So you think you're Pinteresting?

Pinterest is one of the latest in social media marketing. I personally had never thought of how businesses could use it to reach their target markets until we were shown examples in class. I now see how it can be a great resource to reach potential consumers and see what else they are interested in. For example a company could find my pinterest and learn what I am interested in and if I am their target consumer then target me more effectively. A company who posts a lot about traveling could see that I post a lot about where I want to go and also see that I am interested in coffee shops, thus if there was a pin about coffee shops around the US or the world I would likely repost it and be interested in that company.

I decided to look up how companies can more effectively use Pinterest. I found an article from Go Digital Marketing about How to Use Pinterest to Effectively Market Your Small Business explaining how businesses can better use the site. The article mentions how originally when the promoted pins first started they were only for large businesses and now Pinterest has slowly started DIY promoted pins for any sized business. This form of promoted pins makes it so the company only pays on a cost-per-click basis. The site also gives advice to businesses on how to start out marketing through Pinterest. These tips are:

1. Know your audience
2. Think like a content marketer, not an advertiser
3. Look to Pinners for inspiration
4. Make sure your boards are well-categorized
5. Determine posting frequency

I really liked how they discussed how to be more of a content marketer and not just an advertiser.
"The majority of active Pinterest users click on Pins that go to blog posts, articles and even photos." This quote shows how important it is for companies who use Pinterest to advertise to create more content focused Pins so that consumers will be more likely to repin and click on the link. It is also noted how most of what is popular is visual such as food, fashion, beauty, crafts, decor, and etc. I think when trying to target consumers companies want to advertise just as they would anywhere else, but they forget that Pinterest does not work in that same way. This brings me to another point that I wanted to talk more about, making sure boards are well-categorized. In the article it mentions how Pinterest sorts posts by topic or category and not chronologically. I never had really considered that a company would not know that but I guess if they are just beginning they may not. A big thing in creating boards is to make sure and keep focused to one topic in posting. For example if a company sells make up than a couple different ways they could organize the posts would be by product line or by what the product is used for. If it is by product line then the pins would be focused more on all the different ways to wear the line. The board should work towards a goal of consumers wanting that look and going out and buying the product. On the other hand if the focus is on what the product is used for then the company could combine product lines for many different looks (like maybe a daytime eye look vs a nighttime look).

Here is the link: http://www.godigitalmarketing.com/pinterest-effectively-market-small-business/

Social media mistakes!!

This week one of the things we talked about was timing for posts on both Facebook and Twitter and another thing was the use of hashtags. This made me think of what I see companies do wrong so often with social media, and it became what I decided to write about. One of my biggest pet peeves with companies or groups using social media is when they treat Facebook and Twitter the same, meaning the posts on both are the exact same. I decided to try and see what others thought of this and found an article from CIO.com called the 15 Big Social Media Mistakes Companies Make and How to Avoid Them. One point that this article brought up is that when companies post the same message to every media outlet they come across as "fake, impersonal, or spam-like." I could not agree more with that. I often find myself unfollowing, unliking, or blocking pages or groups that repeatedly do this even if I am interested in what they may be about. The way that they said to avoid seeming fake to the consumer is to make more of an effort to understand the differences in the social media platforms and learn how to more effectively reach people on the different sites. Also as far as the posting every hour the article says to look at when your target audience is on and start just posting during those times instead of multiple times per hour or every hour.

Now as far as hashtags... There is definitely a limit to how many you should use per post and what they should be. Before I go into what my personal thoughts are towards hashtags I want to talk about what the article says, which I love. They put it like this would you want to have as many people as possible find your tweet even if they are not the target audience for your brand or would you rather interact with the target consumers that are actually looking for your hashtag. I think this is a point that many companies miss when they are just looking for an increase in followers and not followers that actually care about the brand. Now when a company comes up with their own personalized hashtag and use it properly not only will potential customers find them but the company in turn will be able to interact with the customers. Also when using hashtags it is important to pay attention to the number used and why they are being used.
 

