In the first part of our interview, Alexia Patsalos, Techtio’s Content Strategist, shared her journey from a young creative to a seasoned social media strategist. We explored the essential skills she has developed, how she stays on top of trends, and her typical day-to-day activities. Now, in Part 2, Alexia delves deeper into her proudest moments, the elements more important than going ‘viral’, and the delicate balance between creativity and data. She also offers invaluable advice for beginners, highlights common social media mistakes, and shares her thoughts on the future of social media strategy.

Kylie: When it comes to visual content, what are the top three elements that make a post go viral? Is there a magic formula?

Alexia: Look, it’s a hard one for me because I believe the creative world doesn’t have an exact formula for making viral posts. I am attracted to many posts that the next person might not be; however, that’s the game in figuring out what works for your audience. Visually, the three main elements I look for in a post are a catchy headline, eye-catching content, and visual engagement. It only takes a few seconds for someone to know if they want to continue looking at your post or not, and this is why first impressions on social media are a big deal. Having those three things really defines graphic design for me; it’s a form of visual communication, and those three elements should be able to effectively communicate what you are trying to say while still being visually aesthetic. It should be able to draw a person in within the few seconds they come across the post, and having those three things will really help in drawing people in. I really feel that trends are forever changing, but having those three elements will always make a good solid design.

Kylie: How do you balance creativity with data-driven decisions in your strategies? Do you ever have to play referee between your inner artist and your analyst?

Alexia: This is a really great question, and it can have its challenges, but truly I think they always need to work together. If I look at this from a social media perspective, we can actually understand it simply. Creativity is the ability to generate original ideas, solutions, and expressions. It involves thinking beyond conventional boundaries to produce something that is unique and impactful. This is what will drive innovation, captivate audiences, and differentiate your brand in a crowded market. Now, if we look at design, our main goal is to always design with purpose and to effectively communicate with our audience so we can achieve the results and goals we have set out. It’s a weird one for me because when designing for social media, you have full creative freedom; however, it’s within the boundaries of data. So, I guess we could call it data-driven/inspired creativity. We first need to study our audience so that our design is aligned with all our objectives. And once this is done, we use the designs to test and optimise data. So, to answer your question, yes, of course, I sometimes feel as if I’m playing referee between them. It’s inevitable not to because we are working within a certain framework that is influenced by a targeted audience. But especially in our industry, there is a reason why both sides are extremely important because with both, we can create strategies that are not only imaginative but also built upon a solid foundation of evidence.

Kylie: What are some common mistakes businesses make on social media that make you want to face-palm?

Alexia: Hahaha, there are a lot, but let me give you a few from the perspective of both a social media manager and as an Instagram user. A few of them are general ones, and others depend on the type of business that they are.

• I’m a big aesthetics person. Brands need to be consistent throughout their posts so that they all match well and create an overall aesthetic and solid social media grid. It kills me when the posts don’t match, all different colours, fonts, and styles.

• This inconsistency goes the same for the voice of the brand. A lack of consistent tone and messaging across posts is just confusing and makes for an inconsistent brand identity.

• Posting and ghosting. This ties in with a lack of engagement with your followers. You cannot just be posting and not interacting with the app and your followers. This makes you seem uninterested as a brand and also affects your page’s engagement, so overall, it’s just a big no for me.

• Ignoring current events and trends. It makes a business seem out of touch and irrelevant. This is also very dependent on the type of business.

• Oh, this is also a big one! Overselling promotional content. Just pushing sales and not providing any other value on your page is actually just annoying, haha. It makes people want to unfollow you, and that’s the last thing you want as a brand trying to build a community and a social media presence.

• Another big one that is more on the backend but can show through how a page posts and interacts- not using and reviewing your page’s analytics. This prevents a business from understanding and studying their audience, and it comes across as not being interested in their customers and followers.

Kylie: How do you handle negative feedback or a digital crisis? Have you ever had to put out a digital fire?

Alexia: Look, I think these sorts of hate comments or even just negative feedback, in general, are inevitable when a business starts to grow on social media. Those comments are very visible, meaning if there aren’t hundreds of thousands of comments, then they should be addressed. Depending on the situation, it’s important to face the feedback professionally, address the concerns, and maintain transparency. I think it’s really important for a brand to just be honest. It helps gain a lot of respect from people and trust within the online community you are building.

Kylie: What tools do you swear by for managing and analysing social media performance? Do you have a favourite that’s indispensable?

Alexia: Apart from Meta and Google Analytics, the only third-party manager I am currently using is SocialPilot. Look, I must be honest; I’ve used a few different ones, and they are all similar, but SocialPilot is a good one. It’s simple to use and has everything you need to be able to manage a lot of different accounts across multiple platforms. You are also able to see analytics on there, and it stores the analytics so you can select the dates you want to see, which is great for comparing results without having to create documents all the time. But I still look at the analytics through the apps and on Meta to compare and make sure we are getting the same results across these managers. So currently, SocialPilot is my favourite management tool.

Kylie: With the rise of AI in marketing, how do you see the role of a social media coordinator/visual strategist evolving? Are you excited or wary about future robot overlords?

