A few weeks ago I commented on how TikTok has enjoyed tremendous success in 2020, even throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. However, it seems that ship has sailed…

Underscoring the Trump administration’s executive order that bans TikTok (and WeChat) from the United States is Instagram’s new short-form video app called Reels.

The sheer popularity of TikTok hangs in the balance.

Reels debuted on August 5 and can be found in a the Stories and Explore sections of a user’s profile. Reels are “15-second multi-clip videos with audio, effects, and new creative tools,” per Instagram’s explanation.

Since TikTok users are most likely already on Instagram, the sheer popularity of TikTok hangs in the balance.

I predict TikTok users will remain loyal to the app until it becomes inaccessible by way of the implementation of a nationwide ban. Yet, in the meantime, I’m certain the general public will familiarize itself with Reels and gravitate more towards Instagram for daily shorts and trending video content.

Regardless of how all of this plays out, the main takeaway is that video (via TikTok, Reels, Facebook, Snapchat… you name it) is the preferred delivery method of informational and entertainment content.

That said, it is crucial you have a video or multimedia strategy within your marketing program in order to enhance brand awareness and maintain general relevance.

So… what is your multimedia strategy? Call us if you need one, or if your current efforts need a boost.

In a world where you can share an image or message with an entire social media network with a single-click, it’s easy to get involved in a trending challenge (or conversation) without knowing the origins of it or the intentions behind those who started it.

Of course, I’m referring to the recent #ChallengeAccepted challenge on Instagram, where users post black-and-white photos of themselves with the hashtag #WomenSupportingWomen.

There should never be a problem with #WomenSupportingWomen.

There have been several theories about the origins of this new social media campaign, including a 2016 rendition of it for cancer awareness, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s speech on the House floor on July 23, Turkish protests to femicide and domestic violence, or an uplifting movement showing general support for women empowerment given the pandemic and ongoing racial injustices.

That said, with 8.5 million posts now shared into the #ChallengeAccepted conversation, it’s easy for the well-intended purpose behind this campaign to get blurred.

So, as a corporate brand or individual influencer, it is crucial that you are aware of why a social media challenge started in the first place before getting involved and tagging others. Once you decide to post into a trending conversation, you must also explain alongside your image why you are passionate about that cause. And, if you’re actively involved in two movements or campaigns, see if you can somehow tie them together.

#ChallengeAccepted has been receiving some criticism of late, but if you ask me, there should never be a problem with #WomenSupportingWomen.

As a self-proclaimed feminist, I believe women should support women every single day.

For additional tips on how to effectively and responsibly get involved in trending social media campaigns, contact us.

Pre-Covid, I would have never considered hopping on TikTok. But here we are, months into the pandemic and I’m now a TikTok’er.

In doing my research for this post, I read how it takes older generations (who knew millennials are considered an older generation!) longer to embrace new social media platforms. However, Newsweek reported that due to the coronavirus pandemic and corresponding quarantines and self-isolation, the video app “saw a 27 percent increase in the first 23 days of March compared to February with 6.2 million downloads.”

If you’re not on TikTok or at the very least creating video or live streaming on social media, get there fast.

So, while Gen Z runs TikTok and the rest of us scramble to figure it out, what marketing lessons can we learn from the app?

TikTok provides content in the exact way the general public’s content preferences have been moving – in short, digestible videos.

TikTok also provides a much needed distraction from the non-stop Covid-19 news updates.

TikTok videos are very “shareable” and can be used to increase your followers on other platforms (Instagram, Twitter, etc.).

Lastly, TikTok videos go viral easily due to its unique delivery algorithm that involves a “completion ratio,” making it easier to get higher engagement with less effort.

The point? If you’re not on TikTok or at the very least creating video or live streaming on social media, get there fast to maintain your relevance and reputation. And as I’ve said before, sprinkle in some light-hearted content to keep your audience interested.

