Changing

As my internship comes to an end, I reflect on what I have done as a social media marketer. Plunging my company into social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn I have come to see that digital is ever changing and thus so must I be.

            My predecessor decided not to create a Pinterest account for the company because it seemed too young and not professional enough for their time. However, I have come to find it at great tool to get my company’s blog out there on the web. It’s also a great place for people to learn more about the owners of the company and what inspires them. Pinterest serves as a way for people to connect with the company on a more personal and creative side. This in turn will drive them to the site.

            I also discovered that Instagram is not a platform we need to invest our time in currently. While we do have an account form the intern that came before me, there isn’t a single post form us on it. Currently we just don’t have a need to post random pictures to our followers. However, in the future that could change as more business move onto this social network.

            Lastly, during the semester we have come to see that videos are very important to this generation and that having a YouTube account is beyond necessary. We now just need relevant and interesting videos to post to it. With these videos we will become more interactive and helpful to those seeking us out.

            Social and digital marketing are always changing. This time next year there could be a new platform that makes others obsolete. We are always improving on what those who came before us did. That’s what I love about this industry, there’s always something new on the horizon. Everything is always changing and we must find new and innovative ways to present the information and connect with our consumers. 

Gone

We’ve all been there before. We get super upset about something or about someone and we tweet something nasty or post an awful Facebook post and then feel guilty five seconds later. We then hastily delete the comment hoping that nobody saw it n the moments it was up. However, it’s time you heard the truth, nothing is ever really gone for good.  

Earlier this semester, a recent alumnus posted a comment in our private sorority Facebook group when she got angry about something. It was only up for about five minutes, but that’s all it took. This hateful post was screen-shotted by only 15 or so girls out of the 240 that were in the actual group. The post went viral, being texted to almost every girl in the chapter within the hour. She thought if she deleted it fast enough, nobody would see her hasty post made in anger, but she was wrong. Later that week, she needed a favor from the sorority for her work, but we all remember what she had posted and nobody wanted to help her because we were so hurt. In five minutes she ruined her trust with the organization.

This is just an example of the fact that we should all think twice before hitting that send button on anything we type. Even a text message could be incriminating. In today’s technological world, we can’t give our enemies or our friends any more ammo than they already have to bring us down. It’s so easy to be ruined over a post on Facebook, or a tweet, or a text or even an email. A rule of thumb I have heard many people use to keep their public information acceptable, is to ask yourself, “If my grandmother read this, would she be ashamed/embarrassed of me” if the answer is yes, then maybe you shouldn’t hit send.

In the end, nothing is ever gone, people will save what you put out there on the Internet and use it against you. The only ting we can do to prevent this, is to be weary of what we post on the Internet.  Nothing is ever truly gone. 

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

There is not doubt that social media has helped us in many ways. The good thing about social is that we never have to be alone because someone is always listening. Just a few situations where social media is good:

1.     When we are the first person to get somewhere and don’t wan to look alone or awkward

2.     When we are unhappy about a product and want everyone to know, including the company

3.     When we need to remember someone’s birthday

4.     When we need to contact someone, but don’t have their number or a phonebook

5.     When we want to say Happy Birthday, but don’t really want to talk to that person

With every bit of good, comes some bad in the world of social media. The bad:

1.     When we don’t pay attention in class

2.     When we don’t pay attention while driving

3.     When we don’t pay attention with friends

4.     When we don’t pay attention at the dinner table

5.     When we care more about what’s on our phone and updating social media than we do about the real world

Then there’s the ugly. Social media has created some problems that just shouldn’t even be a thing. These make me worry about society. The ugly:

1.     Catfishing someone, basically pretending to someone else and having a relationship with a real person via social media

2.     Lying about where we are. This means we lie about being sick for work and then post pictures to Facebook of us with our friends and the boss or angry coworkers can see it

3.     Cheating on ones significant other. Social has allowed people to connect with exs and other people outside of their relationship and there have been some marriages that have ended because of it. Just because the guy can message the pretty girl, doesn’t mean he should

4.     Cyber bullying. Kids are mean, and the Internet allows them to reach more people. It also lasts longer on the internet because once it’s out there, we can’t take it back

5.     Self Incrimination. Employers will search your Facebook profile and hopefully they like what they see, but many times it can ruin the chance for a job. The same can be said for new relationships. People become Facebook friends and they might see something they don’t like on there before you even have a chance to explain why you’ve ‘liked’ the Justin Beiber fan page

With every social media network comes great responsibility to be a good person. With the world watching our every move, we have to be careful what we put out there and what we choose to do with that information. 

