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Currently, Gen Z’s favorite brands (in order) are Google, Netflix, and YouTube.  Clearly a technology-focused age group, Gen Z relies on social media to connect with not just each other, but businesses as well.  And considering around half of Gen Zers get their news from social media, businesses who promote themselves on these platforms have a direct line of communication to this increasingly important target audience. 

But social media acts as more than a broadcasting platform for companies, it serves as a two-way street of communication. In fact, 44% of Gen Z consumers purposefully interact with posts to influence the algorithm and reach the content they are looking for.  This allows them to find the perfect businesses that hold similar values to their own, including environmental responsibility and inclusivity practices. 

With the increase in online shopping, connecting technology and business is a clear route to the ever-important Generation Z.  Nearly half of all teens in the United States are online more than 10 hours a day, and two out of three are interested in making a purchase through social media directly.  If businesses are to connect with this young generation of consumers, they must do so through authentic online relationships. Learn more about Gen Z brands below:

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But when a major, well-established corporation distributes strong social content, it isn’t as lauded because it is expected. These kinds of companies are up against a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” mindset. But even though the expectations are incredibly high, many organizations are rising to the challenge.

The Times are A-Changin’

Five years ago social media was primarily a branch within marketing departments. Sure, organizations paid attention to Facebook and Twitter, but these platforms weren’t necessarily driving their overall strategy. Today, every brand marketer understands that performance across social media can be the determining factor between failure and success. As a result, social budgets, and teams, have grown exponentially. As each platform constantly works towards new iterations and features, major brands are constantly working to stay abreast of the latest social media updates and trends.

The average person spends 76 minutes each day on social media. More specifically, individuals spend 35 minutes on Facebook, 25 minutes on Snapchat, 15 minutes on Instagram, and 1 minute on Twitter.  And it’s not as if users set aside dedicated time each day to log into their social accounts; they’re constantly checking their feeds, sending snaps, and multi-tasking with social media. Staying up to date on their friends and family is never far from anyone’s minds. Knowing that users across demographics devote such a significant chunk of time each day to surveying their social feeds, brands are creating content to cut through the noise of each platform and speak to their target customers where they already live: on social platforms.

Over time, brands have gotten smarter and savvier at mastering social media content creation and deployment strategies. They know that organic reach on platforms like Facebook has dropped due to increased competition, and more have become adept at using platform analytics to make more informed decisions about future content.

Here are the 10 publicly traded companies that have excelled in the social media arena over the past year

1. Starbucks

Starbucks is a brand that knows its strength. Its products are so ingrained in the lifestyles of consumers across the world, that some of its best content comes from simply celebrating the drinks that have made it famous, like the Pumpkin Spice Latte. Posts announcing the arrival of both almond milk and it’s seasonally famous latte dominated on Facebook and Instagram.

2. Taco Bell

A subsidiary of Yum Brands!, Taco Bell inarguably steals the show from it’s fast-food relatives. Taco Bell was one of the early brand pioneers on Snapchat, realizing that creating playful content could forge daily connections with Millennials and Gen Z-ers. Taco Bell is still creating some of the best branded Snaps. In fact, it’s 2016 Cinco de Mayo filter was viewed over 224 million times.

3. GE

On the surface GE doesn’t seem like an organization ripe for social success. But over the years it has used social media as a vehicle for getting people interested in science. This past year, the company created content specifically for Snapchat, Facebook Live and Instagram Stories as it documented the live eruption of a Nicaraguan volcano.

4. AmEx

In an effort to connect with Millennials, American Express launched a social-first Everyday Congrats campaign that featured Tina Fey congratulating people on achieving lifestyle milestones.

5. Disney

Thanks to the live action remake of Beauty & the Beast, Disney has already enjoyed gigantic box office returns this year. But the company didn’t just bank on the power of nostalgia to drive viewers to the theater. Instead, they launched a massive social campaign across platforms that sparked over 987,000 conversations. This has caused consumers to think Disney as their go to brand for high price events like birthdays, graduations and weddings.

6. Chevrolet

Social media was designed to be a two-way street, yet so often, brands simply talk at users. Chevrolet decided to highlight users’ own social posts by giving users overall positivity scores. Powered in tandem with Watson’s IBM, the campaign gave audiences a new way to get involved in brand initiatives.

7. Lowes

Lowes knows that, alone, paint and plywood don’t make for the most exciting Instagram and Snapchat content. But put into use for a fun DIY project, and that paint and plywood can create a social media frenzy. Their 360 degree Facebook video series Made in a Minute shows followers easy homemade projects and attracts the views of up to 5.7 million people.

8. Target

To celebrate the launch of a new children’s clothing line, Target enlisted the help of some of its most influential friends. Leveraging the power of six Instagram influencers, Target was able to reach 2.63 million people in the first two weeks of the campaign.

9. Ford

Rather than simply using social media as a promotional tool, Ford has found a way to incorporate it into their product. The automotive company recently released a new patent for a vehicle patent system that allows drivers and passengers to find the best angles and shots while on the road.

