In 2018, Social Media Week New York (SMW NYC) celebrates its 10th annual conference. SMW NYC will move to a new venue, with all official programming, events and activities taking place at the Sheraton Hotel in Times Square.
The 2018 New York conference will be a celebration of human connectivity and the power that social media provides in bringing the world closer together.
As the centerpiece to a year of events happening in more than 20+ countries, #SMWNYC will bring together thousands of industry professionals from all over the world to share ideas, inspiration and best practices for how social media can be used to transform how we do business, how we think about the world around us and how it can shape culture and the human experience.
Want To Be a Part of the Action?
We have a number of exciting partnership opportunities for brands looking to connect and engage with our audience of hyper-connected influencers, including:
Learn the latest trends, insights and best practices from the brightest minds in media and technology. Sign up for SMW Insider to watch full-length sessions from official Social Media Week conferences live and on-demand.
Social Media Week New York (#SMWNYC) celebrates its 10th annual conference in 2018 and to mark the occasion, we are launching a new global edition of the conference taking place in New York City between April 24-27.
Passes go on sale Tuesday, July 18 at 12pm ET
#SMWNYC will be a significantly improved and enhanced version of the 2017 event, which will now take place at the Sheraton Hotel. The new venue can accommodate twice as many attendees, a significantly upgraded exhibitor marketplace experience and a premium upgrade option for professionals who are looking to get more out of the conference experience.
To mark the occasion we are offering the first 100 attendees who register with an opportunity to secure their passes at a discount of 70%, saving more than $800 off the standard pass. The first few blocks will be sold as follows:
– 70% discount for first 85 passes sold
– 60% discount for the next 140 passes
– 50% discount for the next 145 passes
Your pass package for #SMWNYC 2018 will include:
Full-access to all 3 main stages for keynotes, panels and workshops
Opportunity to meet 200+ world class speakers and thought leaders
Enhanced networking experience through Connect Lounge and Mobile App
Access to exhibitor marketplace, branded installations and co-working lounges
Exclusive discounted hotel room packages at The Sheraton Hotel
Membership to SMW Insider, including access to livestream and 150+ hrs of past talks
We are also offering a new Premium Pass for attendees who are interested in high-level networking and access to a relaxing and fully catered Premium Lounge experience.
The 2018 New York conference will be a celebration of human connectivity and the power that social media provides in bringing the world closer together. Don’t miss out on all exciting events we have planned for this year’s event.
Passes go on sale Tuesday, July 18 at 12pm ET. Don’t miss out on saving more than $800 off the standard pass!
See you in April!
Learn the latest trends, insights and best practices from the brightest minds in media and technology. Sign up for SMW Insider to watch full-length sessions from official Social Media Week conferences live and on-demand.
We’re excited to announce the opening of registration for Social Media Week New York, which returns February 27, 2017 for a week of conversations around the intersection of social technology and creativity through keynotes, panels, presentations, demos, workshops, talks, and interactive events.
We have exciting things in the works for SMW New York, and we have a number of big announcements lined up for the coming weeks and months. We hope you’ll join us later this year, and if you haven’t experienced Social Media Week before, here’s a small preview of what to expect.
Our primary goal continues to be providing SMW attendees with content and programming at the highest possible standard throughout the week. Over the next few weeks and months leading up to February, we’ll announce more updates on how you and your organization can get involved, events added to the schedule, speakers confirmed to lead sessions, and more SMW New York info.
The New Strategy for SMW New York in 2016
More seating capacity
To address demand, especially for Masterclasses, all official programming will be held at two large theaters: The TimesCenter and SVA Theatre.
Fewer Available Passes
We believe in quality over quantity, and therefore will reduce the number of available passes to ensure seating for sessions of all interested attendees. This reduction means more space, more seating, and the end of long lines!
Two Pass Options
We’re keeping it super simple by offering two options for registering: Campus and Insider Passes. Insider pass holders receive access to official parties and exclusive networking opportunities, and both passes grant you access to official sessions, masterclasses, co-working space, exhibitor installations, and more.
Special Discount Offers
The regular rate for the Campus Pass is $799, and $999 for the Insider Pass, but now until January 14th, we’re offering a 20%-off sale for each. You can learn more about the pass options, and register for SMW New York here.