I was brainstorming my next blog post topic and realized, I have a case study sitting right in front of me.

Some of you may know that my husband, Mike Ferrari, graduated from Vermont Law School in May 2019, passed the Ohio State Bar Examination in October 2019, and was subsequently sworn in as an attorney. Afterwards, he became a networking superstar (sure, I’m a little biased) and coordinated about 50 meetings with new connections in order to understand the legal landscape in Cleveland and learn more about potential career opportunities here. He made it a daily practice to follow up via emails and calls, and schedule as many in-person coffees as possible.

Experiencing this wave with him made me think about all of the law school graduates in limbo.

The result back then? Professional connections started sharing several job openings and making recommendations to support his applications. He also continued meeting with potential future colleagues.

This was late February, when all of Mike’s hard work was coming to fruition. Then, the novel coronavirus pandemic struck… 

Now, it’s not all doom and gloom as he has some contractual work. However, Mike was met with the challenge of keeping his applications moving while the world came to a standstill.

Knowing that nobody is hiring, Mike decided (as we’ve been touting) to proceed with the most humane approach. He reached out to his entire network with well wishes that they remain healthy throughout the pandemic. Props!

Experiencing this wave with him made me think about all of the law school graduates in limbo. With uncertainty looming over bar examinations and law firms changing or altogether cancelling summer associate programs, how do these up and coming lawyers stay motivated and continue making strides in their target professional circles?

LinkedIn is key. Though we (as marketers) know this, it is surprising how many law school students and graduates are not on the platform. While our nation is still in shutdown mode, I recommend limboers:

• Build out their LinkedIn profiles;
• Ask close colleagues (perhaps from previous internships) to create and post recommendations;
• Start sharing updates on their own legal insight;
• Begin interacting with the content target state regulatory agencies and law firms share; and
• Direct message other potential connections to discuss the content or news items they are sharing.

By following these suggestions, limboers’ profiles will get noticed and they will make new connections with legal professionals that will hopefully become mentors or advocates for them in the future.

If you’re looking for assistance in boosting your LinkedIn activity as the Covid-19 crisis continues, contact us.

You may be sensing a theme here… In my last five blog posts, all relate to the coronavirus. In light of this pandemic, be sure to add a new “covid-19” prefix to all of your content offerings.

I have now been in quarantine due to the coronavirus outbreak for four full weeks (here in Cleveland, Ohio) and as I work from home and navigate our virtual world, I am quite impressed at how Americans have embraced this complete #teleprofessional life in a matter of one month.

I mentioned before that law firm partners should be active on social media, especially throughout this pandemic, so now is as good a time as any to revisit best practices to up your legal pros social media game.

If you’re struggling with utilizing social media, promoting your content, or getting your voice heard during the covid-19 crisis, contact us.

We have all witnessed countless events across the nation get cancelled or postponed. And while we are getting a bit fed-up with the onslaught of webinars, I thought it may be helpful to provide an alternative example of how partners can keep their talks in queue and successfully promote them across social.

With a little experimentation, your attorneys can showcase their expertise to their target audiences and repurpose their content the same way they would before, during, and after an in-person conference.

Let’s say you have a cybersecurity attorney, “Jane Doe” for all intents and purposes, who was slated to speak at a National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) conference in mid-May. Jane received a notification this week, informing her that the event is officially cancelled. She already prepared her presentation, which includes a PowerPoint deck, infographic, and handout. Rather than just let all of those materials go to waste, I recommend she give her talk as planned.

Jane is somewhat comfortable with social media and is a seasoned speaker, so she is on-board with speaking by way of Facebook Live. Rather than use her own personal account, she receives permission from NCSA to go live from their page which has almost 240,000 followers.

Leading up to the mid-May “live” presentation, Jane makes sure her Twitter and LinkedIn profiles are up-to-date and uploads a new picture to reflect her pandemic work environment and to bring a little more personality to her online presence. After all, it’s through these channels that she will ultimately promote her talk before the presentation date, post “live” updates and soundbites during the presentation, and share summaries of the content after the presentation is given.