10. FedEx

The FedEx social team has long believed in the power of story. They know that their organization is responsible for transporting treasured items across the globe every day, and subsequently, bringing people happiness. Their content is focused on these unique stories to put a human touch on the brand.

The post 10 Publicly Traded Companies That Hit A Home Run With Their Social Media Strategy in 2017 appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

In our interview below, Alma shares some of the challenges she faced at Cirque: differentiating a portfolio of eight shows in Las Vegas, rebranding one of the shows, creating new customer experiences and even establishing a new line of business entirely. It is little wonder that Alma garnered the Customer Experience Award from The CMO Club. Read on to discover the high wire act of the modern marketer.

Drew: How did you end up at Cirque Du Soleil?

Alma: The circus sort of finds you, Drew. I can’t say that 10 years ago this was on my roadmap. It appeared as an opportunity. One of the throughlines in my career is that I run towards moments of inflection and Cirque, with its new private equity ownership, was definitely at one of those points when I joined last July. I love getting to ask questions, top to bottom, without any regard for how things have always been done. And that’s what I walked into.

So let’s talk about the Resident Shows Division at Cirque de Soleil.

Alma: There are two major divisions at Cirque de Soleil. There’s the Residents Shows Division which oversees shows that are nailed down including our eight shows in Las Vegas and Orlando. We also have another team, the Touring Shows Division, that oversees shows that move around in the big top tent or tour in arenas.

That’s a lot of shows and seats to fill.

Alma: In Las Vegas, we sell as many as 20,000 tickets a night. It’s a lot of inventory in a very, very busy town. My job is all about keeping our shows top of mind. For us, that’s usually an interesting continuum. Because we’re based in resorts, it’s not likely that you’ll see one of our shows more than once a year so, it’s important to stay in your peripheral vision. Once the decision is made to visit Las Vegas or Orlando, it’s really important that for us to break through the noise and remind you that we’re the most exciting thing that you can do in the evening. Cirque is over 30 years old. For the mass majority of those years, Cirque grew organically because it was new, different and dazzling. For example, a show like O, which is our flagship show at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, was sold out for two years when it opened. Marketing thinking is a relatively new thing for Cirque but incredibly important now that we’re not the newest kid on the block.

So what now?

Alma: Now, we’re in a different stage of life because we’re more established and face a lot of different challenges in the market. Vegas has gone through a number of reinventions over the past 30 years. Today, there’s a brand new 17,000 seat arena that hosts major concerts and will soon be home to a new hockey team. Special event residencies like JLo, Britney and Celine have emerged as an important part of the competitive landscape. So we have to keep reinventing ourselves in a space that, as you know from visiting Vegas, is a really busy place. We have to always make the loudest noise in that environment and make sure that visitors are still aware that we’re around, that we’re exciting and that we’re vital.

Must be a challenge from a portfolio management standpoint, right? Do people go to see a Cirque show or a specific show?

Alma: It’s a great question. What you’re hitting on is something really particular to Las Vegas because we have so many resident shows in one place. I’m always troubled when customers say that they don’t understand the differences between our shows. Some people think that there’s ‘O’, which stands out as “the water show”, and maybe one other production. One of the real challenges we have is needing to flip the brand script in Vegas and emphasize the show ahead of the Cirque brand. We need explain the differences between these shows. They all have very, very different personalities. And the thing that I’ve been working on quite a bit is, how do you communicate that each show is the only show you have to see.

Interesting. So how does this play out in places like social media?

Alma: I think one of the next new frontiers for Cirque is allowing customers behind the curtain a little bit more. It’s something that our founder was very, very cautious about in the early days of social media. But the world has changed and the expectation that an audience has about peeking behind that curtain is something we can’t put back in the bottle. So we’re trying to find ways to facilitate that via social media and social content and by creating events in Las Vegas that are complete behind the curtain experiences.

What would you look at now so far and say that oh, I’m really proud of this from a marketing standpoint that we were able to get this done and you been a relatively short period of time?

Alma: From a marketing standpoint, I think our highest profile achievement was actually rebranding our show The Beatles LOVE. I didn’t completely understand until we were well into the process that Cirque has never rebranded an existing show. For the tenth anniversary, we made quite a few changes to the show, the music, the technology and the visual identity. It was really interesting to rethink the entire way we were approaching getting that messaging out. I’m proud that we got through it and succeeded at so well.

What else?

Alma: I’m also really excited about offerings that give customers behind the scenes access. We’ve actually created an entire line of business called SPARK that serves as a learning laboratory for corporate teams. We provide business training, team building and will even create a customized curriculum. We’ve hosted companies like Adobe and Google onto the stage and into our training spaces so they can interact with our performers and production teams. It’s both an amazing bucket list moment and a chance to really learn about trust, team building, operational excellence and customer service in a very tangible way.

Very cool. I love the fact that as a marketing person you were so involved in creating a new revenue stream.

