It was surprising to know that Social Media Week happened in the Philippines only this year. It’s been three years since we’re holding the crown of being the Social Media Capital of the World.

Having the title doesn’t mean we’re doing everything right.

Cases in point:

1. Only five percent of businesses are doing social media marketing.
2. We’re – businesses and social media experts – are more concerned with algorithms than creating content that would entertain, educate, or inspire others.
3. We are using social media to mislead and misinform instead of spread goodness.

So after spending the whole day rubbing shoulders with social media rockstars and hotshots, here are the lessons that I took from Social Media Week Manila.

1. Have a clear goal.

I always hear this everytime I do Manila Workshop‘s Facebook Ads Workshop with Niña Mendoza and Julian Canita. Having a clear goal is important when you do social media marketing. Having or not having it will reflect how you do your social media, regardless of the platform.

2. Know your audience.

Time and time again, “know your audience” was repeated by most of the Social Media Week Manila speakers. And why not? Like what Seth Godin said, “Not everyone is your customer.”

3. Ideas are everywhere.

Giang Nguyen, the CEO of Diffcat (behind the FaceDance App), found an idea for the app from the Internet.

On the other hand, Lam Thi Thuy Ha, CEO of Triip, got frustrated on how top locations in the world are so different from the reality. She showed us photos of the Great Wall, Angkor Wat, and Monalisa’s painting on their peaceful moments, only to show how those top destinations look like when all tourists are there. Thus she created Triip so travelers could explore the unusual spots in a country that are still beautiful.

Both had challenges. Both found an idea. You need to be conscious and look around.

4. Be authentic.

Carlo Ople‘s talk on zeroing in on Generation Z and Y gave me this lesson: Millennials (Gen Z) know when you are a fake. This generation (I’m actually on this side, being born in 1981) like to see flaws.

If this is the best time to become a creator, this is also the best time to be authentic. Being genuine isn’t bad.

Also, Ople gave this powerful thought: If the older generation surrenders the kids to the Internet, we allow the youth to fend for themselves in the wild world.

5. Align online marketing with offline marketing.

I mean come on. If you have a promotion online, wouldn’t it be right that even your newest employee knows about it – and tell customers about it?

Why? There are still some customers who research big-ticket items online, yet buy offline. In today’s world, you should use both.

6. Use social media to spread values, not disinformation.

“What’s the hidden good in your work?”, Jiezhen Wu of The Hidden Good asked us this question. Their objective of showing goodness first saw its light on social media through social experiments. They want to find out if people will help people. It turns out we do.

It’s the contrast with Rappler’s Maria Ressa’s topic on how social media to create propaganda networks and create disinformation. She provided extensive data on how wrong information is spread, plus she – among other journalists – are harassed because of what they do.

7. Influencer marketing is more than just #sponsored.

After hearing Ace Gapuz of Blogapalooza, I finally understood what Influencer Marketing is. Influencer marketing is more than just putting all bloggers on your event and letting them write about it. You should strategically use this.

Influencers are message amplifiers. So before you get them to promote your brand or product consider the following: your goal, your metric, how you’ll monitor the performance of the parameter, and you should always have a follow-through plan.

8. Don’t be afraid to embrace your ambition.

One of the most remarkable parts of the event was the forums. The “Embrace Your Ambition” was my favorite. Two things that wowed me on this part: one, entrepreneurs hustle because they couldn’t rely on anyone but themselves (true), and two, entrepreneurs fear success (that surprised me).

The panelists also advised entrepreneurs just in case they go into low points. I loved that.

9. Get to know each platform.

Anton Diaz of Our Awesome Planet that for you to guarantee virality of branded content, you should know what each social media platform could provide you. As we all know, every social media platform cater to different people, hence different behavior.

Ensure that you got these four Ms: RIGHT message, medium, market, and moment.

So, with all of these learnings from Social Media Week Manila, what’s the missing link?

Well, it’s us, the USERS.

As our world becomes smaller because of digital platforms, let us be more critical of how we use it. Let us be more of creators rather than consumers. But don’t forget that what you put out there can inspire or motivate others. Make sure you spread nothing but the good.

Cheers, Social Media Week!

What do you think of these Social Media Week Manila lessons? Share your thoughts in the comments.