Attendees will be under the same roof as some of the world’s most visionary people and industry leaders connecting through the #SMWNYC pillars:
QUALITY CONTENT
Data & analytics
Paid media
Video
Content marketing
Mobile messaging
Virtual reality
Ad-blocking
Growth marketing
INSPIRING SPEAKERS
Facebook
Snapchat
Instagram
Ogilvy
MRY
R/GA
New York Times
Vice Media
BEAUTIFUL VENUES
Two stages
Simulcast viewing
Keynotes
Panels
Interviews
Masterclasses
Co-working
Lounges
We also have an exclusive hotel offer if you’re traveling from outside of New York or the U.S. Our Official Hotel Partner, YOTEL New York at Times Square West, has a special deal for #SMWNYC attendees, and you can learn more here.
Thank you for your continued support, and we hope you will join us in February. You can stay up to date with #SMWNYC announcements by following us on Twitter, liking us on Facebook, and signing up for our newsletter.
ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA WEEK NEW YORK IN 2016
Social Media Week is a leading news platform and worldwide conference that curates and shares the best ideas, innovations and insights into how social media and technology are changing business, society and culture around the world.
Human connectivity is being reimagined everyday, and SMW seeks to understand how humanity and technology will come together to change the ways we live, work and create.
Social Media Week New York, now in it’s 8th year, will welcome thousands of attendees from NYC’s top tech, advertising, media, and Internet industries this February 22-26, 2016. You can also learn more about our global theme for Social Media Week in 2016, “The Invisible Hand: Hidden Forces of Technology“
Millennials. I learn something new about this group everyday, and you would think I’d be an expert considering I am one of them. Yet, each time I sit through a talk on Millennials, I’m surprised by how little I actually know. Does your brand know how to target this group efficiently? I actively try to answer this question everyday.
I work in the higher education industry, so Millennials, Generation Y, Generation Z, etc. are the prime audience that I try to target. Kelly Meyers from Code and Theory did a wonderful job dissecting the younger Millennials and Generation Z by explaining how they think, behave, and feel. She walked us through innovative campaigns she’s worked on (Burger King & Maybelline), trending platforms teens primarily use (Instagram & Snapchat), how this generation really expresses themselves, and how marketers should integrate these insights into their daily strategies.
Beyond the captivating statistics Kelly provided on Millennials, a few key points from her presentation really stood out to me:
Teens are not necessarily addicted to their phones but addicted to being connected with their friends.
Teens value shared and unique experiences, are more willing to share those experiences publicly, and need a sense of collective community more than ever before.
Teens could not care less about designers and labels because they care more about what their friends are doing and who they are doing it with.
Contrary to popular belief, teens don’t use Snapchat to send dirty pics but to simply tell a story though photos.
Teens and young millennials use their phones as an extension of themselves that express who they are.
Kelly stressed that the next generation puts a huge emphasis on community and life-experiences:
The internet is not a place, but rather is woven in and out of their life through mobile. There is no beginning or end to where real life stops and the internet begins.
That was pretty darn poetic! It’s time for us marketers to listen to this new and emotional generation by tailoring our strategies to what they want to see rather than what you want to post. User generated content is so successful because it plays off their experiences and uses their language. Break out of your comfort zone and try something new on your platforms today!
Erica Santiago is an Assistant Director of Communications at NYU Stern by day and a part-time MBA student by night. You can follow her on Twitter @ericasantiagony.
After a flirtation that lasted over a decade, 2014 was the year when fashion and technology finally got hitched. Fashion labs incubated new approaches to shopping and design and technology realized that fashion is not so superficial when it can be used to make innovations like Google Glass desirable. It’s a marriage that showcases technology in a way that takes advantage of what fashion does best – inspire desire.
On Thursday February 26, Meredith Levien of the New York Times will invite a renown CEO from the luxury fashion industry (to be announced) to discuss how fashion is putting sexy back into technology and how technology is making fashion smarter.
When I was introduced to PINCHme at TechStyle Lounge in September, I knew the Australian venture was going to be huge before they even debuted in the US. The thought behind it seemed like Birchbox, but free. The idea of getting complimentary care packages sent to you with products that you choose seemed too good to be true.