Alma: Thanks. Part of the process that I go through when I’m new to an organization, especially when I’m tasked with being a change agent, is to seek out these kinds of opportunities. I love the fact that we are able to build SPARK by leveraging our core business, our custom theaters, our performers, and our production teams. It’s taking off like a rocket, and has not only created a new way access the brand but also makes a strong statement about who we are.

By the way, I saw LOVE twice many moons ago. There you dealt with the common marketing challenge of taking a beloved brand and refreshing it.

Alma: True. With the refresh, especially if you are a Beatles fan, we’ve given you a new reason to see it again. We also recognized that technology changes and improves a lot in 10 years. Cirque has always taken pride in its fusion of technology and artistry so it seemed very natural as the tenth anniversary approached to rethink the staging, effects, and imagery. The original show was very nostalgic. Today it’s more colorful and, at the same time, showcases the fact that The Beatles are as relevant today as they were in the 60s.

Let’s talk metrics. Which ones matter?

Alma: Ticket sales are, of course, number one. Put that one in bold! But we also think about how our performers are evolving as creators and artists. Many artists like contortionists have a relatively short performing career. We are always thinking about what else interests them and how we can involve them in other ways with things like quasi-internships in marketing or sales. It’s an unusual thing but we’ve failed if we haven’t taken that into consideration along with our other marketing activities.

Do you have some advice for fellow marketers as they look at 2017?

Alma: The first thing that comes to mind is proportionality. Just because the world is talking about spending more and more on digital doesn’t mean that it’s right for your business. For us, the real battle begins once a visitor to Vegas sets foot on the ground at the airport or drives into town. So, things like taxi toppers, building wraps, marquees and all those great out-of -home things will never stop being a priority in our marketing mix. It’s not about being modern or not, it’s about knowing your audience and understanding your context.

Totally agree. I’ve talked to a couple of CMOs that have pulled back their digital spend of late because it wasn’t performing as well as a mix with more TV. Do you have a recommend don’t for 2017?

Alma: Don’t get too absorbed by chasing big data, especially if it’s not relevant to you. Don’t let the pursuit of big data cause you to lose sight of the importance of instinct and intuition. It’s still the hallmark of what we do as marketers. You still have to have a gut instinct. Big data becomes a fantastic tool but, at the end of the day, you still have to know your products intimately and you still have to recognize a great idea even if you don’t have stacks of information to go on.

The post The High Wire Act Of The Modern Marketer appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

Drew: You started your career in ad sales at the Wall Street Journal. How important was that experience to your future roles in marketing?

Elissa: I would say the value to me as a marketer was extraordinary. I wasn’t really cut out for sales, but what got me excited about my job in sales was understanding the Wall Street Journal audience, how it compared to our big competitors, and our strategy in talking to our subscribers and to our advertisers. That’s when I realized what really turns me on is marketing and marketing information. I often tell people starting out in their marketing careers that experience of being a sales person is extremely valuable because you really understand what’s on the mind of a buyer, how to persuade, how to sell, and how to close. And that not only helps you as a marketer, but also helps you in your relationship with sales people as you market.

And I bet you are so much more empathetic with your sales teams than your average marketer.

Elissa: I feel like I have a lot of empathy because I have been there. And I think it’s extraordinarily valuable as a marketer to understand the sales journey from the top of the funnel all the way to the end.

You’ve been at Tableau for 10 years and nearly half of that as CMO. Can we talk about the advantages of staying in one place?

Elissa: The advantages are definitely that you get to be deep, to understand things richly, to build relationships with your colleagues and your customers. And you get to see this evolution in what you are trying to accomplish and to see how things that you seeded months or even years ago are blossoming. You also get to see evolutionary cycles and determine when you don’t need to do certain things anymore. For me, it’s been a really interesting journey. When I joined ten years ago we were about 40 people. Now we are like over 3,200 people. It’s really been like several different companies!

Wow, that’s such huge growth. It must be tricky to stay fresh and continue to drive change. What’s your secret?

Elissa: Well, two ways. Number one, I look at change as a fact of life. That we always need fresh ideas and don’t ever get comfortable with the way we’ve always done things. If we’re not changing then something’s not quite right. I have an open mind about change and tell my team to roll with it too, to try new things and be at peace with whatever happens.

And the other way?

Elissa: The other important thing is to recognize that as a person who’s been there long time, you may not be the freshest source of ideas. So as a leader, long-term employee and agent of change, there are times that I just need to listen, keep my mouth shut and be open to the idea that something that sounded crazy three years ago might be exactly what we need now.

Listening is really an art form in itself.

Elissa: It is. It’s important to listen rather than judge and offer up all the reasons you think something won’t work. I’m a big believer in a question-oriented approach. Rather than shutting down the conversation with negative comments, I’ll ask: have you thought about how we could solve that, have you thought about this, have we considered this? This lets them know that I’m interested in their ideas and that we can find ideas that solve problems we couldn’t solve before.

