1 00:00:07,070 --> 00:00:09,292 You are cordially invited to two wildly 2 00:00:09,292 --> 00:00:11,829 different parties. Both purport to be 3 00:00:11,829 --> 00:00:14,069 about the same thing and both sound 4 00:00:14,069 --> 00:00:16,920 relatively interesting. The first is 5 00:00:16,920 --> 00:00:19,520 hosted by Master Sergeant Soapbox and 6 00:00:19,520 --> 00:00:21,742 the second is hosted by Master Sergeant 7 00:00:21,742 --> 00:00:24,780 Moderator. You arrive at the home of 8 00:00:24,780 --> 00:00:27,819 Master Sergeant Soapbox on time and are 9 00:00:27,819 --> 00:00:30,059 escorted into a room where there is no 10 00:00:30,059 --> 00:00:32,459 furniture - just a platform and a 11 00:00:32,459 --> 00:00:35,169 megaphone. It's unclear where to put 12 00:00:35,169 --> 00:00:37,849 your coat, you can smell food but 13 00:00:37,849 --> 00:00:40,220 can't see it, no one offers you a 14 00:00:40,220 --> 00:00:42,680 drink. After several more people 15 00:00:42,680 --> 00:00:44,990 gather, your host, Master Sergeant 16 00:00:44,990 --> 00:00:47,470 Soapbox steps onto the platform and 17 00:00:47,470 --> 00:00:49,470 proceeds to blather on for about an 18 00:00:49,470 --> 00:00:51,790 hour, jumping wildly from subject to 19 00:00:51,790 --> 00:00:54,029 subject. At one point, it appears to 20 00:00:54,029 --> 00:00:57,040 be a sales pitch. After several hours 21 00:00:57,119 --> 00:00:58,952 your feet hurt, you're mentally 22 00:00:58,952 --> 00:01:02,439 exhausted and hangry. An hour or so 23 00:01:02,439 --> 00:01:04,480 later, your host sends you a text 24 00:01:04,480 --> 00:01:06,360 message with some links to local 25 00:01:06,360 --> 00:01:09,629 restaurants and a food blog. A few 26 00:01:09,629 --> 00:01:12,190 days later another invitation arrives 27 00:01:12,190 --> 00:01:14,300 from Master Sergeant Soapbox only 28 00:01:14,300 --> 00:01:16,522 this time it appears to be a sit down 29 00:01:16,522 --> 00:01:18,633 dinner with guest speakers you really 30 00:01:18,633 --> 00:01:21,269 like. But, Master Sergeant Soapbox has 31 00:01:21,269 --> 00:01:23,436 done nothing to earn your trust back 32 00:01:23,436 --> 00:01:25,940 so you quickly decline. Let's check 33 00:01:25,940 --> 00:01:28,220 out a different party, this time it's 34 00:01:28,220 --> 00:01:30,331 hosted by Master Sergeant Moderator. 35 00:01:31,050 --> 00:01:33,050 As you arrive, you are immediately 36 00:01:33,050 --> 00:01:35,220 struck by the sound of music and 37 00:01:35,220 --> 00:01:37,276 conversation spilling outside of the 38 00:01:37,276 --> 00:01:39,730 house. As you enter, you are 39 00:01:39,730 --> 00:01:42,010 immediately hailed by the host and 40 00:01:42,010 --> 00:01:44,449 introduced to other guests. As you 41 00:01:44,449 --> 00:01:46,489 walk around, you see several small 42 00:01:46,489 --> 00:01:49,199 food stations with bite-sized snacks. 43 00:01:49,519 --> 00:01:51,970 visually interesting , artfully styled . 44 00:01:52,309 --> 00:01:54,476 Thoughtful details keep you engaged in 45 00:01:54,476 --> 00:01:56,309 moving around the room joining 46 00:01:56,309 --> 00:01:58,250 multiple conversations . Master 47 00:01:58,250 --> 00:02:00,139 Sergeant Moderator is showing you 48 00:02:00,139 --> 00:02:02,250 around and assisting you with meeting 49 00:02:02,250 --> 00:02:04,510 new people. He's engaging several 50 00:02:04,510 --> 00:02:06,288 people at the party while still 51 00:02:06,288 --> 00:02:08,399 allowing people to express themselves 52 00:02:08,399 --> 00:02:10,566 and have fun. Before you realize it, 53 00:02:10,580 --> 00:02:12,750 it's been several hours, It's time to 54 00:02:12,750 --> 00:02:14,583 go home and your face hurts from 55 00:02:14,583 --> 00:02:17,979 smiling. Several days later, two 56 00:02:17,979 --> 00:02:20,309 additional invitations arrive, for a 57 00:02:20,309 --> 00:02:22,420 small more intimate gathering and a 58 00:02:22,420 --> 00:02:24,529 second invitation for a larger event 59 00:02:24,529 --> 00:02:26,751 with a guest speaker you've admired for 60 00:02:26,751 --> 00:02:29,169 some time. It seems your host was 61 00:02:29,169 --> 00:02:31,210 tuned into the conversations that 62 00:02:31,210 --> 00:02:33,099 sparked the most enthusiasm among 63 00:02:33,099 --> 00:02:35,970 guests and has curated the next parties 64 00:02:35,970 --> 00:02:38,750 accordingly. Not only are you an 65 00:02:38,750 --> 00:02:40,990 immediate yes, you sign up to bring a 66 00:02:40,990 --> 00:02:42,823 guest as you're certain you have 67 00:02:42,823 --> 00:02:45,157 friends who would appreciate the invite. 