Here is what else they list as the fifteen mistakes:

1. Not having a social media policy
2. Treating all social media sites as if they are the same
3. Not making the most of your social media bio
4. Using social media as a megaphone
5. Focusing on the quantity of followers instead of quality
6. Over-posting and posting inappropriate content
7. Newsjacking
8. Not monitoring social media for suggestions, complaints, or questions regarding your business or products
9. Deleting or ignoring negative comments
10. Not responding quickly, especially to your complaints
11. Posting too infrequently
12. Sounding impersonal or automated
13. Sending automated direct messages (DM) to all of your new Twitter followers
14. Overusing hashtags
15. Not including a measurable call-to-action in social media posts

 If you want to read more about these check out the article!! http://www.cio.com/article/2381554/social-media/15-big-social-media-mistakes-companies-make-and-how-to-avoid-them.html 

So you like videos?

This week we talked about videos in marketing and most particularly Youtube videos. Companies have been using YouTube famous people to market their products or brand. One example that I found this week is The Book of Life movie had the band Us the Duo make a music video incorporating their scenes into it.

I was just watching all of their music videos because I just really like the band and then it popped up to watch this one. I think this is a great example because on their original account they have millions of views and on every video it recommends this video next. In this video I can definitely tell that they had a hand in creating what it looked like and how it felt because I have watched so many of their other videos. It makes it so it is still fitting in with what they usually do and also telling a story to get people interested in watching this movie. I also think that it was a good fit for the band. Their song will most likely also be incorporated somehow in the movie (or its credits) so more people may start listening to their music.

I think when companies choose a person on YouTube to make a video for them it is very important to make sure that they reflect the right persona. This is important to pay attention to because you always want to keep with the same brand feel and not confuse your potential consumers on who the company is. It also is important that the company looks at the other videos they have made. This is because  essentially the company is also endorsing that YouTuber. While it may not seem like a big deal if the person is someone whose other videos do not fit the company image then it will reflect poorly on the company and what the consumer has grown to expect. It may be as small of a detail as their beliefs that they said are not what the company has said or that certain target customers would be offended by what was said.

Also YouTubers need to make sure that the company is a good fit for them. This is because by making a video they are saying that they support the company and if someone strongly dislikes what the company is doing then they may start unfollowing. Or another example is the product does not fit what the YouTuber is known for. For example what if a makeup artist make a video advertising a cooking utensil? It would not make much sense right? So they should not make that video because their viewers would not want to watch it nor buy the product (most likely). So if what you make videos about does not line up with what the product is do not endorse it. Another thing I think that YouTubers should stand up and say that they want creativity in the video. This is because they do not want the viewers to think that they will change who they are just to get money. I mean yes money does play into the decision but it should not change who a person is.

The Visual Impact

When looking at how consumer most effectively learns information we have to look at graphics. This is how a majority of people learn and remember information. As marketers we can take this information and use it to our advantage by using it better reach our audience. There are so many differing forms of graphics to share information that are useful in business.

               One of the first formats we talked about this week was photo driven advertising. This type of advertising uses just a picture to show what they are advertising. This picture will tell a story without words and properly sell the product to a selected target. These ads are effective in reaching a broad range of people, and they have the potential to go viral because they usually are eye catching.

               Another form mentioned in class was memes. This can be used as a form of marketing because it takes something that is already well known in a culture and turns it into an effective campaign. When using this though the company has to be sure that the meme is correct for their culture as a company and that it will reach the target audience they are wanting. The company must also consider the preconceived thoughts towards the meme knowing that the company will be perceived in the same light. This can be a good thing if the company culture fits what the meme says but if the preconceived feelings are not realized by the company than that could work against the company and hurt their public relations. Also when looking at if a meme should be used know the target audience!! This is so important because certain age groups or even market will not receive memes as advertising very well.

The last form of graphics that we discussed was infographics. These can be very effective in getting a lot of information to a broad audience in an easy to understand manner. There are several things that a company must think about when wanting to make an infographic. First they must do their research on what information they want to get to the audience. Second they need to do research to figure out what layout they want to present the information in. This also includes figuring out what colors it should be, what wordings to use, and so much more. This part can be extremely time consuming and most companies do not plan for the time investment that it has. Next the company needs to think about where they should post the infographic to reach their target audience. With there being so many different social medias or platforms there is practically no limit to where a company can put their infographic.