Do you have a superpower?

Elissa: There is one thing that I just used to resist about myself but now I embrace fully — I’m an enthusiastic and optimistic person. I’ve realized over the years that enthusiasm goes a long way towards getting things done because it produces energy. I bring energy to meetings. I tend to be enthusiastic and positive – saying let’s do it and feeling like we can do it. And though it’s not necessarily a superpower, my enthusiasm does seem to help propel teams and initiatives forward.

I share your enthusiasm for enthusiasm!

Elissa: I think people want to get stuff done. That’s what business is about. We all are trying to achieve results for our companies and for our customers. Of course, you need smart analytics, good business judgment, thoughtful strategy about why and who and when, but once you are ready to go, go at it with energy and enthusiasm. Use your resources to a hundred percent of their effectiveness.

What’s your mission at Tableau, and has it evolved over the years?

Elissa: Our mission is to help people see and understand data. So certainly we are all about easy and friendly data analytics. I think the thing that has evolved is that we’ve become a company that can serve that up at scale. We help large organizations and massive groups of people use data to the level and extent that they want to, whether that’s a deep data scientist all the way to a frontline person who needs to find out how things are going on the factory floor and make an adjustment to speed up some machine. We can help people work with data safely, securely and at scale.

Tell me about your role as CMO at Tableau?

Elissa: It’s the best job in the world. At Tableau, marketing is all about working closely with Sales, Development and our Operations to grow the community of Tableau users in their journey of using data. So that stretches from working hand in glove with our product strategy team on our development side to define our overall messaging to working with sales to find the best prospects and growth customers. Demand generation is a huge part of our business because we started out as a tool that individuals often bought. It was almost like a consumer product. That’s how we disrupted the market. Now we’re showing large enterprises that scalable, nimble analytics that people love is achievable at scale. As a marketing team, we cover everything from above the funnel all the way through the funnel – from communications to solutions marketing.

You’re covering a lot of ground as CMO, aren’t you?

Elissa: We have a pretty wide coverage, but we have a lot of great partnerships across Tableau including our product development team, our sales team, our operations team, HR, finance, our channel team, and so on. Tableau is a very collaborative organization. So there are plenty of things that I don’t cover that another CMO might. But because we’re collaborative, we get involved in discussions.

Are there areas involving communications you won’t touch?

Elissa: Yes. We really do focus on outward facing activities. It’s a small example, but early on people used to want us to plan holiday parties, and we said, ‘No, that’s an internal thing. We can give you advice, but that’s really better for HR department because that’s not our audience.’ Our audience is mostly external. We do love our employees and especially how they help our customers and help us promote to customers and prospects. But we are very much focused on the people in our markets – it’s the people in analyst, executive, IT and business operation positions.

You’ve had quite a ride at Tableau.

Elissa: Well, I am so lucky, Drew. I have had almost 10 years of just an amazing journey. Every year has been fun and interesting and we’ve accomplished so much and we’ve been challenged by so much. I would say taking a company from sub $5 million in revenue to a run rate of nearly $1 billion is awesome to me. I feel excited by what we accomplished. We went public. I got to be on the balcony at the opening bell at the New York Exchange – I mean, that’s such a memorable moment! My old boss, our founding CEO, was so supportive despite my bouts of lack of confidence. He would say, ‘you were the right person that came along at the right time for the right job.’ And now I’m enjoying working with and learning from our new CEO.

The post The Secret To Keeping Your Marketing Approach Fresh appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

Drew: Can you give me a little background on Discovery Education?

Lori: Discovery Education is the leader in digital content for Kindergarten through 12th grade classrooms, serving 4.5 million educators and over 50 million students. We are transforming teaching and learning worldwide with immersive digital textbooks, multimedia content, professional development, and the largest professional learning community of its kind.

The educators we partner with integrate our services into teaching and learning in ways that create modern digital learning environments that support the success of all learners. A part of the global media company Discovery Communications, we believe in the power of media to enlighten and educate.

How does translate into your work with brands?

Lori: We collaborate with Fortune 500 companies, foundations, associations and other organizations to create meaningful standards-based educational content that supports historically underfunded disciplines such as science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), health and wellness, and others. In this way, we are powering our partners to positively impact education on both a national and local scale.

It’s really exciting to see these folks coming into the education sector with a genuine desire to serve their communities and to leverage their expertise to support teaching and learning. Improving student outcomes is becoming a meaningful part of many organizations’ brand profiles, and we are pleased to help them accomplish their goals in a meaningful way.

Really interesting. Let’s get a bit more specific.

Lori: Working with our partners, we’ve built innovative programs that help drive authentic engagement, optimizing the school-to-home connection. It’s very grassroots and unique, especially for our brand partners who’ve seen real value by associating their brand to an issue that everybody in the country cares about: education.

There are many needs in education today and it’s gratifying to see the private sector step up to support young people with mentorship, project-based learning opportunities, and resources in areas that are traditionally underfunded.