Since their US launch on November 12th, 2013, the company has had over 400,000 people signup for the chance to get their very own blue boxes sent to their homes. I had the chance to pick Jeremy Reid’s brain, PINCHme’s Executive Chairman, to find out how they started this consumer revolution.
How did you come up with the concept for PINCHme? JR: I started looking at the way CPG (consumer packaged goods) companies were marketing their latest products, and it became evident that product sampling was the most effective means. However, I realized that product sampling in its traditional form is very wasteful and inefficient, so I started looking at the ways in which the CPG industry had embraced the digital age. It became apparent that in comparison to other industries, CPG was significantly behind the curve. I thought that if I could marry both in an efficient and accountable sampling platform, it would prove as a pretty exciting initiative.
Where did the company name come from? JR: ‘Pinch me, I’m dreaming. How great is this? I get to try all these new and great products for free in exchange for my feedback.’
What made you decide that the US should be your second market? JR:It was always our intention to launch PINCHme in the US. We launched first in Australia, serving as our beta market since the PINCHme business model did not yet exist, or rather had been tested before in the US. Following the success of the Australia launch, it was always our goal to expand to the US within 12 months, which we achieved.
When PINCHMe launched in the US, the website advertised an once in a lifetime trip to Australia for two winners and their guest. Were the winners chosen? JR: The competition closed on December 31, 2013 and winners will be announced next week.
What can you tell me about your experience with “the power of free” through this experience so far? JR: Free clearly sells very well. In the past 8 weeks alone, we have had over 400k consumers sign up to be members of PINCHme. This, by any means, is extraordinary growth. Our goal, over time, is to build a multi-member community, which we are on track to deliver.
How do you decide what products get featured? Are there only specific items you guys are willing to showcase or is it “the more, the merrier”? JR: Yes, we have a curated approach where we are really trying to offer our members both exciting and new quality products to try. In order for sampling to work well, consumers must have a rewarding experience with the product. Thus, it’s important for us to ensure that we maintain a high standard of offerings to keep both our members engaged and to deliver an attractive experience for our brand partners.
What’s the craziest story you have through the brand thus far? It could be pertaining to a customer or brand or the experience of building up the company, etc. You can be as vague or specific as you want. JR: We recently ran a campaign for a major car air-freshener company. The company was focusing their marketing efforts on an older demographic that they believed were buying more expensive cars and wanted to keep those cars smelling nice. Once they offered the product on the PINCHme platform, we saw significant demand from a much younger demographic. Particularly, 18-29 year olds.
What we discovered through our insight was that the product was substantially more popular for younger people who were smokers concerned with keeping their cars smelling good. Through the PINCHme platform, this brand now has a whole new target market to go after.
Your company is very social media driven. Can you tell me why you think this was important for PinchMe? JR: In today’s world, where everybody is connected online by numerous social media platforms, it’s critical for all brands to have a strong social media presence. Additionally, brands need to be well represented within the social realm, as many consumers today will look at peer-to-peer recommendations before buying a product.
What would your dream accomplishment from this company be? JR: From a consumer standpoint, PINCHme is the go-to destination where consumers can discover, discuss, and buy new CPG products. From a manufacturer’s standpoint, PINCHme is the preferred media platform for launching new consumer products and receiving valuable feedback.
Any exciting news coming up for 2014 that you’d like to divulge? JR: PINCHme is currently in discussions with several major CPG companies, where they will be using the platform to launch new and exciting products into the market. Also, we are on target to have the largest database in the sample box category.
Stephanie Carino has spent over the past 10 years working in the city in the Fashion, Food and Event industries. She currently works in the PR Department at leading Technology and Business Book Publisher, Apress. On the side, she also writes event coverage and reviews for, Socially Superlative, a NYC-based event website, covering predominantly food, travel and entertainment stories. Connect with Stephanie on Twitter.
Social Media Week has taken New York City by storm, as thought-leaders and innovators discuss industry trends and developments. Kicking off Tuesday morning at the Business and Entrepreneurship Hub at Bloomberg HQ was Global Head of Social Media at Ford, Scott Monty. Scott Monty has been ranked by Forbes as one of the Top 10 Influencers in Social Media, and his presentation clearly demonstrated his mastery in the industry.
Scott Monty started the session by emphasizing the importance of personal relationships in our rapidly developing digital age. Monty believes that social media is bringing business back to a trusted relationship, and it helps combat the impersonality of our mass media age.
