The Gong Blog

Topic: Social Marketing

Master the algorithm and optimize your social media marketing strategy

In the age of social media dominance, businesses must answer one critical question: Why is your audience on social media in the first place? The answer to this question is what guides their digital journey. Whether the goal is community engagement, driving website traffic, boosting brand awareness, showcasing subject matter expertise or increasing sales, your approach to social media should match your marketing objectives. It’s not just about being on social media; it’s about making it work for you. Organic vs. paid social media: When…

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Tips For Planning Your First Social Media Ad Campaign

If you’re new to social media ads, getting started can feel daunting, with way more questions than answers. Which platforms should I invest in? How much should I be spending? How can I learn how to navigate ever-changing ad platforms? There is a ton of decisions to be made.   Here are a few things you should consider before getting started. Setting Expectations When launching social media ads for the first time, you will be reaching out to a cold audience. It’s important to set…

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Grow your content strategy with short-form video

To no surprise, short-form video content has taken the world by storm. In short order, it has been redefining the way brands build awareness and increase user engagement.   Today, PR and marketing professionals are growing more committed to expanding their short-form video strategies, and can you blame them? The facts are undeniable:  The evidence is all there. Short-form video content is worth investing in. Here’s how: Keep it short and sweet  Short-form videos work because they cut to the chase. They capture viewers’ attention with…

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Six brands that are doing it right on Instagram

Content creation is important, but we understand that for some, it can be daunting. Take inspiration from a few of our favorite brands to take your Instagram feed to the next level. After all, everything can be a learning moment with the ever-changing nature of social media platforms. Brand Essence: @Glossier – 2.7 M Followers As soon as you visit Glossier’s Instagram page, you are transported to a calm, cozy and soft utopia. This social media experience is exactly what you experience on its website…

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Decoding social media: Five metrics to measure success

If one of your 2023 resolutions is to decipher and comprehend your quarterly social media report, consider this blog your cheat code. Understanding social media metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) will help determine if you’re meeting your goals and objectives, discern how impactful your campaign is and help create a roadmap for future marketing efforts. While your social media goals will determine which metrics you use to measure your success, it’s beneficial to recognize and define all the data points to understand the whole…

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Two laptops open on a table with evening light

Pros and cons of boosting organic content vs. launching dark ads on social media 

Over the last several years, I’ve found myself in front of rooms of social media marketers and PR professionals vocalizing my disdain for the term “boosting” because it is often a signal to me that people are leveraging the Boost button instead of applying concrete strategy. When it comes to social media advertising, boosting can be a loose cannon – if used strategically, boosting could work wonders, but if you are boosting ad hoc, you might as well be throwing dollars out the window.  A quick…

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Stressed out social media manager with her hands on her hand

Check on your social media strategists, because it’s a whirlwind out there

What is equal parts vigorously exciting and incredibly annoying is the pace at which social media evolves. All it takes is one algorithm change or one business acquisition to throw off your entire strategy. Lucky for us (insert sarcastic face here), we’ve been hit with both in recent weeks. Because of the rapidly changing social media landscape, by the time we hit “publish” on this post, there is a good chance new information will be released, and this will be outdated. But just the same,…

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Screengrab of an Instagram post from The Hodges Partnership featuring five woman in masks from an in-person tour of the agency.

The difference between social media and social media marketing

On the surface, the difference between social media and social media marketing can be simplified with the qualifier of, “Is there paid dollars to support this?” You’re not wrong, but that synthesis is just scratching the surface. I recently attended a webinar with our social management platform partner Falcon.io that brought in the Toyota UK social media content team to talk about its strategy for social. Granted, they have the luxury of having a global brand with a massive number of potential customers, but I…

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Abstract data representation with lights over a cityscape

Data changes that affect digital marketers

Chances are, digital marketers reading any industry news in the last couple of months, are aware that data privacy is getting tighter – here in Virginia and around the world. On the heels of a recent AMA Richmond conversation, we wanted to share a couple of data privacy and marketing-related items that have us shaking in our cleats. Virginia adds data privacy law Surely GDPR is something you’ve heard about, and you’re probably popping aspirin daily for the headache it causes if your organization has…

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hand holding iphone with all the social icons on the screen

The future of social content and paid media in the wake of Trump

As someone whose public relations business has survived and thrived in recent years by using social media platforms and their advertising capabilities, I’m more than an interested bystander on their futures in the aftermath of the Trump era. The platforms allow us to promote our clients’ content to their target audiences and drive awareness of and engagement with their thought leadership efforts. But as we’ve seen, those same advertising tools and algorithms are used to amplify political rhetoric and hate, which ultimately drove violent mobs…

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Aidan and Casey presenting a social media advertising presentation

Take your social media advertising strategy to the next level

Over the last couple of years, Aidan and I have given a presentation on social media advertising – the ins, the outs– it’s truly a 101 primer on the subject. The meat of our presentation is the same, but our color and delivery changes based on what’s currently happening in the social world. Looking into our crystal ball, social media advertising isn’t going away any time soon, but a lot is going to change in the coming months – from Apple’s iOS 14 update to…

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