The Rise of Socialcasting

It’s time for organizations to embrace what the pandemic accelerated. If you lead a company, brand, or marketing organization and you aren’t looking at how social video can transform your communications, do it now.

Yesterday morning in a story about Dunkin’ Donuts paying their employees to post TikTok Videos, Jack Appleby wisely tweeted,

“ Your employees could be your most successful influencers if you let them.”

If you are a brand CEO, CMO or Chief Experience Officer and feel like you’re treading uncharted waters, here’s a tip: Start having your teams experiment with social video. TikTok was big 6 months ago, now it’s massive — and here comes Triller. In March, most of your customers thought Zoom was a two-finger spread on your phone. Today, engagement with video has never been higher. How many Ryan Reynolds ads have you shared? And since we’ve all “finished Netflix”, we’re looking for content and we aren’t picky about where we get it. Brand relationships can’t be based on keeping store doors open — it’s about video keeping eyes open.

There has never been a better time to embrace all types of social video. Early in the pandemic, the Travis Scott x Fortnite Astronomical concert was played almost 50 Million times over five concerts — in a video game. My family watched 3 of the 5. Lesser known but just as relevant, over half a million viewers tuned in for a fundraiser hosted by the Bon Appétit test kitchen and its roster of well-known personalities. The live video event raised almost $200,000 for World Central Kitchen. Was it perfect? No. Was it authentic? Yes.

We’ve all learned how to make sourdough, and everyone is learning to edit video. Moving beyond perfectly staged still photos on Instagram, we’re now applauding Nathan Apodoca of Ocean Spray fame. If there’s anything we’ve learned from our lovable long-boarder, it’s this: You can make magic with imperfect content and the right soundtrack. The vulnerability of the pandemic has us embracing authenticity and humanity, and we can share it best through video.

Pre-COVID, online broadcasting was a one-off. Now there is some type of online conference offered up daily to a digitally captive audience. They have become a legitimate method for communicating ideas, brands, and cultures. Think of John Krasinski’s Some Good News and how it grew with little more than his daughter’s hand-drawn logo and a webcam. Matt Kobach of Fast unleashed his personal account on Instagram Live by rocking what I call “socialcasts,” engaging guests and exploring insights twice a week. And while it’s not video, you should tune in every Friday at 1PM EST for Brianne Fleming’s weekly socialcast, #PopChat — a recap of the week’s pop culture trends, and the marketing lessons behind them.

The pandemic has created a shift in how we reach consumers. There’s more video in every aspect of our lives, including probably too much Zoom and Teams. With all of the uncertainty this Fall, one thing is certain: Social video is the best engagement.

It’s time for organizations to embrace what the pandemic accelerated. If you lead a company, brand, or marketing organization and you aren’t looking at how social video can transform your communications, do it now.

Designate a team of three to five people and turn them loose. You don’t have to look very hard, you know who they are. They’re the nonconformists, the pioneers, those with a confident social presence. The content doesn’t have to be flawless. People want real right now. They don’t need perfect. People want fascination, distraction, and they want to learn something new. They want to see life through a shaky camera dance or an everyday experience like going to vote. (And by the way, vote!)

We’re all wearing masks with only our eyes showing. Let that signal something. Social video engagement has never been higher. It is a powerful way to connect with new customers or reengage loyal ones, innovate your product line, or imagine how your customer experience can be stronger. Right now, social video is the best way to do it. The eyes don’t lie.