Alexia: I know this is a very controversial topic, and I might say something that others might disagree with, but to be honest, as mind-blowing and crazy as it all is, I am actually
extremely fascinated and excited about it. At the moment, I don’t look at it as a threat but as a tool. I believe that it’s about adapting and capitalising on these advancements to enhance our roles, not replace them. It does have the power to help elevate our work, be more efficient, and essentially be more impactful. I’m not oblivious to the concerns people have, but I think I am just a very open-minded person and try to look at everything with a positive mindset, so at the moment, I am looking at it from a positive point of view and looking at all the ways that it can benefit us and enhance our roles.

Kylie: What advice would you give to someone just starting social media marketing? Any rookie mistakes to avoid?

Alexia: I could sit here all day and share advice and tips just from my experiences, but I think the best piece of advice I would give is JUST START! There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to digital marketing and management. You need to just start, play around with posts, discover your audience, and work out the formula that works best for that specific page. I can tell you now, the more time and experience I’ve gained, the more I’ve learnt. And by doing this, it’s all about trial and error, and I don’t think there are any mistakes in that until you figure out what works best for you and the business you are managing. I can already hear people shouting at me for saying that, haha. I know there is a lot of pressure when you have someone’s company in your hands and you need to bring in results, but to start off and gain experience, I think it’s extremely important.

Kylie: If you could give one piece of advice to a brand looking to improve their visual strategy, what would it be? Feel free to be as specific or quirky as you like.

Alexia: I think we can take it down to the bottom and start with the foundation. Make sure it’s consistent. Have you ever heard of the saying ‘consistency is key’? Well, it’s there for a reason, especially in branding. I’m talking about consistency in posts, colours, font, tone of voice, values, style, etc. The list could go on. This is so important because you want everything to have the same feeling as if they came directly from the same source with the same value. This will create a solid brand identity that will continue to make you more recognisable the longer you stick to it. Think about big brands such as Coca-Cola. We know if something is Coca-Cola within the first second just by the colours alone. That is the ultimate goal!

Kylie: What’s your favourite social media platform and why? Is there one you love but think is underrated?

Alexia: I think Instagram will always be my favourite social media platform, haha, but another one that I really love that I feel is underrated is Pinterest! The reason I loved Instagram from the start was because of the fact that it started off as a platform where people could share their creativity through photos. I know it has had many upgrades and changes over the years, but Pinterest still has that feel to me with even more creativity. I often seek inspiration from Pinterest and have way too many boards, that’s for sure!

Kylie: How do you measure the success of a social media campaign? Is it all numbers, or is there more to the story?

Alexia: Quantitative metrics provide a foundation for measuring success, but the qualitative aspects give depth and context to those numbers. By focusing on brand awareness, loyalty, content quality, creativity, community building, and continuous learning, you can create a more holistic and effective social media strategy that truly resonates with your audience and fosters long-term success. The effectiveness of a social media campaign involves both quantitative metrics and qualitative aspects such as sentiment, brand loyalty, content quality, community building, and adaptability.

Kylie: What do you think is the next big thing in social media? Any big trends that you keep an eye on?

Alexia: Something I think that will continue to rise, like we have started to see a lot of this year, is the integration of generative AI into social media platforms. We have just recently seen it added to Instagram, but I think it’s going to continue to spread and develop across social media platforms. Another trend I think we could see more of is longer videos. TikTok short videos stole the show for many years, and with reels and Instagram shorts, the rise of shorter-length videos compared to how we used to watch longer YouTube videos continued to reign. However, TikTok did release a feature to make longer-length videos. I think we will be seeing more longer videos and social media platforms extending the duration time that can be uploaded. I also think that influencer marketing will continue to rise, as well as authentic and personalised content.

Kylie: If you could collaborate with any brand or influencer, who would it be and why?

Alexia: There are so many amazing brands and influencers that I would love to collaborate with, but I think it would have to be Woolworths South Africa. I have always loved their company, especially their grocery side. From their packaging to marketing campaigns and food strategies, I have always loved their brand as a whole, so even though there are
thousands of bigger brands, I think it would still be a dream to work and collaborate with them!

Kylie: What do you do to unwind and recharge after a long week of social media strategising? Any guilty pleasures you would like to confess?

Alexia: Mmm, that’s funny because I usually would scroll on social media when I really feel like switching off my brain, haha! But apart from that, I try to avoid staring at screens as much as possible during that time because of how much I am on them! I would say my biggest guilty pleasure is going for long walks listening to music or a podcast, but it’s never just a walk; I either have to get a coffee or food! It is my favourite activity because I get to clear my mind, get some fresh air and sun, get in some extra exercise, and reward myself at the end with something I feel like at that moment, haha. But I think it’s a great way to unwind and energise yourself after a long day of sitting inside and working on screens the whole day!

Kylie: Thank you so much for sharing your insights and experiences, Alexia! It’s been a pleasure talking to you.

Alexia: Thank you, Kylie! It’s been wonderful sharing my journey and thoughts with you.

Chatting with Alexia Patsalos has been incredibly inspiring. Hearing about her proudest moments and top campaigns gave us a real sense of what makes social media strategy exciting and effective. We hope you enjoyed this conversation as much as we did and that you found some valuable tips to use in your own social media adventures. Stay tuned for more fun and insightful chats with industry experts!