(NCSA is also planning on promoting Jane’s talk prior to the event date across its Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram accounts.)

When sharing any presentation-related content, Jane tags NCSA and her law firm and includes the hashtags #NCSA, #cybersecurity, #staysafeonline, #coronavirus, #covid19, and #pandemic.

In advance of the presentation, Jane sends out an email alert to clients and target media with instructions on how to attend.

It’s now the day-of the presentation. In case of a lack of questions or technical difficulties, Jane prepares some potential questions for the Q&A portion and hands them off to one of her connections in attendance. Plus, she has a firm staffer join in to take notes.

When the presentation is all said and done, she returns to social media to re-share the top posts. And while the content is top-of-mind, she turns the staffer’s notes and her key takeaways into a brief summary to repurpose later.

Now, Jane is armed with this summary and her original presentation materials (all diversified content) to share with her network over the course of the next few months. 

Jane will continue tracking the conversations that come from this “live” event, which will hopefully prove to impact her bottom line. (Yes, even during the coronavirus pandemic!)

If you’re struggling with utilizing social media, promoting your content, or getting your voice heard during the covid-19 crisis, contact us.

By now, we’ve either seen bare grocery store shelves in-person, during the initial coronavirus panic, or trending online. But what shocked most Americans wasn’t the mad dash, it was the products that were flying off the shelves. Toilet paper, face masks, hand sanitizer, wipes, bottled water, and bread to name a few.

Yet, there are some items that stores just can’t seem to get rid of. Corona, anyone?

The point is that, even in a time of crisis, there are still products that consumers do not want – and those are the things that you should not worry about marketing.

So, as marketers, what can we learn from the empty shelves?

Impacting brands even more? The global move to a virtual economy. As state governments issued shutdowns and lockdowns (to demand social distancing, prevent the rapid spread of Covid-19, flatten the curve, and keep the number of cases at a manageable level for our healthcare providers), citizens turned digital for work, supplies, and socializing.

We are now dealing with the realities of a recession due to the coronavirus and our quarantines.

The rapid onset and severity of this year’s recession will create clear changes in consumers’ psyche. With unemployment at all-time highs and spending at all-time lows, marketers and business strategists will need to consider how this recession will alter the consumer landscape in 2020 and beyond. A few marketers have already begun carving out bigger slices for their brands. (For example, automakers and distillers turning to PPE and hand sanitizer production, respectively.)

So, as marketers, what can we learn from the empty shelves?

You should be marketing the products that are moving in this pandemic.

For our legal professionals, a review of a few hot topics should help you determine the services to market. Some of the big hitters are manufacturing, risk management and business continuity, telehealth, elder care, critical infrastructure like transportation and energy, unemployment, education, and government relations.

Covid-19 has affected every single market and has created an adapt-or-fail environment for businesses. So, this requires that firms evaluate what they sell, figure out what clients are buying, and redirect marketing resources there.

After determining what your firm’s essential services are during the Covid-19 crisis, then consider how to effectively market them in our newfound #teleprofessional world.

Are there some virtual channels that you may not have embraced before? A firm-wide live-streaming happy hour, webinars as an alternative to in-person speaking opportunities, client meetings through FaceTime, conference calls on Zoom or Skype, blogs, and podcasts.

In the same spirit as my other post, on how the legal community first responded to the coronavirus outbreak, check out how Morrison Foerster embraced digital early on with its handful of webinars.

I would also be remiss not to mention how now is the time to ensure the lawyers providing these services have sufficient online profiles. If they are not on social media, get them there fast. And make certain their personalities are present. Since face-to-face networking is limited, it’s these online bios that will sell.

If you need assistance with figuring out what products can fly off your shelves or getting your firm up to speed on virtual marketing tactics, contact us.