#SMTLive Recap: Managing Your Brand’s Social Media Over the Holidays
It’s Thanksgiving week in the United States, which means we’re officially in the thick of the holiday season. For social media marketers, this can mean a lot of chaos. In order to make said chaos a bit more organized, we wanted to ask our #SMTLive community on Twitter about how they prepare for the holidays on social.
Firstly, we wanted to see if anyone hadn’t gotten started yet.
Q1 – Poll: Do you have a social media plan in place for the holidays? #SMTLive
— Social Media Today (@socialmedia2day) November 26, 2019
It turns out most people actually have gotten started, proving that those of us working in social have learned the hard way that procrastination is not your friend at this time of year.
Fun! What type of content do you plan to produce at the holiday party? #SMTLive
— Social Media Today (@socialmedia2day) November 26, 2019
We’re wearing ugly sweaters and are planning to take plenty of photos, videos, and even going to try going LIVE on Facebook & Instagram!
— 5 Fold Marketing (@5FoldMarketing) November 26, 2019
Holiday parties seem like a great opportunity for behind the scenes content and experimenting with Instagram/Facebook Live!
Q2 – How do you think your social media strategy should be managed differently than usual over the holidays? #SMTLive pic.twitter.com/YYJmcprM0V
— Social Media Today (@socialmedia2day) November 26, 2019
With so many events to prep for during the holiday season, plus employee time off, this time of year often provokes a change in workflow.
A2 – Our social media strategy will be geared more towards company culture and lighthearted fun rather than sales and informational pieces. #SMTLive pic.twitter.com/jtQMy0Xz4P
— 5 Fold Marketing (@5FoldMarketing) November 26, 2019
Judging by that gif, it looks like they’re already getting started.
A2. You have to be ready to scale up/down over the holiday. Lots of posts & customer service while people are shopping; then a calmer phase over the holiday week itself, with a less salesy focus. AND you need to factor in holiday time for your team. #SMTLive
— Corinna Keefe (@corinna_keefe) November 26, 2019
The holidays provide a change of pace for many, including @corinna_keefe.
Q3 – What is the most annoying thing a brand can do over the holidays on social? #SMTLive pic.twitter.com/BB6dCaL9VJ
— Social Media Today (@socialmedia2day) November 26, 2019
This time of year provides a multitude of content creation opportunities, which sounds like a good thing. And it is… until you accidentally go overboard and overwhelm your audience. Here’s what #SMTLive thinks you should avoid specifically:
A3 – POST TOO MUCH. I am more than likely going to unfollow a brand if I see multiple posts in my feed on the same day. (This does not apply for Black Friday sales deals) ????️ #SMTLive
— 5 Fold Marketing (@5FoldMarketing) November 26, 2019
With so many different holidays and, especially for B2C brands, shopping opportunities, it’s easy to overshare.
This is why it’s a good idea to only follow the brands you’re super interested in seeing! Weed out the ones you don’t care about ????
— 5 Fold Marketing (@5FoldMarketing) November 26, 2019
@5FoldMarketing’s tip is great for the average user and marketer alike. If you only follow brands you’re really into, you probably won’t be annoyed by their posts. And, if you’re a marketer, you’ll get more inspiration from the brands you love than the ones you feel lukewarm about.
A3: Probably be too salesy. It’s a delicate balance and selling too much can turn people off. Also the sudden mass emails from companies on #BlackFriday can be pretty annoying. #SMTLive
— Hannah Richards (@actPRHannah) November 26, 2019
But this begs the question: Would you care about three emails in a day from your favorite brand? Honestly… most likely. Anyone who checks email over the holidays has probably felt a little bogged down by all the noise.
A3 I appreciate the sales emails over the holidays IF they are in fact good deals/sales! Annoying: an email ‘lookbook’ of your products that are full price… No thanks 🙂 #SMTLive
— Robin Selvy Re (@RobinSelvyRe) November 26, 2019
But @RobinSelvyRe came back with a great point: If you see three useful emails about three separate deals, that probably wouldn’t be so annoying, especially from your favorite brand.
Next question… Q4 – How can you take advantage of the holiday season to boost your social engagement and brand awareness? #SMTLive (Think of specific examples.) pic.twitter.com/5RejBoBTiJ
— Social Media Today (@socialmedia2day) November 26, 2019
While the holidays might not be an excuse to mindlessly overshare, they do provide a unique opportunity for social success. A few users during our chat summed up one of the most unique opportunities the season has to offer:
Showing thanks to your customers is huge. Thanks for sharing! #SMTLive
— 5 Fold Marketing (@5FoldMarketing) November 26, 2019
Agreed. It also stands out more than any product ever will. People want human connection out of social media. #SMTLive
— Hannah Richards (@actPRHannah) November 26, 2019
The next few months are a great time to show some authenticity, as ironic as that may be. Behind the scenes content and a few holidays in particular can really show what your brand values.
One brand whose values get brought up pretty often in discussions on social came up in our final question of the chat:
A5 – @Starbucks holiday cups. Genius. Simple. Timeless. It was an in-person deliverable that worked both in-store as well as online. We’re big fans. pic.twitter.com/hLeEnjvR0S
— 5 Fold Marketing (@5FoldMarketing) November 26, 2019
Whether you’re creating a content calendar by Christmas tree light or filming an Instagram Live at your office holiday party, we hope these tips from #SMTLive keep you merry and bright this holiday season!