               These are just some of the differing forms of graphics a company can use to reach its audience. I think it is extremely important to use some form of visual images to market since so many people are more likely to remember information presented in that format. As far as what visuals to use, that really depends on the intended audience and what the company wants.

I'm your biggest fan... but really!

        This week one of the things we talked about in social media marketing was our passions and how we are thought leaders. I was talking with a friend of mine afterwards saying that I didn’t know what to write for a post we had over thought leadership because my main passion is encouraging others in their passions. Honestly if I had to pick one thing to do all day every day for the rest of my life I would choose encouraging people without a doubt. That feeling of seeing someone doing what they love and the joy that comes across their face. Throughout this semester I’ve learned more and more that what really recharges me is getting to pour into others and being able to help them. In doing this I not only am lifting them up but I am speaking the truth of what is good in another human being, and that is beautiful. When you spend time encouraging others it changes your perspective of the world and of us. For me it has made it to where I love people. When I say I love people I really fully mean it like I’m pretty sure I just want to be everyone’s biggest fan. I want to be in the “front row” of their live and get to cheer them on. I want the people around me to see how great these people are that I come in contact with day in and day out. My passion is showing others how much they are worth and hopefully through that showing them a glimpse of how God sees them. I search for the thing in each person that makes them who they are and how they use that every day in a way that is just amazing.

You may wonder ok how does this relate to marketing at all…

Well marketing is helping others succeed in their passions. Forget the tactics and the money and take a step back to see the overview of what we do as marketers, do you see it? Ya right there! we sell a product, not just any product but one that someone was passionate enough about it to create it. Or we sell a company, not just any company but one with employees who work day in and day out to make it all that it is and when it was first started it was one person with a passion and an idea. And without that one person having a passion and following through there would not be anything to do marketing for.

       We see passions every day. Some of them we agree with and some we don’t but that is what makes us different and makes the world interesting. I think that just for a day if you force yourself to look for the best in every person you see (and yes even that one person who no one gets along with) then your whole outlook will change. I hope just for a day you’ll try my passion to make it your own. And whatever your passion is remember you will always have at least one fan.

oh and if you want to read my personal blog and get to see more post about my life check it out:
Overjoyed. http://joynessness.blogspot.com/

the way to market yourself is going social

For recent college grads and those who have been graduated for a while alike the way that companies are looking for employees is changing. The companies have started to look more towards social media when wanting to hire an employee. The companies still look at the person’s network but instead of just looking towards who they are connected with online. This helps the company know if the candidate knows someone within the company already or if they know people in the industry. Also by looking at someone’s social media the company get a better feel on who the person really is and whether or not they will fit into the company’s atmosphere. Employers are also looking online to see if the applicant has the soft skills they are looking for in employees. If the potential employee looks great on their resume but then when looking at their blog, per se, the company learns that they have terrible writing skills they might think twice before hiring them. Another example would be if the person consistently gets on social media and complains about their job or something related then the company would not want to hire them based on the fact of the posts would negatively affect the company.

              

               Also when looking for a job in today’s society is important to get your qualifications online whether that is through an online portfolio or by using LinkedIn. By getting your resume online it gives the opportunity for companies to access your information easier and also they might be looking for a new employee and find you. Personally I use LinkedIn right now, although I am looking into getting an online portfolio started. Part of the reason I like LinkedIn so much is that it will send you emails with articles to either help you in your job hunt or that it thinks you’ll be interested in. The site also helps link you to people in the market you want to enter. It also makes it so companies can post what positions they are looking for and people trying to find a job can look and see jobs that they would be interested in. I personally feel like LinkedIn lets you tell what experiences and qualifications you have while adding personality to what you are doing.

              

               One last very important thing to remember about the new social component of job hunting is know that potential employers are looking at social media. They use it when deciding whether or not they will hire someone by getting to know you a little better, learning about your writing style, and seeing how you act in real life. So make sure you like what your social media is saying about you. If you look through what you are posting and are unsure that you would want your future boss to see it maybe it is time for you to clean up what is online about you. Personally I think that if I post something online than I should be ok if it was printed and put it in a public location where employers could see it. I want everything I post to reflect who I am and make companies want to hire me.