Social Media: Good or Evil?

We all can see that social media helps marketing for almost all companies in existence. However, I still find myself wondering if social media is a good thing. From a marketing standpoint it’s a great thing. It helps me reach my audience, it helps me understand the consumer and it helps me interact with the people that buy my product. Most people would see nothing but good and entertainment from the world of social media, and sometimes it scares me.

1.     Driving Safely

In the state of Georgia there is a law against texting and driving, but I think a huge problem for this generation is also looking at social media while driving.. People post pictures of them stuck in traffic, or the pretty sunset they’re driving into. They update their status and tweet about that dumb car who won’t use their blinker. Many drivers probably don’t see this as a problem, but it is still a distraction on the road. It’s like the billboards say (kind of) is this tweet worth your life?

2.     Family Dinner

My family has a rule about using our phones when we sit down to eat dinner together. My parents want us to talk to them, not to our phone. They want our full attention and they want genuine conversation. I sometimes feel that social media as stolen this traditional family dinner. I work as a server and the number of times I have walked past a table where all four members of the family (including parents) are sitting there not talking, but staring at their phones, is ridiculous. They aren’t even looking at each other. This also happened when I see a group of friends. They aren’t telling stories, they’re laughing at their phones. It’s just sad. 

3.     Depression

Social Media has often times been linked to depression, making people fel left out of lied to. This has a lot to do with being able to see pictures of our friend hanging out, when we weren’t invited. Also, there are adults out there who use Facebook to reconnect with their high school sweetheart even when they’re married. This leads to divorce in many cases. We also have the chance to feel sad when nobody likes our status, wishes us happy birthday, or retweets our super clever tweet. W are staring at our computer screens, sad.

            So now we’re left with the question, is social media worth it? Does the good far outweigh the bad? Well honestly it doesn’t matter anymore. It’s too late to go back now, we can’t undo what has been done. Nobody would allow for social media to go away, it’s too much a part of society now and we just have to survive it. 

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

            We all know that old saying, meaning it doesn’t matter what you say sometimes it’s all about the picture. In this time period, it can’t be more true. We don’t want to take time and read about what our friends are doing, we just want to glance at a picture for 5 seconds and know. This is why Instagram is so popular. Would you rather read a paragraph about your friend cooking chicken pesto pasta, or see a beautifully filtered image with #yum. Our generation has become lazy, we can only spare as much time as it take to scroll past a picture.

            So, how do we use this to our advantage as social media marketers? We know what they like and why they like it, so we just have to use it. Many brands already have Instagram accounts, but they probably aren’t using it to its fullest potential. Here are just a few ideas to get more involved on Instagram and why it’s a good idea.

1.    So people can tag your brand. The most important reason to have an Instagram account is so that your followers can tag your brand. If it’s a clothing boutique, they could buy a dress and then post it to Instagram and tag your store. This puts your store’s name out there and people can easily click on your name and find your profile which can eventually link them back up to the store.

2.    Contests. A very big trend right now is for people to take screen shots of a contest and then reInstagram it and tag the store in hopes of winning money or prizes. While this would work, it could also be a little annoying if all of our Instagram friends were doing it. Nobody wants to see the same picture ten times in a row. My suggestion would be to have a contest where they simply tag your account name. Again, if it’s a clothing store, you could have an OOTD (Outfit of the Day) contest (a very popular Instagram hashtag) where customers could post themselves wearing the brand in some way and then a winner could be selected from those who tagged the store. This way it would still get the name out, but it would also be showing off the clothes.

3.    Behind the Scenes. As people, we live for the extra stuff. We want to see those secrets and surprises. Instagram is a great place to post entertaining pictures. In turn, these pictures will increase brand awareness and will make them feel more emotionally attached. If a brand is shooting a new commercial, showing backstage pictures is fun. If it’s a store and the employees are up late stocking shelves, it’s cute to see all the hard work they put into it. If it’s someone’s birthday and they get a cake and a party, seeing that makes us like the brand more. We feel like we’re part of the team.

             These are just a few reasons to get an Instagram. It just breaks down to the fact that people in this day and age love pictures. If a company wants to reach their audience, this is the new place to do it. Just remember, a picture is worth a thousand words. 

