How to get the most out of Social Media

In October’s PING Studio, we dived into the world of videos and different social media channels with our partners Videolle, Meltwater, Otavamedia and Allas Sea Pool. 

The fully booked PING Studio was a success with more than 100 marketing professionals and influencers gathered together to learn, network and get inspired. #pingstudio was trending in social media during and after the event and got over 140k impressions.

Now we have compiled a 5 point checklist, how to get the most out of social media, based on the inspirational speeches of PING Studio.

#1 Content is still king

Great content is the key to success. What do people want to read, see or hear? What do they get or learn from the content you share? Interesting, high-quality content catches attention and makes your followers crave for more.

Commercial content can (and should) also be relevant to your followers. At its best, collaborations blend naturally into the influencer’s own content. Still, you have to remember the common rules of the game and mention collaborations clearly to ensure transparency and fairness. Check out PING Helsinki’s own code of influencer marketing ethics here: pingethics.com

#2 Well begun is half done

Careful and thorough strategic planning is the starting point for everything. Everything you do should have clear goals that are based on the business strategy of your company. Why are you creating this content and to whom? What is the goal? How do you measure whether you have achieved those goals or not?

If no plan has been made and no goals have been defined, the created content is usually inconsistent and has little effect. 

It is also worthwhile to look further when planning collaborations with influencers. Long-term partnerships are often more effective than just single posts. A good example of a successful year-long collaboration is #yearinclarion.

#3 Create, measure, learn – repeat

Now, you have planned and created the content and even published it, yay! But hang on, you’re not done just yet. This is where many people go wrong: according to our research, every fourth company that has done influencer marketing in Finland has failed to measure the results.

Measuring results is important because it is the only way to determine how successful the content or social media campaign was and how things can be developed in the future. In order to get accurate results, the KPIs have to be derived directly from the set goals.

#4 Stand out from the mass

In the golden age of social media, when people are surrounded by all kinds of content, it can be difficult to stand out. Standing out from the rest often requires something surprising and out of the ordinary.

It is always a good idea to try something new: new channels, different content, unprecedented collaborations. A good example of a new kind of influencer collaboration is the Canon Summer Ambassador Campaign, where four gen Z representatives got to test Canon’s new cameras and showcase them to their peers on their own social media channels and at Tubecon.

#5 Explore different channels

The boundaries of social media channels have become blurred, and often they support each other well. Using social media is no longer linear and people surf effortlessly back and forth between different social networks.

Therefore, it is worth considering to take on multiple channels so, that the content is adapted to the characteristics of the channel.

To stay on top of trends, it’s a good idea to explore new channels and the opportunities they offer. TikTok and Twitch, for example, are rising social media channels that should be kept in mind.

The boldest jump from online to offline and take over traditional media channels too. For example, Anni Paakkunainen who is a popular Finnish food blogger, has now her own TV show called “Annin Uunissa”. More and more influencers, such as Eino Nurmisto, Alexa Dagmar and Maria Kangaskortet, have also shared their thoughts in the form of a book.

This article was inspired by October’s PING Studio and it’s speakers, Tapio Haaja from Videolle, Anni and Lauri Vuohensilta from Hydraulic Press Channel, Matti Vaininen from Hypement and Heini Korpela from Otavamedia. Watch all the performances in Finnish here!

PING Helsinki