68 00:02:45,169 --> 00:02:47,336 If these were social media platforms 69 00:02:47,410 --> 00:02:49,466 it's clear which one would be wildly 70 00:02:49,466 --> 00:02:51,354 successful and which one would be 71 00:02:51,354 --> 00:02:54,309 struggling. Let's take a look at what 72 00:02:54,309 --> 00:02:56,589 Master Sergeant Moderator did right, in 73 00:02:56,589 --> 00:02:58,867 the context of a social media platform. 74 00:03:00,240 --> 00:03:02,429 Studies show that users favor cool 75 00:03:02,429 --> 00:03:04,880 experiences over great products, 76 00:03:05,039 --> 00:03:06,928 something our second host totally 77 00:03:06,928 --> 00:03:09,279 understood. Great music, warm 78 00:03:09,279 --> 00:03:11,919 atmosphere, facilitated conversations. 79 00:03:12,889 --> 00:03:14,778 Presentation should emphasize the 80 00:03:14,778 --> 00:03:16,500 brand's value and tap into the 81 00:03:16,500 --> 00:03:18,850 audience's desire for an enriched 82 00:03:18,850 --> 00:03:21,690 experience. Let's look at a real-time 83 00:03:21,690 --> 00:03:24,289 example. This image is stunning to 84 00:03:24,289 --> 00:03:26,809 look at, it's evocative and definitely 85 00:03:26,809 --> 00:03:29,089 meets the criteria of emphasizing the 86 00:03:29,089 --> 00:03:32,160 brand. But, can you tell at a glance 87 00:03:32,160 --> 00:03:34,382 that this photo was part of a contest? 88 00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:37,059 Are you clear on what is expected of 89 00:03:37,059 --> 00:03:39,380 you, the user, to participate in the 90 00:03:39,380 --> 00:03:42,330 contest? How much more likely would 91 00:03:42,330 --> 00:03:44,552 you be to interact with the post if the 92 00:03:44,552 --> 00:03:47,830 ask was just a bit clearer? No one 93 00:03:47,830 --> 00:03:49,997 wants to feel like a face in a crowd, 94 00:03:50,029 --> 00:03:52,220 or worse, like they don't belong. 95 00:03:52,550 --> 00:03:54,661 Users may leave a platform because of 96 00:03:54,661 --> 00:03:56,589 irrelevant or intrusive content. 97 00:03:58,800 --> 00:04:00,800 Master Sergeant Soapbox should have 98 00:04:00,800 --> 00:04:03,240 engaged his users more with interactive 99 00:04:03,240 --> 00:04:06,929 content. Would you stick around if the 100 00:04:06,929 --> 00:04:08,873 social media feed from your branch 101 00:04:08,873 --> 00:04:11,740 service looked like this? Users 102 00:04:11,740 --> 00:04:13,796 predominantly access content through 103 00:04:13,796 --> 00:04:16,059 their mobile devices so content needs 104 00:04:16,059 --> 00:04:19,190 to be bite-sized and impactful. Many 105 00:04:19,190 --> 00:04:21,510 Facebook users want more videos but 106 00:04:21,510 --> 00:04:23,549 want them to be short, sweet and 107 00:04:23,549 --> 00:04:26,869 easily consumable. User studies show 108 00:04:26,869 --> 00:04:29,660 that 15 second videos get shared more. 109 00:04:30,799 --> 00:04:33,109 This video, as adorable as it is, 110 00:04:33,440 --> 00:04:35,329 probably maxes out your attention 111 00:04:35,329 --> 00:04:39,220 before the 60 second mark. What else 112 00:04:39,220 --> 00:04:40,998 does our host, Master Sergeant 113 00:04:40,998 --> 00:04:43,959 Moderator get right? He understood his 114 00:04:43,959 --> 00:04:45,839 role. While the host may be 115 00:04:45,839 --> 00:04:47,519 responsible for keeping the 116 00:04:47,519 --> 00:04:49,741 conversation going, he doesn't have to 117 00:04:49,741 --> 00:04:51,690 dominate it. He can start a 118 00:04:51,690 --> 00:04:53,968 conversation, invite another guest in 119 00:04:54,200 --> 00:04:57,239 and then back out. Like 2nd Marine 120 00:04:57,239 --> 00:04:59,480 Division shows, your social media 121 00:04:59,480 --> 00:05:01,591 should keep the conversation moving 122 00:05:01,591 --> 00:05:04,529 but shouldn't dominate it. Replying to 123 00:05:04,700 --> 00:05:06,922 and liking your followers' comments can 124 00:05:06,922 --> 00:05:09,799 have a positive effect. By following 125 00:05:09,799 --> 00:05:11,688 these guidelines and ditching the 126 00:05:11,688 --> 00:05:14,000 soapbox, your social media platform 127 00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:15,679 will be the best party online.