After establishing these sentiments, Monty took the audience through the history of Ford’s social media efforts and the lessons they learned along the way. He pointed out that the lessons Ford learned were universal, and that both big and small businesses could benefit from them.
Four years ago, Ford launched the Fiesta Movement introducing their new Ford Fiesta. The campaign involved giving away 100 Ford Fiestas to digitally connected people around the United States for 6 months, and then tasking them with video challenges each month. The whole campaign was documented via social media platforms, and the Fiesta Movement videos earned 6.2 million views on YouTube, 750,000 views on Flickr and 40 million impressions on Twitter with the hashtag #Fiesta Movement.
All in all, the success of this campaign was measured by the 82% increase in consideration by consumers new to Ford, and a 30% gain in consumers below the age of 25. The lesson Ford learned: If you have a good product, let go of your fear and let others tell your story.
The success of the 2009 Ford Fiesta campaign must have pleased the Ford executives, because Monty announced a revamping of the same campaign for their 2013 initiative. This campaign is called Fiesta Movement: A Social Remix and is extremely similar to the campaign four years ago. It will feature 100 people, a mix of celebrities, alumni from the past campaign and regular people who will get to use a Ford Focus for six months. Like last time, each of the people will be tasked with creating a video around a specific theme each month, and this content will be eligible to be Ford’s advertising content.
Ford’s advertising for this campaign will be largely user-generated and crowdsourced from the missions and activities of the Focus advocates.
Recruitment to become a Ford Focus agent started Tuesday, February 20 and the whole campaign is expected to roll out in late April or early May. If you’re interested, you can register online at www.fiestamovement.com or follow the hashtag #FiestaMovement.
This post is a series of blogs contributed by SMW NYC media partner Differences Magazine. To learn more about Differences Magazine and to see the original post by Vivian Nunez, please click here.
Taking on Social Media Week NYC for the first time was everything I expected and much more. Nonetheless, I could not help but noticing that there was an obvious lack of college students at the events I attended. I am both a current college student and new to the entire #SMWNYC experience. As a result, I inferred that the lack of college students might be rooted on the fact that they don’t know what to expect or that they are unaware of how insightful it is into any kind of career path to be a part of this conversation.
Social media is not just a tool to communicate with your friends or to find out what your favorite celebrity is doing, they actually might not even be the one tweeting figured that one out in the Ghostwriter panel. If used to its fullest potential social media has the power to change our world, think Arab Spring or OWS, but on a smaller scale it can also change the amount of networking connections we establish. Social Media Week really helps to put this power in perspective regardless of the event you attend. I attended events that varied from Sports, Gaming, and Social Media to an event focused on Education, and I learned something from each of them.
There is a lens through which you are able to see different industries and their use of social media that you are just not able to get in a classroom. Listening to different panelists speak on how essential it is to market yourself as a brand and to really use social media as a leverage to establish connections is valuable advice. The tips and facts I learned throughout SMW resonated deeply because they were all techniques I could implement in the present to help me become a well-rounded candidate when it comes to entering the workforce.
College students might think it is a little too early to be attending events that are filled with established social media personalities, but I personally believe that this is the best time for that. Being exposed to so many successful people is not only motivation itself, but it is also an opportunity to network and pick the brains of those that have already traveled the path. It might be slightly intimidating at first to be the youngest and probably only student in an event filled with experts in a specific area, but it is also eye opening. By attending these events as a student or a person in the industry you really show that you are interested in learning more and have a true desire to experience social media first hand and to its full potential.
To see people speak on their experiences with social media and just exactly how it has helped them get to where they are is inspirational. Even more interesting and insightful is to learn how social media is implemented in everything from fashion to politics. All the events really build on the fact that social media is not only here, but it’s here to stay. I think it would only benefit students to take part in these events because they will be able to handle their online brands appropriately, learn how exactly social media affects their career of interest, and ultimately enjoy meeting such incredible experts in social media.
