Whether you want to sell products, gain followers, or influence your peers, your audience has to know who you are. Your ability to prove your worth, your company’s worth, and your industry’s worth comes from authority; and in today’s marketplace, that includes building a strong brand with strategic and savvy social media.
While many corporations have a solid social media presence, it’s important for employees to play a role, as well. This is certainly true for out of home (OOH) advertising professionals.
OOH is currently experiencing a renaissance compared to other local media, with 24 consecutive quarters of growth. America’s new mobile and social lifestyle, in which anything can be shared with millions in mere seconds, has propelled this growth. Both digital and printed OOH can drive consumers to reach for their phones to learn more about brands and share theirs and others’ experiences.
We — as an industry and as a communications medium – are:
Connecting to social media. Digital ads (social, online, mobile) soon will capture half the market share of all ad spend. We had better be conversant with social media.
Sharing. Social media is about transparency and reciprocity. We have plenty to share.
Educating. The busy outside world goes to social media to learn about our products, people, and positions.
Modernizing. From user-generated content to 3D assets to augmented reality, the innovation in OOH is keeping pace with online applications.
As technology evolves (in what seems like minutes, these days) and consumers are able to interact with OOH even more through-out their day, OOH professionals must be confident industry ambassadors. From the C-level suite to regional executives to vital sales people on the road, we must be experts in our field and understand how social media works, not only with OOH, but also in general. To do this, a strong social media presence is fundamental.
A good example of one who “walks the walk” is OAAA’s Nancy Fletcher. If you’re not already following her on LinkedIn and Twitter, you should be. She person-ally curates some of the best, most relevant information about OOH, including business trends, technology, regulation, client feedback, public service, and more.
OAAA members and media professionals from around the world follow her social media channels because it’s “one-stop-shopping” for daily OOH news and insights. She chooses wisely what to share, to prevent fatigue, ensuring her followers remain in the know about industry accomplishments and under-takings.
To do the same, know that the OOH medium already has what social media craves. Experts say social media content should entertain, inspire, convince, and/or educate. OOH does all of this:
- Share compelling details about new OOH campaigns, include a picture (or better yet a video), and add your opinion on why this campaign was effective, or maybe what roll you played in its execution.
- Pen a Thought Leadership article or blog post on a current industry trend and share it. Tell your audience why they should pay attention to what’s coming around the corner, and explain how they can get on board.
- Breaking OOH news? Share it ASAP. Get out in front to show followers you are an expert in a medium that earns its own media.
- Use proof points – share stats on a successful campaign (with pictures).
- Interact with users. Acknowledge their comments and start social media conversations.
Also be sure to follow OAAA’s social media accounts for great information and insights to share. Find us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Twitter.
OOH is in a position to prove it belongs in today’s world of immediate communication, and each of its players need to prove they are, as well. Let’s ensure we represent our business accurately and confidently.
Please contact with me questions or comments at [email protected] or (202) 833-5566.
Published: May 30, 2016