Let's Talk About "Quiet Quitting"
Whether you're a business leader navigating the ever-changing professional space or a Gen Z employee just starting their career, "Quiet Quitting" has been everywhere. What began as a trend on TikTok made its way to Twitter, YouTube, the web, TV, Print, and of course, your favorite newsletters (I see you, Morning Brew!)
During my commute this morning, I read an article on Business Insider about quiet quitting, and what started as a simple tweet, turned into a Twitter Thread. And that Twitter thread has now turned into a LinkedIn article.
I love this professional and cultural trend because it means something different to each individual and generation. Ask a Gen Z professional, and they say quiet quitting is a form of self-care that helps them prevent burnout, as it's been nearly 3 years since the ways of working were forever changed with the start of a global pandemic.
Ask a millennial, and many like me say that's it all about work-life balance. In that, we recognize that the positive benefit on my career by working 5+ extra hours a week is much smaller than the negative impact on my personal life and mental and physical health in doing so.
Talk to an older Gen X or Baby Boomer, and they'll say that quiet quitters are clueless, lazy, and won't succeed in high-performing companies. Just ask entrepreneur and TV personality Kevin O'Leary for his thoughts on quiet quitting.
While I recommend reading the Business Insider article in-depth, I wanted to share two meaningful quotes and my thoughts on the topic. Both are from Dr. Liz Gross, founder, and CEO of Campus Sonar, a higher education consultancy.
"I don't think quiet quitting would be a phrase or something that we're talking about if we didn't have a widespread problem with corporate cultures of overwork, underappreciation." - Dr. Gross
This, to me, is the most significant point around Quiet Quitting. Employees wouldn't look to reclaim their time if they didn't feel they needed to in the first place. You don't have to look for long on LinkedIn before you see a post about someone with either a negative or toxic work-life balance, regardless of industry or size. But will business leaders dig deeper into why #QuietQuitting is everywhere they look?
And another insight from this "outsider" perspective:
"There is a large portion of the workforce that went above and beyond, over the course of time, but particularly during the pandemic, and received absolutely no reward for that — and maybe actually lost something in the process," Gross said. "So if there is no incentive to exceed expectations, you should never expect people to go above and beyond."
Between the #GreatResignation and Quiet Quitting, I've personally seen organizations spend at least 2-3x in costs replacing employees instead of compensating them adequately. The emotional impact of a team member leaving and the impact of those who pick up the slack is hard to quantify.
Now Let Me Apply A Personal Lens To Quiet Quitting
Thinking about my personal experiences, I'll never forget the day I had 11 meetings scheduled while working as a middle manager at an advertising agency. I already knew it was a lot, but it was reaffirmed shortly after. My Dad, a senior HR executive for one of the largest companies at the time, had reached out as he always does and mentioned he only had two meetings.
I'm happy my Dad has a better work-life balance as a senior leader; he's earned it. But this anecdotal evidence from my personal life ties directly back to what Dr. Liz Gross said, entire industries and organizations have a culture of overwork.
I believe in putting in the work, learning skills, and building the mental fortitude for when the going gets tough. But the employer and employee relationship is a two-way street, and the organizations that recognize and lean into that fact retain the best employees and spend less time and money on rehiring and training.
And as leaders, we owe our teams at the very least, setting realistic expectations and communicating those clearly. It's then up to us as employees to decide if that's a good fit for us as professionals. I once worked on a nightlife brand, and due to a new project we sold in, would require someone from our social media team to be online late-night Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, engaging with our target audience.
That responsibility landed on my plate, and I directly asked my manager at the time, "Is the expectation for me to work a full day Thursday, and then either stay awake until the early morning or nap for two hours. And then do the same thing over again on Friday?" The response, as you can imagine was not straightforward and neither of us are there to this day.
How have your colleagues, your teams, and leaders responded to the trend of Quiet Quitting? Do you see similar things to what I mentioned above? Am I completely off?
Let me know!
How To Make Your Brand Show Up Authentically On Social Media
Whether you work at an agency or are on the brand side, there is always an ask to connect better with one's target audience. Easier said than done, right? The latest data from Social Media Week states that the attention span of consumers is roughly 2.5 seconds. How can we as digital marketers connect authentically with a consumer when you have the same time it takes for a human to take a breath?
