Top Takeaways from Social Media Day Wichita
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Attending Social Media Day Wichita was an enriching experience filled with insightful presentations from industry leaders across the country. This year’s summer camp-themed conference covered a range of topics that are crucial for modern marketers to familiarize themselves with, and I was highly impressed by the caliber of speakers.

Here are my top takeaways from the event, focusing on AI and ChatGPT, Dark Social, and creating symbiosis in marketing strategies.

AI and ChatGPT: The Power of Prompting

One of the most enlightening sessions at Social Media Day Wichita was on AI and ChatGPT. The key message: effective use of AI boils down to prompts. It’s not just about what you ask, but how you ask it. Ensuring the proper tone and personality in your prompts can significantly impact the quality of the responses.

A surprising statistic shared was the low daily usage of ChatGPT worldwide: just 1% in Japan, 2% in France and the UK, and 7% in the USA. This underutilization suggests a vast potential for those willing to explore and leverage this technology. The truth is that early adopters of AI and ChatGPT tools are currently gaining skills that rarely were needed before, and because of this as the world evolves, their skills will be in high-demand in the workforce in the very near future.

Best Practices for Using AI in Marketing:

AI as a Tool: Remember that AI should complement your expertise and knowledge, not replace them.

Balanced Approach: Don’t rely solely on AI for your marketing and content creation efforts.

Experimentation: Try different prompts and approaches to see what works best for your specific needs and goals.

Creativity: Try new things. AI can be a valuable asset if used innovatively.

Dark Social: The Hidden Traffic Source

Another fascinating topic was Dark Social, a term coined by Alexis Madragal to describe the sharing of content that can’t be tracked by web analytics tools. Even Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram, is taking special notice of the behaviors of Dark Social, as he recently acknowledged that Instagram currently places the most value on “shares” compared to “likes” and “comments.” This emphasizes the importance of understanding and leveraging Dark Social in your strategy.

Key Insights on Dark Social:

Platforms: Discord, Messenger, Slack, WhatsApp, Telegram, and more. If it has a chat function, it’s considered to be Dark Social.

Tracking: Use UTM codes on everything. This helps attribute traffic sources more accurately, including how much traffic is from Dark Social shares.

Social Listening: Develop a social listening strategy to gain insights into what is being shared and discussed about your brand on these platforms.

Use this insight to join the conversations about your brand online, and build trust with your audience.

Creating Symbiosis in Your Marketing Strategy

My final key takeaway was the importance of creating symbiosis in your marketing strategy. Understanding how different elements of your marketing ecosystem interact and support each other is crucial for overall success. This involves integrating SEO, website opt-ins, marketing emails, offers, and more into a cohesive strategy.

Building a Symbiotic Marketing Ecosystem:

Identify Ingredients: Determine what components are part of your marketing ecosystem (e.g., SEO, content marketing, social media, email marketing).

Integration: Ensure these components work together harmoniously. Use SEO to drive traffic to your website, which then captures leads via opt-ins you can grow through email marketing.

Consistency: Maintain a consistent message and branding across all channels to create a unified experience for your audience.

Social Media Day Wichita was packed with valuable insights and practical strategies. Looking to implement these changes into your marketing strategy? Contact us today for help.