I suspect sports brands would want to partner, right?

Lori: We work with a number of sports brands such as EA Sports, the NFL, the US Tennis Association, the Tiger Woods Foundation and others. For example, with EA Sports/Madden, we created a unique program that leverages the thrill of football to help young people understand core math concepts, revealing the math and science behind the game to engage kids in key concepts that they need to know. In this case, the magic of sports really helped open their minds to math and science.

Also, I’d imagine a number of brands would want to be involved in the sciences.

Lori: We have great fun collaborating with innovative organizations like 3M, Siemens, Lockheed Martin, Alcoa and others who are passionate about building the next generation of STEM leaders. Those organizations are authentically connecting their brands to efforts to support student achievement in science, technology, engineering and math, and are connecting their efforts to their pipeline & workforce development strategies.

By way of example, we have a deep partnership with 3M centered on inspiring young people to use science to solve everyday problems. Through a nationwide middle school competition, the 3M Young Scientist Challenge, we just crowned Maanasa Mendu, America’s Top Young Scientist. She is a 13-year-old who invented a way to use solar and wind energy to create power. How cool is that?

Let’s dive into the 3M case.

Lori: Sure. 3M’s brand positioning is: “Science. Applied to life.” Their core focus is the application of science to improve the lives of people around the world. They also look simultaneously at how to build their pipeline of future employees, and are committed to highlighting the importance of innovation and science, and inspiring those traits and interests amongst America’s students.

Discovery Education has partnered with them to create the 3M Young Scientist Challenge, which is the premier middle school science competition in the country. In this challenge, students compete to win $25,000, but most importantly, they are paired with real-life mentors at 3M over the summer to work on their innovations that, literally, can change the world. We’ve had winners of the 3M Young Scientist Challenge named by Fortune Magazine as Top 30 under 30 for their inventions.

Students have been featured on the Ellen Show, Fox & Friends, and ABC Nightly News; they have met the President, as well as presented to members of Congress and more. This kind of earned media supports 3M’s overall brand profile as an organization committed to the use of science to change the world.

I love this program. What else can you tell me about it?

Lori: 3M has been smart about its consistent investment in education. And it’s paying off not only with the impact they are making in the classroom, but also with those that they’d like to entice as future employees. For the first time, 3M topped the charts as the #1 place millennials consider to be the cool, dream place they’d like to work, according to the 2016 Millennial Career Survey from the National Society of High School Scholars. The marketers at 3M engage millennials and their families in initiatives that they care about.

What are some of the keys to success when working in your space?

Lori: Bottomline, from a brand perspective, you need to engage with educators authentically, and need to do so in a manner that supports young people everywhere, not just in certain zip codes. Discovery Education provides educators in schools across the country with core curriculum and content that relates to the real-world with tools, resources, and professional learning opportunities that respect their expertise, helps them meet the challenges of their jobs, and celebrates the potential of every child, everywhere. I feel that our intimate knowledge of the education space, and our deep connection to educators, really has driven our success.

I’d imagine teachers, in particular, are tough gatekeepers.

Lori: At the end of the day, the measure of our success is based on the success of teachers and students. If they win, we all win. We are excited to see the number of companies that are reaching out to us to have meaningful dialogue about how they can best leverage their organization’s expertise to help support education.

We all know that regardless of where you live, providing support, tools and opportunities to our young people is one of the most important things we can do. To that end, yes, educators should have very high expectations for the kind of support that best sets their kids on the path to success. We rely a great deal on our teacher community, which is the largest of its kind. They work day in and day out with our nation’s kids and are very vocal about how corporate America can best partner with them on their important work.

I’m curious how you designed programs that actually make it home to the parents.

Lori: All of the programs that we build with corporate partners are available to students, teachers, families and communities at no cost. They support real needs in the classroom and are implemented and activated through educators. We know that learning continues after the bell rings and that parents and caregivers play a critical role in the learning process, so for the majority of our programs, we create parent and family extensions that are also free of charge. To complete the circle, we utilize a variety of engagement platforms, whether it’s TV, online, social or other, to help build awareness and encourage parents to check out these initiatives.

How do you encourage your partners to measure the effectiveness of these programs?

Lori: As I said earlier, our first and most important metric is the value that teachers and students place on the program’s impact on youth achievement. Second, each partner has their own unique goals and metrics that are important to them as an organization.

We work closely with our partners to crystalize what measurements matter, and then build our initiatives with those in mind. We don’t have a cookie-cutter approach to measurement. Everybody has different KPIs that they look at. The one metric they all share, however, is the desire to connect their brand to meaningfully impacting today’s youth while supporting the success of all learners — and isn’t that the most important measurement of all?

The post Why Brands Are Going Back to School appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

So, come experience the magic for yourself…

Here are the 21 most engaging & most shared Brand Facebook 360 videos in 2016.

1. Dior

3.6 million views, 17,539 shares. This is the most popular 360 brand video ever published on Facebook (so far).