Ensuring your brand's content fits authentically within the platform and providing an engaging experience for your target audience. This blog post will dive deeper into what that means and provide you with actionable steps.
Understanding The Platforms
There's a saying I believe in that goes, "Every season serves its purpose." Applying it to social media, it's "Every platform serves its purpose." Before you can create authentic and engaging content, you need to understand why consumers are on that platform in the first place.
When looking at the most popular social media platforms, there are a few key trends, including:
On Facebook, consumers use the app to stay connected to the people in their lives. When everyone and their mother have a Facebook, it's easier to feel close to those we care about.
On Instagram, consumers use the app to seek inspiration, be entertained, and get educated on various topics. Many users consider the platform a place for their "best of" moments. Think of moments like engagements or wedding photos, or a big vacation.
On TikTok, consumers want to be entertained. TikTok's algorithm works hard to keep you on the feed for as long as possible.
And on Twitter, consumers look to stay informed as the platform is often the home for breaking news compared to other platforms.
Whether creating organic or paid content, ensure that the creative matches users' motivations on each platform. If you create content that doesn't align with a specific platform, your brand will disrupt their user experience and, in turn, create a negative association with your brand.
Just ask David Kavanaugh, VP of Marketing Operations & Planning at Hootsuite, who stated, "The key to social ads is aligning them with the reason people are on the network in the first place. So your brand can enhance that experience instead of being a jarring disruption within it."
What Are Consumers Looking For in Their Content?
We discussed how brands could show up authentically on social media at the 30,000 ft. level. We now need to understand more of the tactical approaches brands can implement:
We understand that consumers are looking to be educated, entertained, or informed through their social content. Through social content, brands can fulfill that need through immersive and engaging creative.
From a tactical perspective, look for ways to leverage platform-specific assets or features. On Instagram, utilize Stories and their features, like Link Stickers or Polls. For Pinterest, use shoppable pins to make it easier for consumers to duplicate a recipe. On Twitter, leverage the Thread feature to tell a more cohesive story.
How Does That Translate to Paid Ads?
I'll speak about it from a thematic standpoint on the paid front. If you're looking for more tactical approaches, check out one of my blog posts.
Just because you're serving ads with a specific goal doesn't mean you can disregard the above notions. As an advertiser, brands are essentially paying to interrupt the feed of consumers' daily feeds. We as marketers need to help shape those ads so that when we do interrupt their feed, we're creating content that truly resonates with them.
When you try to cut corners, like leveraging a 15-second TV spot as an Instagram Story ad, consumers pick up on that quickly. They'll tap, swipe, skip or close their app. And as such, an advertiser's Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) goes down. Do the hard work upfront and earn the attention you're seeking on social.
Thanks for taking the time to read through my latest blog post! What were your biggest takeaways?
Learnings From Social Media Week (SMW) 2022
Do you feel that? Conferences are starting to return in full force, and that means digital marketers have an opportunity to learn from some of the most knowledgable and influential folks in the space.
Following Adweek's acquisition of Social Media Week (SMW), the conference has returned to New York for three days of insights, learnings, and inspiration. And as a former Social Media Week speaker, I am so glad to be able to share some of the learnings I picked up on.
"41% of Gen Z social media users want to see content that is relatable to their situation" - Maggie Lower, CMO of HootSuite.
"Brands can't keep approaching marketing as ‘advertising’ - product is [the] experience. Make content not, ads."
The average attention span of consumers these days is 2.5 seconds. That's how much time brands and advertisers have these days, according to Maggie Lower, CMO of HootSuite.
For content creators and influencers, 67% of content on social is made by this group. And yet only 12% of creators today earn more than $50k a year, according to Pearpop CMO Alex Morrison.
Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian stated, "I don't think you'll be able to do marketing in 10 years at the best level without engaging a hell of a lot of [creator] individuals."
“You have to earn the attention you seek on social; you can't just pay for it. Users can smell an ad a mile away, and if your ad disrupts their scroll, it could drive them away from your brand.” -David Kavanaugh, VP of Marketing Operations & Planning at Hootsuite
"It's all about cultural impact - creating meaningful connections with consumers, at scale." (Adweek Day 2)
While the markets overall have been down, don't expect brands to give up on Non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Well, at least Pepsi won't be. According to Tod Kaplan, CMO of PepsiCo, their first NFT drop generated $10M on secondary markets.