Social Media Week 2012, NYC hump-day edition continued the momentum built up during the week’s first forty-eight hours of events, featuring an exceptional keynote from Behance‘s CEO, as well as two spirited, highly interactive discussions around creating community and social engagement. Here were some of Day 3 highlights:
Keynote: Scott Belsky, CEO of Behance, followed by GOOD Panel: Beyond Crowdsourcing: Using The Community To Report: Behance CEO, and Cornell grad (Go Big Red!), Scott Belsky kicked off the full-house session with a keynote addressing many his company’s initiatives to organize and empower the creative world to display and find talent every month. Named one of Fast Company’s “100 Most Creative People in Business”, Scott kept packed audience compelled by sharing dynamic examples of how companies can harness their creative energy to yield the optimal output. The ensuing “Crowdsourcing” panel was a more broadly focused discussion on media’s relationship with its community – addressing media’s failures and successes to get authentic, meaningful anecdotes from its communities directly.
Creating community around your blog: Savvy self-promoting bloggers and freelancers alike came out in droves to the quirky Gershwin Hotel to enjoy an animated and refreshingly candid debate, hosted by Blogads, addressing ways bloggers can build strong communities. The discussion benefitted from each of the panelists’ divergent backgrounds and their keen willingness to offer very specific, actionable advice to the hyper engaged audience they were speaking to. Big kudos to the bloggers at GalaDarling.com, JessicaHarlow.com and ConcreteLoop.com for a job well done.
A Quizzical Evening in Social Media, hosted by BuzzFeed: Closing the day at JWT meant an early evening of light-hearted panel banter, a highly entertaining, rapid-fire game of Pub Quiz, and free T-shirts, food and booze to boot! Relevant thought leaders from BuzzFeed, OMD Word, GE and AdAge engaged the audience with a brief debate on how good social content is almost always surprising, unexpected, and – of course – quizzical. The open bar and prizes that followed were just delicious icing on top of a very scrumptious #socialmediaweek cake.
Greg is a motivated Cornell University Hotel School alumnus, affectionately known as a Hotelie for life, with keen interests in social and digital marketing for hospitality and lifestyle brands. He’s passionate about sales and marketing in the hospitality industry, specifically as it relates to the dynamic online space. In his free time, Greg obsesses over growing his musical intellect (both modern and past-time artists apply), tennis, and running skills. Check out his lifestyle blog covering these topics at http://www.thesocialsonictraveler.wordpress.com and follow him on Twitter.
It’s hard to believe it’s almost Friday and the end of #SMW12.
Before we bring this year’s festivities to a close, we wanted to post a little throw back to a Monday night and Tuesday morning not too long ago. We began #SMW12 with two epic SocialVibe collaborations; the first being our #SMW12 opening party which took place at Greenwich Village Country club and was hosted by Nokia and sponsored by Social Vibe.
The evening was centered around engaging activities, like miniature golf and pictures with animal statues, epitomizing the social nature of SMW12- and SocialVibe. Surprises littered the evening from Nokia’s special room to the SocialPix photobooth immediate upload to Facebook.
Then on Tuesday at our Advertising & Marketing Hub JWT, SocialVibe hosted a panel entitled Why Engagement Should Be Spelled A-T-T-E-N-T-I-O-N that featured Digital Editor Michael Learmonth, SocialVibe SVP of Sales Mike Barbeau, Head of Planning at SocialVibe Adrian Barrow, VP of Integrated Marketing at Fuse Vanessa Montes, and CEO of Deep Focus Ian Schafer
The panel focused on consumer engagement in digital advertising and consumer “exchanges.” Looking at services, R&D, and creativity as critical aspects to earn value and enhance engagement. By creating opportunities to do social good, giving your community attention or creating unique experiences will increase the likelihood that consumers will do things for you.
Citing case studies from companies like HP’s use of consumer forums to DuoLingo for translation services, SocialVibe really highlighted what you can do and the type of thinking that truly resonates with consumers. “If you have to ask your consumers to pay attention, you’re not doing it right,” just may characterize the views of the event. And with over 600 views on their Livestream and more than 15 comments, we think they get the hang of engagement and meeting people where they are, making this one event you’ll want to see if you missed it in action.
Many thanks to SocialVibe for partnering up with us at this years #SMW12! Partners like them are what make Social Media Week everything that it is.
You can check out more photos from the opening party by clicking here or here!
