We recently attended SocialNext Toronto 2025, a leading Canadian digital marketing conference focused on content strategy, AI, community building, and the future of brand engagement. As a digital marketing agency supporting businesses across Canada and beyond, we found the event packed with fresh perspectives and practical insights.
In the event, social media was a major theme this year. Two standout sessions offered valuable lessons on managing engagement, content performance, and community building in today’s fast-paced digital landscape. Here are our key takeaways.
How to Boost Social Media Engagement: Insights from the Comment Section
Jake MacDonald’s session, “Thriving in the Comment Section: Mastering Social Media Engagement in a Complex Atmosphere,” offered a thoughtful look at how brands can navigate real-time conversations.
Jake shared stories from his unique career—from managing the passionate fan base of Trailer Park Boys to handling social media for the Government of Nova Scotia. While the tone of each community differs, the challenge remains the same: fostering meaningful engagement, even in difficult conversations.
Top Tips for Managing Social Media Comments and Conversations
One of the key takeaways was the need for brands to show up with empathy and consistency. Whether you are responding to praise, criticism, or questions, do it in a respectful and timely manner making your audience feel valuable and showing that you care. It is important to maintain your brand voice and tone in managing social engagement. Comment section is no longer just about damage control, it’s a place to build relationships, clarify messaging, and humanize your brand.
When a post generates a high volume of questions or discussion, create follow-up posts to provide clarity or address common themes. This not only helps manage engagement more effectively but shows that the brand is listening and responsive. Removing comments can sometimes do more harm than good and should be handled carefully. Unless a comment is clearly abusive or violates community guidelines, removing it can sometimes create more backlash.
Social Media Benchmarking Tips: How to Measure Success Against Competitors
“Maximize Your Social Media Impact: The Power of Benchmarks” by Mutesi Ntazinda was another insightful session focused on social media strategy. Mutesi, who currently works at Zavy, a social analytics platform, shared how brands can use benchmarking to measure performance more meaningfully and make smarter, data-driven decisions. Instead of relying solely on vanity metrics like follower count or impressions, she emphasized the importance of comparing performance against industry standards to gain real context.
What to Track: Social Media Metrics and Benchmarking Tools That Matter
One of the key takeaways from this session was the importance of measuring your performance against competitors. Brands shouldn’t view their social media efforts in isolation. Benchmarking against competitors provides valuable insights into where you stand within your industry. For instance, tracking how often your competitors post, engagement trends, audience segments, and the types of content they’re creating (such as themes, formats, and giveaways) can help identify key opportunities for your own brand.
It is important to track your competitors’ social media regularly, ideally every month, to stay informed on their audience segments, growth, and content strategies. Tools like Zavy make this easier by providing direct benchmarking data, allowing you to quickly assess not only your own performance but also gain insights into what competitors are posting and how their strategies are influencing their growth.
Harnessing Data and Engagement for Effective Social Media Strategies
In today’s crowded social media landscape, the importance of thoughtful, data-driven strategies cannot be overstated. By embracing these approaches, brands can not only enhance their online presence but also make more informed decisions that drive long-term success and growth.
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