"Leverage data, insights, and culture to create incredible social campaigns." - Beverly Jackson., Twitter Global VP of Brand and Consumer Marketing
"Safe spaces are interesting, but brave spaces are transformative".” - Maggie Lower, Hootsuite CMO
When it comes to brands dealing with a crisis effectively, the same day model and influencer Remi Bader, criticized Revolve for not being size-inclusive; they contacted her to consult with them to create a collection that will be launching later this fall.
Finally, I have officially become a fan of Glossier's CMO Alexandra for her take on measurement regarding influencer marketing. Specifically, "Know your goals and set them upfront: Sometimes influencer campaigns are all about reach and impressions. Other times it's about launching a specific product and focusing on conversions."
Did you attend or follow along with online? If so, what were your favorite takeaways from the Social Media Week conference? Let me know in the comments below.
Cannabis and Social Media Trends You Need To Know
Happy Black History Month! Without further ado, I have the latest cannabis and social media trends for you. If you’re looking for more info, I’d recommend some of my more recent blog posts, which you can find here, or here.
Introducing Black Cannabis Farmers
To kick off Black History Month, I wanted to share a piece about Black Cannabis farmers. Specifically, Damian Fagon, founder and head farmer of Gullybean, a hemp farm.
Learn about Damian's story and how his entrepreneurial journey could lead to more Black and Brown people gaining access to a growing, multi-billion dollar industry.
"The people who've had access to growing cannabis own farms, and they own land, and they live in communities that have very traditional agricultural roots," said Damian. "And only 2% of farmers nationally are Black, and so the disparities that already existed in agriculture and land access are just being amplified in the cannabis space.
Want to learn more? Watch BIPOCANN Founder Ernest Toney and I talk about his company’s efforts to shape a more equitable and profitable cannabis industry for BIPOC business owners and professionals
Two Years After Illinois’ Cannabis Market Goes Recreational
As of January 1st, 2022, Illinois has completed two years of legal recreational cannabis sales. The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation is expected to pull upwards of $1.3 billion in revenue through legal cannabis sales for 2021.
The NACB shares their insights and predictions for legal cannabis in Illinois for 2022, including:
Grants that will support programs meant to reinvest in communities.
A plethora of new dispensary licenses in the state.
A rethinking of cannabis laws for licenses and drug testing policies in the state for the years to come.
Hybrid Shopping Trends In 2022
Finally, I wanted to share more from G2's 2022 Digital Trends series, specifically around hybrid shopping. We've seen this trend before when it comes to new ways for consumers to buy products, through things like subscriptions for products and services (like the new Taco Bell "taco pass"), curbside pickup, self-checkout, and buy online and pick up in-store (BOPIS).
No surprise, but consumers are comfortable purchasing via e-commerce and in-store retail. Brands don't need to be mutually exclusive though, with some of the most successful brands doing both well, with NRF data indicating 9 of the 10 top e-commerce websites being managed by companies with brick-and-mortar locations.
Until next time!
Influencer and Social Media News Worth Knowing
In the latest blog post, I have three articles to share covering influencer and social media trends worth sharing. You can find more interesting social media and influencer marketing news here and on my blog. There will be other cultural moments, even sharing some of my knowledge on LinkedIn.
Four Big Bets For the CMO in 2022
Tinuti has released a new 2022 marketing report touching on four trends that CMOs see coming this year. At a high level, the four big bets are:
Privacy - Say goodbye to last-click attribution and data management platforms (DMP). And say hello to first-party data, in a new world that's privacy first.
Convergence - It may not be QVC, but Gen Z is very familiar with purchasing directly while online, thanks to streaming, social media, and eCommerce.
Diversification - Multi-channel marketing continues to be an effective approach for brands to reach their target consumer with multiple touch-points.
Performance - Advertising is continuing to shift towards digital, and digital advertising is measurable. Therefore, all advertising will be performance-based. And thanks to same-day and even shorter delivery times, the shopping funnel is smaller than ever.