Both Facebook and Alphabet Inc’s Google have currently paused political ads after the presidential election as part of measures to police misinformation and other abuses.
Both Facebook and Alphabet Inc’s Google have currently paused political ads after the presidential election as part of measures to police misinformation and other abuses.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
Both Facebook and Alphabet Inc’s Google have currently paused political ads after the presidential election as part of measures to police misinformation and other abuses.
(Subscribe to our Today’s Cache newsletter for a quick snapshot of top 5 tech stories. Click here to subscribe for free.)
Facebook Inc said on Monday it would provide academic researchers information on how political ads were targeted in the lead-up to the presidential election in the United States last year.
The social media giant said the data would include targeting criteria, such as location and interests, selected by advertisers running social issue, electoral or political ads.
Also Read | Twitter grants academics full access to public data, but not for suspended accounts
Academics and researchers can apply for access to this information through the Facebook Open Research & Transparency (FORT) platform on Feb. 1, Facebook said in a blog post, adding that the data package would cover more than a million ads that ran between Aug. 3 and Nov. 3.
Both Facebook and Alphabet Inc’s Google have currently paused political ads after the presidential election as part of measures to police misinformation and other abuses.
Facebook has been under pressure to combat more hate speech.
Angela Lang/CNET
Facebook, Reddit, Discord and Steam received low grades from the Anti-Defamation League on Wednesday for the handling of Holocaust denial content on their platforms. The ADL issued the report to coincide with International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
The ADL, an advocacy group focused on fighting antisemitism and hate, gave the four platforms Ds in a report card based on a range of criteria, including whether they had policies against Holocaust denial content and how difficult such content was to find on their platforms. The group said it also reported Holocaust denial content from “non-official accounts” in January to see how these companies enforced their rules. Enforcement was weighted more heavily in the grade, the ADL said in the report.
Stay in the know
Get the latest tech stories with CNET Daily News every weekday.
A total of nine companies were evaluated by the ADL and no platform earned an A. Twitch, a live video streaming service, got a B, the highest grade given. Twitter, YouTube, TikTok and Roblox received Cs. While both Twitch and Facebook have rules against Holocaust denial content, Twitch took action against reported content while Facebook didn’t, the report said. The ADL cited several examples of Holocaust denial content that was reported to Facebook, including videos with captions such as “Holohoax tales.” The group received a message from Facebook stating the videos didn’t violate its rules but noted the content could be offensive.
“In recent years, content denying the Holocaust has appeared on an array of social media platforms, largely because those companies have not been nimble enough or taken the issue seriously,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said in a statement. “While some platforms have finally stepped up their efforts to stop the amplification of denial, others are still struggling to address antisemitism and Holocaust denial effectively.”
The report raises questions about how well Facebook and other platforms are enforcing their rules against Holocaust denial content specifically. The ADL helped organize a campaign last year that urged advertisers to pause spending on Facebook ads to pressure the company to do a better job of combating hate speech. The group recommends the platforms enforce its rules against Holocaust denial consistently, provide more information to users about how content moderation decisions are made and change products so they’re focused more on user safety.
A Facebook spokesperson said the company disagreed with the grade it received. The social network said starting on Wednesday people who search for terms associated with the Holocaust or Holocaust denial will get a message directing them to credible information about the genocide. The message says “the Holocaust was the organized persecution and killing of 6 million Jewish people, alongside other targeted groups, by the Nazis and their collaborators during World War II.” It encourages users to visit a website about the Holocaust.
“We don’t agree — we’ve made major progress in fighting Holocaust denial on Facebook by implementing a new policy prohibiting it and enforcing against these hateful lies in every country around the world,” a Facebook spokesperson said. “We’ve removed the content mentioned in this report and will continue working to keep Holocaust denial off of our platform.”
Facebook banned Holocaust denial content in October. In 2018, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who is Jewish, sparked outrage after he said that Holocaust denial content shouldn’t be removed from the social network because he didn’t think “that they’re intentionally getting it wrong.” He then said in an October Facebook post “his thinking evolved” after he saw data showing an increase in anti-Semitic violence.
Reddit said it removed the content cited in the ADL report. “Reddit’s site-wide policies prohibit any content that incites violence or promotes hate based on identity or vulnerability, including Holocaust denial content,” a Reddit spokeswoman said in a statement. The company also “quarantines” communities that share offensive content including posts that deny the Holocaust happened. That means users have to click through a warning to view this content.
Discord said in a statement it views Holocaust denial content as “deeply harmful” and it doesn’t allow it on its service. The company has an internal policy against that type of content and said it would take action against the content found by the ADL. Twitch and TikTok said hateful conduct isn’t allowed on its platform either. “We work closely with experts in the fields of hate speech, including anti-semitism, to ensure our policies are comprehensive and are pleased to see that our efforts to keep this content off our service are having a measurable impact,” a Twitch spokesperson said.
TikTok said it continually updates its policies and systems to combat hateful behavior. “We welcome guidance from experts like the ADL as we strive to promote a safe community environment,” a company spokeswoman said.
Twitter didn’t immediately have a statement. Google-owned YouTube, Steam and Roblox didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
How The Star Tribune is building its YouTube and social media video presence from scratch
Facebook to provide data on targeted political ads to researchers
Facebook, Reddit receive low marks for Holocaust denial content
Controversial Facebook post prompts Fargo woman to start fundraiser for homeless man
