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title: "The Spark: Mic Drop Marketing"
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Facebook shares tips for optimizing videos, refresh your marketing tactics using new data on Gen Z’s social habits, and McDonald’s latest campaign shows brands how to use social listening to get in on viral action.

| View in browser September 8, 2022 Discover Video Viability You know your brand should post more videos across all social platforms. But in a new discoverability-oriented social media landscape, how can you ensure your content shows up and stands out for your target audience?    You could start with the inside scoop from Facebook. The social giant has shared the four factors it uses to guide video ranking, which offer great tips to optimize your video content on its platform. The logic is applicable to other platforms as well: Originality: Focus on unique ideas and videos that someone with your brand (or a production partner) wrote, shot, and edited themselves. (No curating allowed.) Retention: Once you hook a user into your video, keep them hanging on by using a classic narrative structure with a beginning and middle that makes them want to see it through to the conclusion. Consider pacing and length too, so they're not tempted to drop off before it's over. Loyalty and Intent: After a user engages with one of your videos, keep them coming back for more by regularly posting. Try a teaser in the form of a quick clip to get your audience excited for the next full video. Facebook also encourages creators to optimize videos for search by using clear titles, descriptions, and relevant tags. Engagement: Get users talking by posing interesting topics for discussion and debate in your videos. And we’re not talking about spammy ploys for responses. Instead, craft content with the goal of meaningful conversation. With these four principles as your guide, you can create videos that shine bright enough to build brand awareness and reach new audiences in a crowded field. (Bonus: You can totally use these tips beyond FB.)   TL;DR: Facebook has provided insights on how it ranks videos. Use it to boost your videos’ performance on the platform. Keeping Up With the Gen Zs Think you don’t need to reach Gen Z in your marketing? Think again. Even in the B2B space, this younger cohort will become increasingly important to reach as they start their careers. In fact, by 2025, Gen Z (ages 10-25) will make up 27% of the workforce. So, if you haven’t yet tailored your strategy to connect with them — now is the time.   In general, they’ve been harder to reach through traditional advertising and marketing than previous generations. They even claim they’re not on social media much … so where can you find them? First, a fact check: Almost half of Gen Z adults report they get the vast majority of their news in the form of entertainment via social media. While OG social like Facebook may be out with this generation, users in this demographic in five major markets still engage more on social media than any other age group. They’re more likely to use Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Twitch, BeReal, and Reddit. (Yes, in that order).    By keeping the social apps they prefer within arm’s reach, you can effectively trendspot and pivot your strategy to match what's current. Just remember: You have to be authentic and agile to build brand awareness with this bunch. (Read more about McDonald’s latest win with this strategy below.) TL;DR: Gen Z is harder to reach through traditional marketing techniques. While they say they don’t use social, new data suggests they’re actually super-active but very selective about their platforms. What Lit Us Up Why Is It Spicy? Ever hear that soda just tastes better (or at least different) from McDonald’s? After social media users compared Sprite from the fast food chain to TV static, McDonald’s got in on the viral joke with a clever new marketing campaign, “McDonald’s Static Sprite.”     The brand teamed up with influencer, rapper, and producer Tisakorean to make a catchy tune that plays on its reputation for serving up Sprite that some customers refer to as spicy or tasting the way static TV sounds. The influencer first dropped the single, “Static,” on Instagram and TikTok on Aug 31. Using the hashtag #McDonaldsStaticSprite, he’s continued to promote it with additional short video clips showing him in the process of creating the song as well as dancing to it.   Mickey D’s also made room for some fun user-generated content by encouraging customers to share their take on the unique taste of Sprite at its restaurants using the hashtag or dancing to the beat.    By staying on top of relevant online conversations with careful social media listening, the fast food giant was able to react quickly and tap into an organic trend just in time. Remaining agile allows your brand to never skip a beat and turn online chatter into opportunities to connect with your audience in timely, fresh, and clever ways.    TL;DR: Mickey D’s latest campaign, “McDonald’s Static Sprite,” is a perfect example of how valuable social media listening can be when creating relevance for your brand.  ICYMI LinkedIn's Working on a Native Post Scheduling Option via Social Media Today Twitter to Test Long-awaited Edit Button via The Wall Street Journal TikTok Shares New Guidance for Brands in Video Series via Social Media Today (Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here.)       Copyright © 2022 Tier One Partners is a full-service PR, digital, and content marketing agency that helps companies thrive in ever-changing business climates. Our integrated marketing campaigns turn B2B and B2C innovators in technology, digital healthcare, financial services, manufacturing, and marketing services into category leaders by steadily aligning their mission to the most pressing challenges and opportunities of our time. For more information visit: tieronepr.com 129 South St., Boston, MA 02111 \| 209 W Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL 60606 Unsubscribe Manage preferences |
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