Vancouver is a social media hub – the home of many legit Instagram celebs and Snapchat addicts. Likewise, YVR is also where various industries use strategic and creative social media content on the daily. And while Vancouverites may have a reputation by some for being a little hard to approach, some of us actually do like to share. And that’s why #YVRSocial was created – as way for industry leaders to share their social media best practices with anyone and everyone who can grab a spot to this highly popular event.
The most recent edition, titled #YVR Social - Executive Challenge was held earlier this spring at Unbounce’s office. The panel featured three speakers from three different industries: finance, government and retail; thus, it was an amazing opportunity to hear how three very different organizations utilize and plan digital communications.
#YVRSocial host Wahiba Chair (far left), with panelists (from left to right) Darwin Sauer, Jhenifer Pabillano and Michelle Harper. Photo credit: Rummana Zahid
The three experts at this event were:
· Darwin Sauer, VP of Digital at Vancity
· Jhenifer Pabillano, Social Media Strategist at City of Vancouver
· Michelle Harper, National Marketing Manager at Purdys Chocolatier
The event’s host, Wahiba Chair, wrote an awesome blog, titled 7 Social Media Takeaways from Vancouver Executives, summing up all the key points.
But I wanted to point out three highlights that I personally enjoyed:
1) Vancity’s Good Money™ makes solutions possible commercial
Darwin Sauer, VP of Digital at Vancity talked about how to integrate multiple digital channels, and this brilliant Vancity commercial does just that. A compilation of videos sent in from the public, this social media-inspired project evolved into a TV commercial and shareable online video that exemplifies the collaborative and progressive community at the heart of Vancity’s brand.
2) #VanCityBird campaign
How can a government organization incorporate some fun into its digital efforts? Jhenifer Pabillano, Social Media Strategist, City of Vancouver, spoke about the #VanCityBird campaign – and this one almost melted my heart because it was so adorable! In an effort to raise awareness about the importance of birds in our ecosystem, the City of Vancouver launched Bird Week. One of the highlights of the campaign was the City Bird competition, where six birds competed to be elected Vancouver’s official City Bird. People voted using the hashtag #VanCityBird and the winner was the Peregrine Falcon. What a cute way to engage your audience!
3) Quantity vs Quality
If you’re like me, one look at a Purdys Chocolatier ad makes you drool and persuades you to ditch the “no dessert” diet that you started yesterday. Did you know that the perfect image used in each ad took FOREVER to get just right? As Michelle Harper, National Marketing Manager explained, there are so many things to consider, such as the lighting, camera angle, position of the chocolates and so much more. Someone may have even had to lick a salt crystal onto that Himalayan Pink Salt Caramel to get the salt positions just right (how can I get that job?).
And when people scroll through their Insta feeds, they may only look at that glorious Purdy ad for a millisecond. Was all that effort really worth it? Harper explains, that’s when quality vs quantity has to be considered. From a resource point of view, maybe it’s better to have four amazing-looking ads a week vs four a day. Or maybe your organization is in a situation where more content at a lower scale may be more important.
Thanks to #YVRSocial for a really great event! Don’t miss the next #YVRSocial. Visit Wahiba’s blog, where you can subscribe to get #YVRSocial updates.