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The Minnesota Association of Government Communicators 2022 fall conference was sold out to 200 attendees at the Heritage Center of Brooklyn Center. MAGC is a peer organization of professionals dedicated to improving public sector communications.
Arik Hanson, of Arik Hanson Social Media, took us on a journey of what trends will make or break our communications strategies. Here’s some of the highlights.
Fleeing Facebook
Companies are finally migrating away from Facebook. The social media platform has been fraught with controversy, which has damaged its appeal. Younger audiences have largely left Facebook.
Tip: Audit your use of Facebook. Are you getting the returns you want?
Metaverse - Not the Hype
The Metaverse is a hypothetical iteration of a fully immersive, virtual, web experience using virtual reality. Although it sounds exciting, it isn’t the immediate next thing. There are other trends to pay more attention to.
Tip: Focus your efforts on more upcoming trends.
Audio Sounds Good
Digital audio and podcasts are still climbing in popularity. Hardcore podcast fans listen to 8 podcasts per week. 40% of weekly podcast listeners listen to 1-3 podcasts per week. The audio market still isn’t saturated.
Tip: Consider hosting fireside chats with community leaders to boost a different kind of engagement.
No More Links!
Adding links to your social media posts is a terrible way to gain reach. The algorithm stamps it down. The social media platforms are telling us not to do this anymore, let's listen.
Tip: Keep content native to the social media platform instead of using it to drive traffic to your website.
TikTok Time
TikTok is here to stay. Users are using the application like a search engine. For example, people looking for a place to dine will search in TikTok before Google.
Tip: Consider starting a channel. I’d love to see all the government officials and PEG leaders doing Tik Tok dances!
Private Social
Private online communities, like Discord, or even Slack, have been a hotbed for engagement. It's a great way to get feedback from the community, or have the community have a direct line to your city or organization.
Tip: Start an exclusive community to garner feedback.
Twitter is for Brand
Use Twitter to increase your brand awareness. Photos of your cities, parks, media centers will get more attention than a link to your city website.
Tip: Check out popular brands like John Deer or JetBlue to see who is doing it well.
Corporate Blogging on the Rise
Blog content got a huge push at the beginning of the Pandemic. It is still growing. Viewers are looking to blogs for daily information.
Tip: Review your current blog posts and identify what is generating the most views. Double down on that content.
The Minnesota Association of Government Communicators brought tremendous value to the professionals in Minnesota. What social media trends are you going to be leaning into in the future?
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