2. Airbus

#avgeeks couldn’t get enough of this ‘from the cockpit’ 360 view (15,923 people shared it). It puts you in the pilot seat so you now know what goes on at the pointy end of the big steel tube hurtling you through the air at 650 mph.

3. Microsoft

According to Microsoft, this room is the quietest place on Earth and nearly 2 million people tuned in to listen to the sound of silence. With nearly 12,000 people sharing the video, it was a roaring hit for Microsoft.

4. Kia Motors Worldwide

Kia Motors gave a glimpse at the potential 360 video could bring with this incredible ad that puts you in the thick of the action. Over 1.5 million people viewed the ad and more than 9,000 people shared it, making it one of Kia’s most popular posts on Facebook.

5. M&Ms USA

Proving that it doesn’t matter what your industry is, M&Ms put together this cute video taking you through the apartments of all the M&Ms. 2.9 million views shows just how much people love these chocolate guys and girls.

6. Mountain Dew

To promote their new flavors, Mountain Dew came up with a video game style 360 video where you race along with Chase Elliot. 2.15 million views and 8,400 shares mean Mountain Dew reached millions of people with this single video.

7. Pepsi Puerto Rico

This 360 video from Pepsi Puerto Rico was part of the #DiloconPepsi campaign where users came up with ideas for the music and then view their own version of the music video by choosing what they wanted to see. With over 1M views and 7,400 shares, it’s one of the most engaging campaigns Pepsi Puerto Rico has ever done.

8. NASA

What 360 video would be complete without a video from NASA? This video which shows the underwater training astronauts have to go through was viewed 470,000 times and shared by over 7,000 people.

9. Visa Mexico

And the award for the most viewed brand 360 video goes to Visa Mexico. The video racked up nearly 5.8 million views as it showed how easy it was for people to win trips to the Rio Olympics.

10. Mountain Dew

The second 360 video from Mountain Dew looks a lot like the first in that it’s done in a video game style but with different tracks. With 2 million views it was as popular as the first one although at 4,800 shares it was slightly less shared.

11. LG Mobile

LG takes you swimming with sharks as it showcases its LG360 cam’s abilities. Over 800,000 people experienced a close encounter with the underwater predator and the post generated over 4,100 shares.

12. Emirates

Another video for the #avgeeks, take a 360 tour of the Airbus A380 and see where all the action takes place while you enjoy your movies and food. This video didn’t do quite as well as the Airbus 360 video featured earlier, perhaps because they didn’t show any take-off or landing, but it still got 2,500 people to share the content.

13. Lexus

If I take off my editorial hat for a moment and show some personal bias, this is perhaps the best Facebook 360 video published by a brand. In partnership with the TV show Quantico, Lexus have created an incredible mini-episode which puts you in the heart of the action. With 2.28 million views and 2,500 shares, the video should perhaps have done a bit better than it did.

OK, back to wearing my editorial hat again.

14. Liberty Mutual

At 5.1 million views, this 360 video was pipped to the post as the most viewed brand 360 video by Visa Mexico. The innovative quiz approach to the video meant it was engaging for the viewer which is why it got so many views. With 2,348 shares, it wasn’t as widely shared as some other 360 videos though.

15. Audi Sport

What could be more electrifying than being in the action during a fast paced pit-stop? Audi captured the frantic pace with incredible precision and teamwork that is required by racing teams during these vital moments. Although the video generated just 236,000 views and 1.897 shares, it is one of the most popular posts it has ever published.

16. Porsche

Another auto brand that puts you in the heart of the action as you get behind the wheel of a 911 Carrera around a race track. 158,000 people viewed the video and it generated 1,881 shares.

17. Lowe’s Home Improvement

This is a really innovative use for a 360 video. At first glance I didn’t get what was going on but once I figured it out I realized how creative it is! With nearly 4.6 million views, it seems I wasn’t alone in appreciating what a fine job Lowe’s had done. 1,773 people also loved it enough to share it.

18. Royal Caribbean International

With a stationary camera, Royal Caribbean decided to let the pleasant and calming surroundings of St. Kitts Botanical Garden do the talking. 275,000 people viewed the video while 1,294 people shared it.

19. Alfa Romeo

What is it about cars, racetracks and 360 videos? Alfa Romeo received 52,718 views on this video and 895 shares.

20. McDonald’s Canada

What do you do when you’re a cowboy in a land that has frozen over? These cowboys from Alberta have a few ideas and once you’re done skijoring, it’s time for a #mightangus. The video generated over 632,000 views and 1,139 shares.

21. Organic Valley

The final entry for the top 21 Facebook 360 brand videos comes from Organic Valley. This video features…dancing cows! Yes! 392,843 views and 1,197 shares is a huge achievement for this brand which has 402,000 fans in total.

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Note: If you are unable to view the Facebook 360 videos in your Chrome browser, you may need to change some settings.

