I had the opportunity to attend Social Media Examiner’s annual Social Media Marketing World in San Diego, California. I learned so many great strategies and tools from the industry’s top minds and met social media marketers from all over the globe.
One of the biggest key takeaways from the three-day conference was the importance of leveraging AI tools in social media marketing. Over 100 AI tools were showcased during the sessions—offering attendees a glimpse into the future of marketing automation and data-driven decision-making. While it may seem overwhelming to choose from a wide variety of tools, experts suggested selecting a few key ones and mastering their capabilities now. Keynote speaker Paul Roetzer with the Marketing Artificial Intelligence Institute emphasized this by saying, “80% of what knowledge workers do every day will be AI-assisted to some degree in the next one to two years.”
It is evident that AI technologies are reshaping the way we approach social media marketing. By embracing these innovations and staying ahead of trends now, marketers can begin learning how to optimize their workflows with AI tools. Roetzer said it best, “Don’t wait for the industry to get smarter around you. The future is human + machine. And the future is now.”
In the content strategy portion of the conference, my biggest takeaway was the importance of building trust with followers. Wall Street best-selling author Ann Handley gave an incredible keynote session about standing out in a world where everyone sounds the same. We’ve all heard the repetitive buzzwords “humanize and authenticity” but have you heard “ROR” a.k.a. Return on Real? Ann’s keynote speech emphasized that truth builds trust and encouraged the audience to double down on brand voice.
Adding a human element to your brand on social media will have a lasting effect on your followers. If you don’t believe me, check out NE Ohio Regional Sewer District on X. Ann made it clear that we need to build relationships and not audiences—because, after all, the point of social media is to be social.
Interestingly, my biggest takeaways are worlds apart—AI and humanizing your brand on social media. But in a way, they do go hand in hand. This proves that smart marketers will not use AI tools to write our content for us—but instead, use AI tools to optimize our workflows to save time with mundane tasks. AI tools can deliver value in many ways such as ideating, outlining, planning, summarizing, and transcribing. Outside of those capabilities, people will need to strategize and find ways to connect with their followers on a human level—something AI will never be able to do (hopefully).
Are you ready to up your social media game? We’ll implement insights learned at Social Media Marketing World for your brand.
