5 Key Takeaways from Social Media Day PHL 2024

Jul 19, 2024 | From the Experts

By Kathy Anastasiadis & Sarah Linkenhoker

Athena was thrilled to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of Social Media Day PHL this July at the annual #SMDayPHL conference as a presenting sponsor. Throughout the event, we heard from a wide range of impressive leaders in all things social in the Philadelphia area. Here are five of the most important lessons we took away from the occasion:

1. Don’t just post, engage.

In her opening remarks, our very own Maggy Wilkinson, CEO, reminded us that after a decade full of unprecedented growth, “we’re not just posting content – we’re strategically leveraging data and AI to create personalized, impactful experiences.” Personalized interactions help brands build a stronger relationship with their followers and fosters loyalty.

Maggy Wilkinson preparing for Social Media Day 2024.

SOCIAL MEDIA DAY PHL 2024 | RALPH J. ROBERTS FORUM
COMCAST, 2024

2. Social media is all about storytelling.

Telling stories that connect your brand to the people it serves will make your posts more meaningful—don’t just post information on the product or service your company offers. During the keynote session, Rakia Reynolds, Founder and Executive Officer of Skai Blue Media, shared her insights on how capturing these stories in a quick and casual manner, rather than in the highly stylized ways of the past, can help connect you more deeply to your audience.

3. Efficiency is key.

To be successful, social media managers need to ensure every step in their workflow is as efficient as possible. Lauren Freund of Canva demonstrated how “AI tools are like a calculator to a mathematician” and showed how marketing tools like Canva and Hootsuite can help streamline a social media manager’s process.

Social Media Day 2024 at Ralph J. Roberts Forum

4. Partnerships and collaborations lead to more social success.

During Laju Obasaju (Comcast) and Seana Siekman (Athena)’s breakout session, they discussed how exchanging ideas and expertise with others leads to more innovation and will help you continuously improve the content you produce. Whether it’s teaming up with different departments in your organization to support content creation, working with influencers to promote your brand, or partnering with an agency to help with reporting, collaboration has many benefits.

Seana Siekman presenting at Social Media Day 2024.

SOCIAL MEDIA DAY PHL 2024 | RALPH J. ROBERTS FORUM
COMCAST, 2024

5. Thought leadership impacts your bottom line.

Armed with facts and figures sourced from global consulting firms, LinkedIn’s Emily Peterson stressed the importance of executive reputation for organizations of all sizes and types. One report she cited found that 80 percent of employees globally shared that overall reputation of their CEO is an important retention factor while 65 percent of buyers stated that thought leadership significantly changed their perception of a company for the better.

The takeaway? Executives should develop a sound strategy and post regularly to boost the optics of their organizations.

SOCIAL MEDIA DAY PHL 2024 | RALPH J. ROBERTS FORUM
COMCAST, 2024

Learn more about how Athena helps our clients build their brands on social media and our other services here.