The post 21 Mind Blowing Facebook 360 Videos That Will Drop You Into The Action! appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

We spoke to four companies that used their robust social media presence to grow their brands and engage with their audience. Check out their insights and tips below.

1. On Being : Create connections

On Being is an award-winning radio show, podcast, and website. The company considers social media an extension of its online communities and conversations, so a hard focus on brand awareness and marketing goals isn’t what drives its social media message.

“Yes, we’re a media project,” Executive Editor Trent Gilliss said, “but we’re in the business of creating connections and fostering relationships, not just propagating content to amass more users or page views.”

…we’re in the business of creating connections and fostering relationships, not just propagating content to amass more users or page views

When it comes to creating content, Gilliss said the focus is on staying authentic and remaining fully engaged in important conversations. This requires On Being to produce outstanding content that is tailored for each social media platform it uses. And its approach works. The column “The Disease of Being Busy,” for example, was tweeted about and shared on Facebook by people from all over the world within days of being posted.

For companies starting to build a social media presence, Gilliss recommends focusing on relationships rather than marketing.

“Have the intention of forming reciprocal relationships — ones in which you can share your work and your product with people but also one in which you learn from people in those communities. Practice generous listening and interaction as a human being rather than a representative of a brand.

2. SafeWise : Fostering relationships

SafeWise is a home security comparison website committed to helping people improve the security of their homes and communities. As a trusted resource for information, SafeWise uses social media to build authority through relationships with other online influencers in the home security industry.

“The majority of our engagement is with other brands we’ve developed relationships with,” Paige Sjoblom, SafeWise community manager, explained.

Identifying and maintaining those relationships with influencers helps SafeWise stay on top of hot topics and trends, which it then passes on to its readers. And determining how and why its audience consumes that information is a big part of what makes the company’s social media presence successful.

According to Sjoblom, SafeWise consumers are most active on Facebook, so the company posts the majority of its content there for greater engagement. Sjoblom also recommends figuring out what types of content are most popular and relatable to your specific audience.

“We get good engagement with our Safest Cities campaign,” Sjoblom said, “because people like to talk about their city.”

Understanding how to master the social media landscape also takes more know-how than people realize. Sjoblom advises anyone who’s new to managing social media to learn from others who are doing it right.

“You may have grown up with social media, but that doesn’t mean you know how to promote a brand on it,” she said. “The best way to learn is to immerse yourself in the social media manager community by listening to podcasts and diving into content by Jon Loomer or Buffer.”

3. BarkBox : Don’t be boring

This boutique pet supply company provides a monthly box full of unique dog toys and treats. BarkBox is just three years old but has seen incredible growth. Their online presence is pervasive — the company has an army of brand ambassadors known as the “Bark Pack,” made up of over 500 Internet dogs that have anywhere from 10,000 to three million followers each.

With her canine companions piping up in the background, Stacie Grissom, editor-in-chief of “BarkPost,” shared their keys to success.

“Don’t be boring. Make sure you have an audience. Figure out what your voice is,” she said. “Figuring out who you’re talking to will go a long way.”

Figuring out who you’re talking to will go a long way

BarkBox’s social media strategy is targeted at “crazy dog people.” To find similar others, their content goes beyond the usual how-to’s and animal cruelty sob stories.

“We started taking the angle of a more fun and celebratory style of dog stuff,” Grissom said. “We have videos like “Dog Toy or Sex Toy?” It’s things you normally just joke about, but no one is really writing it in the dog world.”

Rather than pushing products, BarkBox has increased their online influence by having fun and celebrating their love of dogs with their audience.

“Don’t keep hitting people up to buy stuff. Give them something relevant first,” Grissom said. “Being a person online is really important. Don’t be a robot, and have fun!”

4. Even Stevens : It’s in the research

This sandwich shop with a cause donates a sandwich for every sandwich they sell. They are community-oriented, and they use social media to help spread their message. Even Stevens launched their online campaign before they even opened their first store.

“We started both accounts (Facebook and Instagram) about six months before we opened,” Sara Day, Director of Community Engagement, said. “We wanted to build up a base. It’s kind of fun to watch a brand be creative and see their process over time. When we started, we would post sandwiches we were creating or nonprofits we were visiting.”

Being a charitable business, Even Stevens wanted to make sure their social media presence could stand up to scrutiny.

“We definitely researched [other charitable businesses] to see what criticisms they got,” Day said. “We know that people will nitpick us more the bigger we get and we’re totally open to that and welcome it.”

Looking to other brands for social media inspiration is a key strategy Day recommends to any company starting to build their social media brand.

“Follow like-minded brands,” she said. “Even if it’s not the same industry, if they’re like-minded you can learn from them. Think about who would notice your brand … people who might be an end user of your product.”

Big or small, your business needs a savvy social media campaign. Learning from the success of others is the best way to improve your own efforts in all you do. 

