Words: Cassandra Stern
Photos: MASONRY Magazine, pressureUA
Editor’s Note: With the end of 2020 approaching, I’m sure many of you are sighing in relief- I know I am. As my first year as Social Media Editor for MASONRY Magazine draws to a close, I’ve been plunged headlong into a crazy time to be working directly with you, our readers. This year’s most #Popular social media posts of the year made us laugh, stop and think, celebrate, and appreciate the many wonderful people of the masonry community. Although 2020 may not have turned out the way we all expected it to, we’ll always be a click away at @masonrymagazine or @mcaa. If you have a story you want to share in 2021, please contact me at cstern@masonrymagazine.com!
Another year here and gone means another chance to look back at our wins, our losses, our challenges, our triumphs, and everything in between, and what better way to do that than through social media. We have gone through hundreds and hundreds of posts, comments, likes, reshares, retweets, and more to find the content you liked best. You may even recognize some of these posts! As always, be sure to like and share this article, and share your thoughts! Will we see your post featured in next year’s #Popular roundup?
Post #5:
Coming in at the #5 Top Post is a relatively new post that qualifies for the list because of the rapid response and overwhelming popularity of the subject matter. #TrowelTuesday, one of MASONRY Magazine’s newest hashtag campaigns, is quickly becoming one of the most liked and shared posts on the MASONRY Magazine Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter channels. Trowels are one of, if not the most important tools in a masonry professional’s tool kit, and so it should come as no surprise that in its short time being live on the MASONRY Magazine social media channels this post has already reached over 4,000 people between Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and has amassed almost 200 likes, 8 comments, 11 shares, and 7 saves.
Post #4:
Our #4 Top Post of the Year also has the unique distinction of having actually been posted twice on the MASONRY Magazine page in 2020. However, don’t think this inflated the performance numbers for this social media post, it makes the list based on its most recent posting alone! Wildly successful in its first posting, we knew we needed to bring it back again at the end of the year, and clearly, our audience loves twists and turns when it comes to their brick columns. We receive a lot of inquiries from masons about advanced techniques like twisted brick columns, and we reached out to an experienced professional to help create a clear and in-depth guide to create clean designs and execute them successfully.
On the MASONRY Magazine Facebook page alone in its second posting, this article reached 4,075 followers and received 823 engagements, 54 likes, 2 comments, and 8 shares. Add in an additional 1,000 followers reached on Instagram with another 70 likes and 4 saves, and it’s extremely clear that twisted brick columns and other advanced masonry techniques will be covered much more extensively on social media and in articles in 2021.
Post #3:
You may recognize the #3 Top Social Media Post of 2020 because it certainly got a lot of laughs throughout the year! Posted back in late February, this quick clip of an unfortunate masonry fail received 82 likes and a whopping 48,000 views. As an extremely relatable (and preventable) occurrence, our audience clearly understood the misfortune of a trowel full of mortar to the face. A discussion thread of 240 comments followed this post, which also gives it the distinction of being the MCAA’s Most Commented Social Media Post of 2020! If you missed this one, you should definitely head over to the video section of the MCAA Facebook page for a good and hearty chuckle!
Post #2:
Our #2 Top Social Media Post of 2020 also has the unique distinction of being the Most Controversial Post of 2020, and our audience certainly had a strong reaction to this one. The article in question did not necessarily make a huge initial impression upon publication, but after it debuted on social media back in early November, it certainly created a frenzy. The organic reach of this social media post across Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter topped 10,000, with almost 1,500 engagements, 75 likes, 20 shares, 5 saves, and 37 comments.
The subject matter of the article itself was the most polarizing aspect of the post, and robotics and technological advancements in the masonry industry continue to be a hotly contested issue amongst professionals of all ages and levels of experience. In contrast, MASONRY Magazine’s June cover story on Fraco’s Exoskeletons for Bricklayers: Science Fiction is Now Reality generated a paltry response in comparison with an organic reach around half of the Hadrian X post. It will be interesting to see the different and innovative masonry technology to be released in 2021, and we look forward to sharing these developments with our readership and social media followers.
Post #1:
It’s not just a video, but actually, an MCAA live stream that we’ve crowned our #1 Social Media Post of the year. This post is particularly exciting as it was our first time live streaming the MCAA Fastest Trowel event, and it certainly won’t be the last! When we went live during the event on February 5, 2020, we peaked at 80,000 viewers during the 21-minute stream and received 284 likes and 14,000 views once the stream ended and the video posted to the MCAA Facebook page. The outpouring of positive responses for this post was overwhelming, and the coverage puts viewers directly in the heart of the action, mere inches from the competitors as the hustle to beat the clock. If you’re ready for some heart-pounding competition and missed this incredible front-row seat to the MCAA Fastest Trowel event, be sure to check it, and all of our other event coverage and industry videos at the MCAA Facebook page.
Overall, 2020 has been one for the record books in both good ways and bad. With the World of Concrete scheduled for June 8-10, 2021, and many other events to look forward to, it’s important to stay connected with the most up-to-date masonry industry information. In addition to our social media channels and both digital and print publications, MCAA members and followers can also sign up to receive our newsletters. Have a safe and healthy holiday season, and we’ll see you next year!