How To Make a Meaningful Community
We've talked about the importance of consumers having a digital community where they can interact with others that share similar values through the brands they purchase. These communities spread word-of-mouth marketing (WOMM) and help our brands get in front of our target audiences. Here are a few tips brands can implement to build a meaningful community:
Celebrate Your Brand Ambassadors - Whether it's through sharing their user-generated content (UGC) as Stories or sending swag for being a fan, brands can strengthen an existing bond with consumers through these gestures.
Invite Your Followers To Be A Part Of The Brand Building - We as humans love to share our thoughts and opinions on a wide variety of topics. By treating our patients and adult-use customers as a "board of advisors," we can use their insights as a sounding board for future content or brand.
Introduce Your Brand Ambassadors To Each Other - For those of us in the industry, the cannabis community is small, and our followers would likely enjoy meeting and discussing with other cannabis consumers. We've done this on some of our content on Sunnyside Dispensary’s social channels, but how do we as marketers spark conversations within the comments in 2022?
Influencer Campaign: Gym Shark's "Every Type of Athlete"
If the only athleisure brand you can think of is Lululemon, you might be unfamiliar with the UK brand Gymshark. Early this year, the brand launched its first-ever North-American campaign and sat down with Marketing Brew to discuss the campaign.
The company partnered with various athletes like UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou, Paralympic swimmer Haven Shepherd, and other fitness influencers to create sponsored content that would live on Gymshark and said influencers' social channels.
Some of the influencers like Ngannou and Shepherd are on retainer with Gymshark, consistently creating sponsored content for Gymshark. At the same time, the brand partnered with other influencers through one-time payments and apparel. Sound familiar?
Until next time, thanks again for reading!
Social Media News & Trends Worth Knowing in 2022
Happy New Year! If this is your first time visiting my blog, I provide consistent updates and recaps of the latest social media trends. You can find some of the recent blog posts here, here, and even a blog post about influencer marketing. Without further ado, let's get into our first weekly newsletter of 2022:
8 Emerging Visual Trends for 2022 [Infographic]
An infographic put together by Depositphotos asked digital marketers what visual trends they expected in 2022. Intending to provide some perspective on where consumers are looking on their favorite social media platforms and what's catching their eye in-feed. Some of my favorites include:
Psychadelic Art: Vivid, eye-catching visuals that will stop users scrolling in-feed. Culture is cyclical, and many expect visuals popular in the 70s (e.g., Kaleidoscopes, anyone?) to be popular once again.
Acts of Self-Love: Creative authenticity will continue to shine as brands look for ways to showcase art that feels simple or minimalist. And a good reminder for us all is that just because a social post looks easy to create doesn't always mean it's easy to replicate.
5 Common Social Media Myths
It's a blessing and a curse that social media is synonymous with so many people's lives. It allows us to reach millions of consumers across the globe, and means that millions of people have their idea of what makes successful social media content.
Sprout Social spent some time addressing social media myths; here are two of my favorites below:
Follower Count is a Vanity Metric: Let me preface by saying a brand's success should not be judged by the number of followers, as all brands are not made equal, and you can easily purchase fake followers or bots. Additionally, it doesn't account for the "90-9-1 rule". According to this rule, only 1% of social media users create content, 9% Share, Like, and Comment on said content, and 90% simply scroll. Sprout Social data shows that 90% of consumers will buy from brands they follow on social, while 86% will choose that brand over a competitor.
Marketers Have Gone All-in on Video: We've talked about video content before and how social media platforms want to prioritize video content to match consumer trends. We also know that video content is more time and resource-consuming when compared to static images. Sprout Social data sees that as well, with less than 15% of content published by brands across Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter is video content.
Study: Consumers Want Funny And Reassuring Emails From Brands
More consumer insights to share this week! In a study shared on EmailMarketing Daily, we can learn a little more about how consumers want to be communicated with when it comes to email. Some highlights from the study:
Gen Z has the lowest receptiveness to inbound email out of all generations, even though that generation is the most comfortable with digital shopping.
57% of all consumers want inbound marketing to amuse and entertain them, up from 4% last year.
Of the Gen Zers polled, 53% prefer getting email marketing at least once a week, versus 66.5% of millennials, 63% of Gen X, and 58% of boomers.
Until next time! Thanks for reading!
