketing area, so I’d be curious to hear more about that at BCBSMN.

6 – Stephani Johnson, Marvin

One of the many social folks with a background in journalism, I’d be interested in hearing about Stephani’s experience at St. Thomas in the last 2000s as well as her work as a solo.

7 – Andy Ybarra, University of St. Thomas

Always want to meet more Tommies! And, we were about to schedule a coffee late in 2022. We’ll make that happen in 2023!

8 – Meg McDougall, Anytime Fitness

Another MSP-C alum (one of several on this list), Meg also spent time working with Lee Odden and the Top Rank Marketing crew.

9 – Alyssa Abilo, Thomson Reuters

Interesting mix of agency (Mono, Colle McVoy) and corporate experience (Thomson Reuters, DQ, Life Time), curious to hear what life’s like at TR these days.

10 – Stacey Kanihan, Winona St University

I met Stacey virtually through a mutual friends in 2022 as she was about to move to Winona to take on a full-time professor role with WSU, my alma mater. So I’m very excited to meet her face-to-face in 2023 (either here in Minneapolis or in Winona) and see how I can help with the comms program at my former school

11 – Mary Vaughan, Brandpoint

I had spoke with Mary a couple times in 2021 (I think) about some work through our podcast sponsorship with Brandpoint. I remember at the time thinking I’d like to meet her in-person sometime. 2023 is that sometime!

12 – Quinn Anderson, Radisson Hotel Group

Yes, I always want to meet Tommies, but I also want to meet my fellow Warrior alum, too! Not only that, but I’m sure Quinn has some interesting stories about her time working in social at Mall of America.

13 – Haley Thannum, Hillivate

Would love to talk solo consulting with Haley, as she’s now been at that for almost four years.

The post 13 people I’d love to have coffee with in 2023 first appeared on Arik Hanson.