Day 1 of Social Media WeekNYC 2012 was literally a buzz with engaging keynotes, panels, and networking session, far too many for one person to cover. Therefore, the best SMWNYC attendee strategy, from my experience, is to pick your spots for the in-person show-ups, and cover the rest vis a vie LiveStream feed. Accordingly, I was able to hit three Day 1 sessions, hashtagging and tweeting up a #smwnyc storm along the way. Here are the highlights:
Managing Social Media on a Global Scale: This first Opening Day session found hosts Syncapse and Amway discussing, debating and sharing their best practices for managing a global social media presence across multiple countries and languages, with multiple stakeholders, distributors and marketers involved. The key takeaway centered around the idea that “social media fosters horizontal collaboration” within businesses. The speakers affirmed their tremendous support for this idea, and conceded that – while it’s an ideology that can be difficult to embrace at first – in the end is for the better good of the company.
Keynote: Valerie Buckingham on The Importance of Authenticity followed by Panel: Beyond Borders: Impact of Social Media in a Global Economy: Head of North America Marketing for Nokia Valerie Buckingham kicked off this noon event by focusing on the importance of authentic voice, asserting the idea that what you bring to the social media conversation can be enhanced by examples from around the social sphere. The panel that followed aimed to explore key trends, cultural behaviors and opportunities beyond American borders, especially in light of the accelerated pace of both innovation and appetite for interacting with brands in emerging markets. The key takeaway from this discussion was that – from a marketing perspective – as you move from market to market, you ought to ask yourself one question: do the digital tools you are utilizing tap into the regional social venues of interest? If so, then proceed.
Social Media Week’s Opening VIP Reception Hosted by Nokia: Crowdcentric, title sponsor Nokia, and SocialVibe hosted this lavishly awesome kick-off, invite-only opening party at the trendy Greenwich Village Country Club. Passed appetizers, complimentary libations from Heineken and Bulldog Gin, and – most importantly – exceptional conversation with engaged thought leaders made this the ideal way to properly kickoff the week.
Greg is a motivated Cornell University Hotel School alumnus, affectionately known as a Hotelie for life, with keen interests in social and digital marketing for hospitality and lifestyle brands. He’s passionate about sales and marketing in the hospitality industry, specifically as it relates to the dynamic online space. In his free time, Greg obsesses over growing his musical intellect (both modern and past-time artists apply), tennis, and running skills. Check out his lifestyle blog covering these topics at http://www.thesocialsonictraveler.wordpress.com and follow him on Twitter.
Throughout this week, we’ll be giving you a heads up on everything that’s going on at our content hubs this time next week. Events are filling up fast so check out what’s going on this time next week and click on the corresponding event link to register!
Note that events are listed in chronological order based on the time of day they occur.
Throughout this week, we’ll be giving you a heads up on everything that’s going on at our content hubs this time next week. Events are filling up fast so check out what’s going on this time next week and click on the corresponding event link to register!
Welcome to the first of post in our “One Week from Today” pre-Social Media week blog feature! Throughout this week, we’ll be giving you a heads up on everything that’s going on at our content hubs this time next week. Events are filling up fast so check out what’s going on this time next week and click on the corresponding event link to register!
That’s right. We’re officially one week away from the start of Social Media Week #SMW12!
Our global team of sponsors, curators, staff, event partners and volunteers has been hard at work to get to this point. With a week left, we’re excited to spend the next few days highlighting everything you’ve got to look forward to right here on the blog.
Additionally, we’ll also be posting daily Hub events and Keynote spotlights. To keep up with the latest news, check back here regularly, follow us at @SMWNYC, on Facebook, or with #SMWNYC.
Susan Halligan, the former Marketing Director of The New York Public Library (NYPL), established the first-ever marketing department for the 100-year-old institution, transitioning the library from traditional communication platforms to new media platforms. The library’s “Don’t Close the Book” advocacy campaign was named by MarketingSherpa to the 2010 Viral and Social Media Hall of Fame. Today, she is a Social Media Consultant based in New York working with cultural organizations such as The American Museum of Natural History, various non-profits, startups, and authors on social media strategies spanning channel selection, content marketing, employee activation, stream management, listening and measurement. As a multidisciplinary marketer, her specialty is integrating social media into traditional marketing and communications channels.