Kristen Williams 

Twitter for the Win

            Twitter campaigns are a huge craze now for businesses small and big. “Retweet to win...” “Follow back for our prize...” “Answer this question to be considered....” All these Twitter campaigns are basically contests that are very easy to enter and that use you to promote their brand or product. More than likely you will not win that $50 gift card, or that meet and greet with the hot singer. However you will talk about that brand and that person to all 200 followers you have. Some people will simply glance over the silly contest, but some will be intrigued. They will go, follow the brand and then enter the contest themselves.
            At one point, a company called “Frat Collection” that I follow posted a twitter contest asking us to retweet this tweet for a chance at a $100 gift card. My Twitter newsfeed was already littered with the retweets from this that I felt like I might as well try it. Sadly I did not win, but someone I follow actually did. This then fuels the desire to enter these contests because we see that they are winnable. It becomes socially okay to retweet and pester our friends when we believe we really could actually win something.

            As a business, I would say to try these Twitter campaigns out. They really will get you more followers. I may love your brand but not even think about following you on Twitter, but when my best friend retweets your contest, it’s so easy to just click on the tweet and follow the company. If the company’s Twitter does this every once and a while, your audience will continue to grow and you’ll have a few happy prizewinners to boast about your brand. So, if you haven’t already, go ahead and try a Twitter campaign to increase followers and improve company image. 

Kristen Williams

A Beginner's Mistakes

As I have stated before,  I am currently interning with a company where I am in charge of their social media. Since beginning this internship a month ago I have already learned a lot about what not do to in the social world. Using my vast amount of experience (jokes) I want to share my struggles with you in hopes of preventing some of the same mistakes I made early on

1. It’s great to connect your Facebook to twitter, but don’t forget that it will tweet you post every time.  I recently made a Facebook post for the company and then immediately made a tweet with a link to the Facebook page. The next day I realized I literally had two tweets that said the exact same things, making me look a little silly and for sure redundant.
2.  People will like your Facebook posts, but then not actually complete the action called for in that post. I made a post that asked our followers to submit pictures to our page to be critiqued by a professional photographer. I had six people like this post, but not a single person uploaded a picture. Thusly, the post didn’t do what was intended. I am now learning that people are lazy, even on social media. It’s so much easier to just ‘like’ something than to follow through with the action itself.
3.  Not everyone is nice on the internet. You probably already knew this, but it can interfere with social media marketing sometimes because people can literally say anything they want to. I post questions to LinkedIn on behalf of my employer. The first question I posted had a guy write a one word snarky answer. He basically tried to kill the question and make fun of it. However, other people luckily answered the question too and we ended up having a really great conversation on the thread. Just know there are mean people out there, can we just have to be better than them.

I’m sure I’ll make many more mistakes and blunders along the way during this internship, but I hope these three things at least made you think a little about some beginners problems with social media.

Kristen Williams 

Pintresting for Parties

Ever wonder if Pinterest is actually worth investing in? It's a place for girls to keep albums of the kids they don't have, the clothes they can't afford and the wedding to the man they haven't met yet. It all sounds a little silly, until these things actually happen to you.

My best friend from high school, Anna Barnes (now Collins), got married last night to the love of her life. When I stepped into the reception hall after the ceremony I felt like I had walked through my computer into the Pinterest website. There was burlap and hydrangeas everywhere. It was truly beautiful. When I asked her if it was all her ideas or if she had the help of a wedding planner, she told me that her mom and she had put it all together with a lot of ideas coming from Pinterest. Now all those boards didn't seem so silly to Anna, she was actually putting them to use.

This brings me to my point that Pinterest would be a viable form of social media as long as it was aimed at the right target audience. For Anna, she had been looking at all these wedding things and was repinning a lot of the things she used. This included things like her wedding venue. Her venue is now on the internet and girls planning their future weddings will see her pin and look into the venue or keep it on their mind for when the time comes. There were a few check list links for a bride to be as well which linked back to some wedding planning blogs and websites. Had Anna been in the market for a wedding planner in the Atlanta area, Pinterest would have been a great way to get at her. Have an image that catches the bride-to-be's eye and she'll click all the way to your website.

Pinterest will be a great marketing network for websites like clothing stores, event venus, furniture stores, blogs and any company that sells actual objects online. While Pinterest is not for every marketing plan, I invite people out there to branch away from Facebook and twitter and delve into a world that brings inspiration through pictures, a world that brings ideas together in one place and a world where we can all come together and share those ideas.

Happy Pinning,
Kristen Williams