• by Amber Burns , Eva Wasko , 4 hours ago

Today, consumers head to TikTok before Google, and word-of-mouth often starts with content creators. Yet most social media campaigns are cut downs and crops of existing creative campaigns.

That’s a critical missed opportunity. Social offers a platform for different, and especially meaningful, content ideas and applications -- if you’re willing to start from it.

Put social teams in upfront strategy sessions. Social teams have valuable insight into what moves your consumers to move their friends. Using them as social “extensions” once copywriters and designers have developed the big idea wastes this resource (and deprives the brand of priority intel). When you put social pros at the creative table from the start, you get core ideas that can inspire a community.

Get chronically online. Younger hires often worry they’ll be judged if they appear to be on their phones too much. Flip that script. You want everyone working on content to stay on top of the dialogue and trends happening across platforms, so they can master the nuances of each. That’s what makes the work relevant. Someone who doesn’t speak French cannot prepare anyone for a trip to Paris.

Let creators create. Good creators are brand architects, not just media channels. They understand how to build a brand, they understand their audience, and they’re masters at connecting the two.

Grouping influencer marketing and creator relations into paid media fails to recognize or unleash the organic power creators provide. If you put them at the forefront of creative, they will produce ideas and meaningful content their communities will propel. Give them the autonomy to recommend real-time adjustments, and they’ll keep the brand on board with tastes and trends as they take off.

Recognize social’s big idea power. As an industry, we’re stuck in the rut of envisioning ideas in 30-second spots and heavily designed OOH campaigns. Social yields deeper clues into how communities see and express themselves; building from them produces breakthrough content. For example, Workday’s campaign for LinkedIn leans into the overuse of the phrase “rockstar” on the platform by partnering with an actual rockstar, Billy Idol, to disrupt feeds while simultaneously promoting its services. The campaign was specific to conversations taking place on LinkedIn and how the platform is uniquely used. It wins because Workday understands the culture of that space and lets natives develop an authentic language.

Social builds on connections that spread. That starts with letting insiders take the lead.