Susan Halligan, twitter: @srhalligan
A familiar face at Social Media Week, Susan moderated 2011 panel, “The Inner Workings: Social Media Success Through Coordinated Staffing,” and co-keynoted “The Connected Network” at the Arts Marketing Association’s Digital Marketing Day in London in November 2011. On February 14, she will moderate Literature Unbound: Radical Strategies for Social Literature at NYU during Social Media Week New York 2012. I spoke with Susan to learn more about her work and experiences.
You have quite an impressive biography. How did you become involved in social media?
Thank you, Lisa. I began to explore Facebook and Twitter in the early fall of 2008. Honestly, I originally started playing around with the platforms, because I had a very small marketing budget and was lured by the fact that the platforms were free. It was very much a “let me see what we can do with this” undertaking. I had no idea, actually, what I was doing, but spent a lot of time exploring and learning, and began to see that social could be integrated into traditional communication channels and that it was an opportunity to take the library’s brand and initiatives to entirely new audiences in a very powerful way. I became very passionate about social and remain so. While paid media remains an important component in any marketing campaign, the trend for marketers is to spend more resources on social and less on paid.
You established the first-ever marketing department for The New York Public Library. What changed?
Most of the library’s outreach efforts prior to my hire were concentrated on print advertising. I was hired to create and implement an integrated marketing effort across multiple channels.
In 2010, you helped The New York Public Library win the PR News Non-Profit PR Award: “Use of Twitter, Success through a Coordinated Staffing Model.” What went into this work?
I built a teamapproach to content marketing at the library. Non-profits have limited resources (i.e., people) to push messaging. But a big organization like the library has multiple message points: programming, customer service, circulation, collections, to cite just a few. It’s a matter of coordinating outreach. Though internal education and training, a regular working group of key stakeholders, the creation and implementation of polices, including a Crisis Plan, Best Practices and an Editorial Calendar, we were able to dedicate staff throughout the organization to message on a daily basis using team tools like HootSuite and Socialflow.
What kind of metrics were used to determine that The New York Public Library is #1 public library in the world on Twitter, Facebook and Foursquare?
Community growth, brand mentions, interactions and referrals. We published a monthly Metrics Dashboard using Facebook Insights, the HootSuite and Socialflow Twitter clients, Twitter Counter, Radian6, AddThis and Google Analytics. We shared the data with key stakeholders and examined it closely for insights about messaging, engagement and content.
How does social media for a library differ from social media from other companies?
It doesn’t. Like any business engaged in social, we had a long-term customer-centric vision. One of our major goals was discoverability. We wanted social users to be to be surprised and delighted to find us online (and to discover online and offline resources, like free databases and thousands of programs) and to think “Wow, I didn’t know you could do that at The New York Public Library.”
Have your ideas ever been challenged? Which ones and how did you overcome resistance from others?
If an idea isn’t challenged, it may not be that good. The first step in social media iteration is to identify the organizational challenges: internal resistance (turf, legal, security), lack of resources, lack of skills, an ever-changing technology space and the ongoing challenge of measuring ROI.
Alignment is key: the ability to rally internal resources and stakeholders is the #1 skill in successful social media integration. Evangelizers must be able to maneuver adeptly within an organization and rally the “deciders” for support.
Does Foursquare have any real purpose in relatively remote towns with a maximum of 30 retail businesses?
As part of its 2011 Centennial, NYPL was the first in the world to secure a Foursquare badge. The badge was yet one more way to introduce the library to new audiences and it proved a very successful partnership in terms of unique users, check ins and check outs.
AdAge recently did a post about Foursquare’s connection to “mainstream” retailers. Chris Copeland wrote: “Foursquare is a regional play that masks what it is not – a middle America, mainstream tool.” He suggested that Foursquare needs to continue to educate businesses about the benefits of its platform.
What do you think is Foursquare’s future?
Mobile location-based social networking will continue to be adopted.
Of all the campaigns you’ve led, which was your favorite?
The Centennial of NYPL’s flagship Fifth Avenue building in 2011. It was a perfect storm of owned, earned and paid media: there was an exhibit; a microsite; multiple programs; an advertising campaign that included print, radio, outdoor, transport and online; publications; signage; ecommunications; and a deeply integrated robust social effort across Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and YouTube. I secured VIK sponsorships from The Wall Street Journal, Titan Outdoor and the MTA to support the efforts. One interesting metric from the campaign was the incredibly high level of engagement with the library’s social content.