The post An Interview with 4 Brands on the Secrets to their Social Media Success appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

Your “like” means nothing; choose a different lane

Facebook gives us three options when interacting with a Page. You can passively not like (or actively Unlike) a Page, you can Like it and send up another ‘whatevs’ into the universe, or you can choose to Get Notifications, which I refer to as “Love”. But let’s get real and decide that you really only have two options: Unlike or Love. Why? Because Liking a Page breaks the system; it’s a thumbs-middle, and a thumbs-middle is a vote of apathy. A Like says I’ll call you later, even though you won’t. A Like tells a Brand that you are on their side, even though you aren’t. A Like means nothing from you, does nothing for them, and is a worthless exchange of nothingness. Don’t exchange nothingness.

Understand what your “like” refers to

Yes, I get that you like Brand X. You buy the clothes or visit the restaurant or have a friend who works at the business. That’s awesome, and Brand X appreciates your purchases/visits/support in the real world. But on Facebook, it’s not about the brand; it’s about what the brand is doing on Social. My question to you is not whether or not you like Brand X; it’s whether or not you like Brand X’s Facebook Page and the work they are doing there. If “yes”, then choose Love; if “no”, then choose that lane and Unlike their Page.

The Consumer side argument

Do Brands want more Facebook fans? Absolutely! As long as every Social manager’s analytics are trending up-and-to-the-right, they’re happy. What does that mean? It means that the brand will continue to do as they are currently doing. Likes are votes, and as long as the votes are in support of the Page, the Page will continue to be what it is. If this is what you want, then choose Love. Choose to get notifications from those Pages, consume their content regularly, and engage with them when you feel inspired. Show your support with Love. But if you aren’t 100% happy with what you are receiving from a Page, let them know. Take a deep breath, and choose Unlike (it’s not irreversible). When a brand continues to see its audience shrink, it will change course, it will work harder, and it will ultimately be better for it. And you will receive less of what you don’t care about, so there’s that. Love and show support, or Unlike and move on. It’s how the consumer-brand relationship is supposed to work, so let’s do it right.

The Brand side argument

Yes, brands want more fans, but that is oversimplifying. What brands really want are more engaged fans, more happy fans, more tuned-in fans. If you are not on board and completely in support of a Facebook Page, disconnect from it. The upside for the brand is hearing from their audience; seeing votes that demand change or, at least some effort, is an important blip on their weekly report. Another upside is that the fewer apathetic Likes a brand has, the better chance it has to reach those who really do care. As we all know, Facebook can be a bit tight with Page reach, so do the brand a favor and get out of the way; stop taking up a spot, if you aren’t really interested. And if you are? Love that Page! It’s the best option for you and the best option for them. If you truly care about a brand, do it a favor and choose to see all of their content. Brands post to Facebook for a reason; don’t let an algorithm get between you and them. You can choose to see, or not see, what a brand is doing in Social, so make the choice.

It’s not a movement, it’s a choice

How many brands show up in your news feed every day? Better yet, how many non-sponsored, non-promoted updates do you get from your chosen brands in a week? I certainly don’t hear from all of my 256, and neither do you. Facebook is not set up for a Like to have any real impact, so don’t participate. If you truly, truly like a brand and how they use Social, then Love them. Choose to be an active participant, enjoy their Social channel, and make their presence matter. On the flip side, if you are in the ‘whatevs’ camp, disconnect.

There is no special hashtag for this and no certain day to get on board. This is not a call for a movement, nor is it a revolution meant to send a larger message. Instead, this is personal. This is a consumer and a brand advocate asking you to help fix the system. Visit your own Likes (prepared to be overwhelmed by what you see), and turn your apathy into action: https://www.facebook.com/search/me/pages-liked. The choices are not always easy, but at least actively make the choice. Turn your thumbs-middles into meaningful votes, and let brands know whether you support their Social efforts or not. In the end, it’s a win-win for both parties.

Do you agree that Love or Unlike are your only options? I could be convinced that Likes are important, so tell me why. I’d love to read your comments as I take a break from my 256-Page Unlike-or-Love challenge. What are your reasons for simply Liking a brand page?

The post There Is No Reason To Like A Facebook Page appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

This infographic takes a look both at those brands who are some of the most reputable in America and which ones have accrued the most valuable global brand statuses.

What are your thoughts about these brands and their colossal awareness and reputation?

The post Power of a Brand [Infographic] appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

As part of SME’s five city national tour, Jason Falls and his A-list of speakers are presenting the facts, trends, tips and ideas to benefit the individuals who are tasked to succeed and grow businesses.

Here are some of the highlights from DAY ONE of Explore in Minneapolis.

When you stand on the frontline to today’s digital frontier, what exactly are you needing to forge forward? If you have missed the opportunity to attend Explore in Dallas, Nashville or Minneapolis, it isn’t too late to join the adventure and register to attend a future Explore event in Orange County, California or Portland, Oregon. Click here to Go To Explore.

The post Explore Minneapolis Day One: Nothing Mini About Today’s Explorers appeared first on Social Media Explorer.