10 things I learned at Adweek's Social Media Week

man oh man! hello!!! been a while. feels good to be back in your inbox.

since we last spoke, I:

• turned 29 (what are fun things i should do before i’m 30?)

• attended Adweek’s social media week with some friends (and made new ones!)

• ate my bodyweight in cake and other various baked goods (the new lemon cookie from levain is to die for)

• ran the fastest I have in a minute and now feel the sudden urge to run a race (it was definitely the super powers that came from my amazing playlist making)

with that said, here’s the first newsletter i’m sending in the final year of my 20s. can you tell that i hate getting older yet?

this week, we’re chatting about my learnings while sitting at social media week this year. it was my first one ever (shoutout to Bari for letting me be her +1) and i walked away feeling not only validated, but that there are still so many things that we need to remember, no matter how long we have been working in a field.

BUT BEFORE WE GET INTO IT…

There’s no sponsor for today’s newsletter, but I just need you all to take a second and do me a favor. I am not one to say “just have a mini dance party and you’ll feel better”, but please turn on this song and anything by Chappell Roan and you’ll feel better.

NOW, WHAT DID I LEARN LAST WEEK????

Like i mentioned, some of these aren’t all learnings, but simple reminder: whether you’re new to social, a founder who is doing it on their own, or someone who has been in this for a very very long time, i feel like the below will be helpful to you. if it helps at least one person then it’s a win in my book.

1. Do not be afraid to flop!!! This was a great reminder from Sami over at Adweek. Like I said outloud when she said this, we must stay in our flop era. Teams need to trust their social leaders and that means even of moments when something doesn't work or resonate with the consumer. All parts of a company have flop moments so why do we only stress when something flops on social? Often times, the best performers don’t get admiration or excitement from teams and go under the radar. If we are going to only focus on the “bad”, can we, at least, focus on the “good” equally??
   

2. The best content moments will almost always happen when you're short on time. Having higher production doesn't equate to higher engagement. At the end of day, phone or $5,000 camera, it’s about the content. Plus, the most reactive pieces of content have to happen on a dime or moment’s notice and usually end up being a banger or a lesson. You don’t always have to be perfect. No one is judging you for using an iphone. Tiktokers are out here posting 16 times a day and crushing it and you still haven’t made one because you want it to be perfect. Just create!

   I bet you didn’t know that according to Adweek “40% more views on average are attributed to lo-fi brand content than hi-fi brand visuals”!!! AHHH #DATA
   

3. Teams are needed when it comes to social. This one is always a bit hard for me to say because I have been the one person team numerous times, but with time, they do evolve. So, please keep in mind that I do understand resourcing and budgets can be tight and forming a social team may not be the best immediate option, but with that said, stop placing so much pressure on one person. Those who work in social may have a wide variety of skillsets, BUT it doesn't mean that they should be doing all of those things and then some. They are your social lead, not your graphic designer, PR, content creator, influencer manager, etc.

4. Social media leaders will and can be the next CMOs. Periodt.
   

5. Organic social should not be your last item on your to-do list of things to get up and running. Do all companies need it? No. Should the brands that fit the ideal blueprint of a socially-native company be on it? Yes. Organic social allows you to gain awareness, convert (sometimes), and more, but also it's one of the best community building steps you can take to receive immediate feedback from your audience.
   

6. In the wise words of my friend Bari from Sweetgreen, “If you use organic social as a way to only try and get sales then you're using it incorrectly.” Stop putting revenue targets on your organic team. They are not a sales team.
   

7. I say it all the time, but organic social and paid media should work TOGETHER. It's not a competition. I wrote a whole newsletter about it.
   

8. Some of a brand’s best moments happen as a result of very good community management. So, invest in a community manager when you can. A social manager and a community manager also aren’t technically the same role. A community manager listens to your community (via comments, email, reviews), shows up for your community (engages online, etc) , and finds way to explore new communities (seeding, events, engaging).

   I posted an example as to why right here yesterday in regards to Better Brand’s and their gluten-free brands that look nothing like the actual product. Remember: good marketing and packaging cannot save you because the people will speak.

   
   

9. Twitter still remains an underutilized platform for most brands. Yes, running a brand’s twitter can definitely be interesting, but the amount of folks who may be talking about how much they love you’re product or trying to tag you?!?! You’d be surprised.
   

10. Don’t forget to give your social team a raise :)
    

BRAND OF THE WEEK: STELLAR SNACKS

Brand of the week is when I pick a brand I love and can’t stop consuming or using and share it with you so we can bond over it together.

If you fly Jetblue, you have definitely and/or most likely consumed Stellar Snacks without even realizing. Stellar Snacks are literally my favorite pretzels in the entire WORLD and I finally got to put a face to the brand after meeting Gina at Expo West back in March.

Gina and her mom stared Stellar together and truly take pride in every step of their process. They even commission amazing artists for their bags to make each one something special.

Great brands are run by great people and Gina and her mom are truly changing my life with their flavors. I literally can’t pick a favorite, but in no particular order, the Maui Monk and Bold & Herby are my go-to and the Sweet and Spaky are there are when I want a bit of heat in my life.

LOGGING OFF!

That’s it until next week. I am co-hosting my first dinner tonight in NYC with some awesome people from some cool brands and my friends at Archive. As always, i’ll let you know when there are more events! You can almost always find me at AARMY at 12:30PM on Sundays though. I’ll be there this weekend. Thank you to Claire (a fellow reader) and those of you that joined me at my birthday workout 🙂 

If you have anyone you know that would enjoy this newsletter, please share this link with them so they can join the party: https://kendalldickieson.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Also, if you ever want to re-read any of the past newsletters, you can simply click here.

I won’t lie that now I am understanding how hard it is to have a newsletter SO if you have anything you want to see and learn more about, please hit “reply” and let me know!!

Peace, love and KPIs,

KD