What is the most innovative use of social media that you’ve seen?
I am a big fan of Coke’s social strategy and tactics. I love that their Facebook Page is governed by regular fans, not “experts.” At the library, much of its social success is owed to the contributions of its staff. Power to the people!
Lisa Chau has been involved with Web 2.0 since graduate school at Dartmouth College, where she completed an independent study on blogging. She was subsequently highlighted as a woman blogger in Wellesley Magazine, published by her alma mater. Since 2009, Lisa has worked as an Assistant Director at the Tuck School of Business. In 2012, she launched GothamGreen212 to pursue social media strategy projects. View her online portfolio or follow her on Twitter.
Many of your fine social media-savvy folks are aware that the official floodgates for Social Media Week 2012 registration have opened. As a resident New Yorker, I’ll be hitting the pavement hard throughout the NYC boroughs, blitzing innumerable SMWNYC 2012 events for the second consecutive year. As a returning attendee, I figured it apropos to offer some helpful suggestions to newbie attendees mapping out Social Media Week schedules. My attendee tips for planning your Social Media Week visit:
Don’t fret if your schedule looks kind of sparse right now. As of this writing, even I – as an overzealous, overenthusiastic attendee – have some gaps in my week-long schedule. But have no fear…there are TONS of events that are going to be added in the next days.
Be sure to actually register for the events you want to go to. So often last year naive attendees thought that just because SMWNYC events were free, they could just walk in…NOT TRUE. Planners are understandably strict about having your registration with you, so just make the reservation. It’s quick, painless and FREE!
Vary your schedule with “different” kinds of events. While obviously every event is centered around social, digital media and tech, it’s important to keep your schedule of events diverse with events that you are passionate about. Be bold! Sign up for events that are related to your true personal interests: music, fashion, the arts — whatever it may be. The great thing about the week is that it brings ALL kinds of worlds together to speak about social, so there is a tremendous depth and breadth to the schedule for attendees to enjoy. It’s totally worth it, for both mental stamina and sheer happiness. Happy Planning!
Greg is a motivated Cornell University Hotel School alumnus, affectionately known as a Hotelie for life, with keen interests in social and digital marketing for hospitality and lifestyle brands. He’s passionate about sales and marketing in the hospitality industry, specifically as it relates to the dynamic online space. In his free time, Greg obsesses over growing his musical intellect (both modern and past-time artists apply), tennis, and running skills. Check out his lifestyle blog covering these topics at http://www.thesocialsonictraveler.wordpress.com.
Pundits have been ready to bury search engine optimization as a tool for data valuation in the web. One writer proclaims that conventional web crawlers will finally stand still. Social media networks, in his mind, now represent the referral source for content. On the other hand, this writer from State of Search says for internet scions to hold off on those proclamations. He states that while search index results will be pushed farther down the page in favor of personalized social media lists (Google+), the integration won’t take hold for awhile.
Looking at both cases, I would not worry for the moment. Unless I am an ardent user of Google+. Your queries for simple knowledge acquisition could be obfuscated at the expense of the search monolith. Google+ has decided to adjust their algorithm to deliver results based on your social media presence and online history.
In short, you search for “Ethiopian Restaurant Reviews in D.C.” Instead of seeing results from leading content providers like Yelp and Zagat, you’ll see individual reviews from John and Jane at the top of your index. One could ask this question: What is Google’s strategy with Plus?
I have an account and like the tool integration of mail, search, chat, and so forth. But it hasn’t registered into my daily social experience. I don’t feel like I’m alone in relaying this sentiment.
As a result, it appears that they are featuring the product at all costs.
The author from State of Search also mentions that a security option toggle allows the user to turn off personal results for privacy measures. Nevertheless, the damage is slowly spreading. Google’s strategy to drive user statistics for their social media tool could backfire.
A cynic may feel that research development was already compromised with the emergence of Google and Wikipedia. They are wrong. Society may look to their immediate network for credible solutions. They are also wise enough to seek knowledge from those who deliver content with expertise, intelligence, and passion. Despite the age, this axiom lives in the cumulus cloud.
Abdul Fattah Ismail is a digital marketing specialist with expertise in content development. He lives in New York and is an MBA graduate in Marketing Management from St. John’s University. He has contributed articles for Blueliner Marketing and Talent Zoo.
